Upsets and Duke surviving a tough challenge marked the first day of March Madness. Here are the biggest moments from Thursday

The first day of the males’s NCAA Tournament is over and boy did it ship.

Just a few upsets, a high seed being pushed to its limits by a 16-seed and a few different shut video games marked a incredible opening day of the Big Dance. The evening ended on a bit of a down observe – three of the ultimate 4 video games of the night had been determined by 35, 25 and 31 factors – however nothing might high the slate of upsets that began the day.

Here’s all it is advisable learn about the first day of the NCAA event:

Texas upsets BYU and their incredible freshman AJ Dybantsa

The Texas Longhorns rolled into their matchup in opposition to BYU on the again of a dramatic win in the First Four over the North Carolina State Wolfpack, and seemed like the subsequent 11-seed that will hold their momentum going from the First Four into a first spherical upset.

The Longhorns constructed themselves a 17-point lead in the second half with about 10 minutes to go earlier than issues began to slide away. BYU, led by freshman star AJ Dybantsa, made its cost and pulled to inside 4 with a minute to go.

But that ultimate minute would show to be the Cougars’ undoing.

Dybantsa’s poor cross with 30 seconds to play resulted in a Texas steal, and the Longhorns would make two free throws on the ensuing possession. More free throws would comply with after BYU couldn’t convert on the offensive finish and Texas held off the comeback try and win 79-71.

They’ll play the winner of Gonzaga and Kennesaw State in a while Thursday.

The No. 11 seeded VCU Rams had been a well-liked upset decide forward of the event and the courageous souls who dared to select them had been sweating after the first half with the Tar Heels holding nine-point lead.

But the tide turned in the second half with the Rams forcing extra time and finally upsetting the sixth-seeded Tar Heels squad 82-78.

It appeared like an unbelievable end result after UNC’s lead grew to 19 factors with 13 minutes to go however the Rams stormed again behind Terrence Hill Jr.’s 34 factors off the bench.

It is the first event win for VCU since 2016 and the Rams will now face the winner of Illinois and the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday whereas UNC will face some questions relating to their future.

A No. 16 workforce has solely crushed a high seed twice in the NCAA males’s event. It’s maybe the biggest lock in the event – the high seeds will beat the worst seeds in the opening sport.

But the better part of this event is the surprising immediately turning into truly potential. And for about three quarters of Thursday’s sport in opposition to Siena, it actually seemed like Duke might be the third 1-seed to go dwelling in the opening spherical.

The Saints took the lead over Duke with about quarter-hour left in the first half and held on till the Blue Devils took a 63-61 lead with a little greater than 4 minutes to go in the second half. Led by the Boozer brothers, Cameron and Cayden, Duke lastly seized management in the ultimate minutes and eased into the spherical of 32.

Perhaps the key was that Siena coach Gerry McNamara didn’t play a single participant off his bench, and as an alternative requested his starters to play all 40 minutes. A tall job in opposition to any workforce, not to mention the top-seeded workforce in the event.

It was a tight sport all through, however the High Point Panthers have pulled off the first upset of the 2026 males’s NCAA event and it’s the first of the compulsory 12-seed over 5-seed win.

High Point took down Wisconsin, getting a breakaway layup to take a 83-82 lead with simply 11 seconds left. Incredibly, Chase Johnston – the High Point 3-point specialist – scored his first two-point bucket of the total season on the play, simply in time to tug off the upset.

Wisconsin had time to run a play on the ensuing possession, however High Point blocked Nick Boyd’s layup try and picked up the rebound. Wisconsin would have one final probability after a missed free throw, however the deep cross down the courtroom can be intercepted.

It’s one other second of historical past on this event as High Point captured their first NCAA event victory.

The first sport of the event is all the time a matchup of the eighth and ninth seeds and normally results in an evenly matched sport. For about 25 minutes on Thursday, it appeared like TCU was going to place an finish to a tough season for Ohio State.

Until the Buckeyes remembered it’s one-and-done time.

A powerful second-half run put the Buckeyes on high and the ultimate minutes of the sport can be performed with the lead going again and forth in a tight one-possession sport.

The opener got here right down to the ultimate minute, with TCU taking a 3-point lead and then Ohio State answering with 30 seconds to play.

The Horned Frogs used up the total shot clock on their subsequent possession, with Xavier Edmonds getting the tough shot off in the paint with simply 4 seconds to play – sinking the go-ahead bucket by two defenders.

Ohio State had a chance to get yet another shot off – a heave as time expired – however the ball caromed off the center of the backboard and the Buckeyes turned the first sufferer of this yr’s event.

The ultimate rating: TCU 66, Ohio State 64

It didn’t take lengthy for the first bit of historical past to be made on this yr’s event.

Nebraska, the four-seed in the South area, did one thing that the college had by no means accomplished: Win a event sport.

The Cornhuskers had been 0-for-8 in the event earlier than Thursday however this Nebraska workforce was a lot completely different than these of years previous. They had began the season 20-0 and completed second in the Big Ten throughout the common season.

The Troy Trojans started the contest sizzling from the discipline and gave Fred Hoiberg’s workforce a bit of a scare early however then a large run in the first half put the Cornhuskers comfortably forward and on cruise management. Oklahoma City had changed into South Lincoln with the quantity of red-clad followers who made the journey and chants of “Go Big Red!” roared the Huskers on.

Pryce Sandfort led the means for Nebraska, going off from past the arc. He hit seven 3-pointers and ended up with 23 factors as the Cornhuskers rolled to a straightforward 76-47 victory.

They’ll play the winner of Vanderbilt and McNeese, who play in a while Thursday.

Here are all the outcomes and video games for Thursday