March Madness 2026 bracket update: Scores and more from the men’s NCAA tournament

Update: The third day of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament is underway, and top-seeded Duke is one of the teams that has punched a ticket to the Sweet 16. High Point’s Cinderella run to the Sweet 16 fell short late Saturday night in a loss to Arkansas.

Here is the updated bracket as we punch eight more spots in the Sweet 16 on Sunday.

Previous: The first day of the 2026 men’s NCAA basketball tournament did not disappoint.

The afternoon schedule delivered several incredible moments for teams and fans. Nebraska secured their first tournament win in school history, while No. 12 High Point delivered a thrilling upset of No. 5 Wisconsin. Duke, the top overall seed in the tournament, was put to the test by a feisty Siena squad while No. 9 TCU outlasted No 8 Ohio State in the first game of the day, setting the tone for the entire slate.

On Thursday night a tough Howard team, fresh off their first-ever NCAA tournament win over UMBC in the First Four, gave No. 1 seed Michigan everything they can handle in the first half before the Wolverines pulled away. VCU came back from a 19-point deficit against UNC to force overtime, before toppling the Tar Heels, and Gonzaga staved off a valiant Kennesaw State team to advance.

Here are all the scores from Thursday’s action, as well as the full Friday slate and a look ahead to Saturday.

But first, the full up-to-date bracket, courtesy of the NCAA:

Here is Sunday’s schedule.

No. 5 St. John’s vs. No. 4 Kansas, 5:15 p.m. Eastern
No. 2 UConn vs. No. 7 UCLA, 8:45 p.m. Eastern

No. 1 Florida vs. No. 9 Iowa, 7:10 p.m. Eastern

No. 2 Purdue 79, No. 7 Miami 69
No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 9 Utah State, 7:50 p.m. Eastern

No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 7 Kentucky, 2:45 p.m. Eastern
No. 3 Virginia vs. No. 6 Tennessee, 6:10 p.m. Eastern
No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 5 Texas Tech, 9:45 p.m. Eastern

Here is the Saturday slate:

No. 3 Michigan State 77, No. 6 Louisville 69
No. 1 Duke 81, No. 9 TCU 58

No. 2 Houston 88, No. 10 Texas A&M 57
No. 3 Illinois 76, No. 11 VCU 55
No. 4 Nebraska 74, No. 5 Vanderbilt 72

No. 11 Texas 74, No. 3 Gonzaga 68
No. 4 Arkansas 94, No. 12 High Point 88

No. 1 Michigan 95, No. 9 Saint Louis 72

Here is the full schedule for Friday, with scores updated as games go final:

No. 5 St. John’s 79, No. 12 Northern Iowa 53
No. 7 UCLA 75, No. 10 UCF 71
No. 4 Kansas 68, No. 13 California Baptist 60
No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Furman, 10:00 p.m. Eastern

No. 9 Iowa 67, No. 8 Clemson 61
No. 1 Florida 114, No. 16 Prairie View A&M 55

No. 1 Arizona 92, No. 16 LIU 58
No. 9 Utah State 86, No. 8 Villanova 76
No. 2 Purdue 104, No. 15 Queens (NC) 71
No. 7 Miami 80, No. 10 Missouri 66

No. 7 Kentucky 89, No. 10 Santa Clara 84
No. 5 Texas Tech 91, No. 12 Akron 71
No. 3 Virginia 82, No. 14 Wright State 73
No. 2 Iowa State 108, No. 15 Tennessee State 74
No. 4 Alabama 90, No. 13 Hofstra 70
No. 6 Tennessee 78, No. 11 Miami (OH) 56

Here are all the scores from the first day of the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

No. 1 Duke 71, No. 16 Siena 65
No. 3 Michigan State 92, No. 14 North Dakota State 67
No. 6 Louisville 83, No. 11 South Florida 79
No. 9 TCU 66, No. 8 Ohio State 64

No. 4 Nebraska 76, No. 13 Troy 47
No. 5 Vanderbilt 78, No. 12 McNeese 68
No. 11 VCU 82, No. 6 North Carolina 78 (OT)
No. 10 Texas A&M 63, No. 7 Saint Mary’s 50
No. 3 Illinois 105, No. 14 Pennsylvania 70
No. 2 Houston 78, No. 15 Idaho 47

No. 12 High Point 83, No. 5 Wisconsin 82
No. 4 Arkansas 97, No. 13 Hawai’i 78
No. 11 Texas 79, No. 6 BYU 71
No. 3 Gonzaga 73, No. 14 Kennesaw State 64

No. 1 Michigan 101, No. 16 Howard 80
No. 9 Saint Louis 102, No. 8 Georgia 77