March Madness Day 1: North Carolina Collapses, Duke Survives and High Point Stuns

The first day of the men’s NCAA tournament did not disappoint. Here’s everything we saw on Thursday.

VCU guard Nyk Lewis celebrates after a play against North Carolina in overtime of a first-round game of the men’s NCAA tournament. The Rams rallied to beat the Tar Heels in overtime. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The first day of the 2026 men’s NCAA tournament is in the books, and what a day it was. No. 11 seed VCU rallied from a 19-point deficit to defeat No. 6 North Carolina in overtime. No. 1 Duke survived an upset bid by No. 16 Siena after trailing by double digits at halftime. Nebraska won its first men’s tourney game ever. No. 12 High Point pulled off the upset over No. 5 Wisconsin. Sports Illustrated will have you covered for Day 2 of March Madness with live coverage of both the men’s and women’s tournaments on Friday.

Men’s NCAA tournament first-round scores

• No. 9 TCU 66, No. 8 Ohio State 64
• No. 4 Nebraska 76, No. 13 Troy 47
• No. 6 Louisville 83, No. 11 South Florida 79
• No. 12 High Point 83, No. 5 Wisconsin 82
• No. 1 Duke 71, No. 16 Siena 65
• No. 5 Vanderbilt 78, No. 12 McNeese 68
• No. 3 Michigan State 92, No. 14 North Dakota State 67
• No. 4 Arkansas 97, No. 13 Hawai’i 78
• No. 11 VCU 82, No. 6 North Carolina 78
• No. 1 Michigan 101, No. 16 Howard 80
• No. 11 Texas 79, No. 6 BYU 71
• No. 10 Texas A&M 63, No. 7 Saint Mary’s 50
• No. 3 Illinois 105, No. 14 Penn 70 
• No. 2 Houston 78, No. 15 Idaho 47
• No. 9 Saint Louis 102, No. 8 Georgia 77
• No. 3 Gonzaga 73, No. 14 Kennesaw State 64
• Friday’s full schedule with TV

Men’s March Madness Day 1 recap

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