The top-seeded teams dominated the second round of the NCAA Tournament, with the lone double-digit seed advancing to the Sweet 16 being Texas, one of the most iconic brands in college sports.
Texas being a “Cinderella” in 2025-26 is fitting for where men’s college basketball is as a sport amid the name, image and likeness era. The lone double digit seed to reach the Sweet 16 last season was Arkansas, which is led by one of the greatest coaches ever in John Calipari and was riddled with talent.
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No. 12 seed High Point gave its best shot at breaking that mold on Saturday, March 21, before ultimately falling to No. 4 Arkansas 94-88 in a highly competitive game. No. 11 VCU also had a chance to be the latest mid-major to reach the Sweet 16, but was dominated by No. 3 Illinois 76-55.
Only 16 teams remain, with just one weekend before the Final Four returns to Indianapolis. Here’s a look at our five worst moments of the NCAA Tournament’s second round in 2026:
5 worst moments of NCAA Tournament second round
Tyler Tanner misses game-winning halfcourt shot
Vanderbilt star Tyler Tanner nearly made an all-time shot for the win against No. 4 Nebraska in the second round, but the ball rimmed out after multiple bounces off the backboard and rim.
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Tanner was already having a career performance, as he finished with 27 points and four assists with four steals. With 2.2 seconds he caught the inbounds pass on the opposite side of the court before heaving it from behind halfcourt, which barely missed and resulted in Vanderbilt’s entire bench falling to their knees in disappointment.
Nebraska’s Braden Frager hit a game-winning driving layup to hand his school its second-ever NCAA Tournament win and first Sweet 16 appearance. Unfortunately, one of Vanderbilt or Nebraska was headed home after one of the best second-round games in recent memory.
“We were in an inch away from being in the Sweet 16,” Vandy coach Mark Byington said. “It’s going to take a while for us to get over.”
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Florida goes home early
Florida was shocked by No. 9 seed Iowa in the second round, falling 73-72 after Alvaro Folgueiras hit a game-winning 3-pointer with less than five seconds remaining. It’s a brutal finish to the season for the Gators, who played their way back onto the 1-seed line after winning 16 of their last 17 regular-season games.
Florida looked like a top national championship contender, especially with its impressive frontcourt of Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu. But sometimes March Madness strikes, and unfortunately it did for Florida before the first weekend came to a close.
Iowa ended the game on a 7-3 run, which was ultimately the difference in the back-and-forth, highly competitive game.
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Kentucky makes the bad kind of history
While Kentucky survived a scare against Santa Clara in the first round, it took a wild shot from Otega Oweh at the buzzer to force overtime. The Wildcats kept within distance of Iowa State in the first half of their game on March 22, before the Cyclones pulled away for a dominant 82-63 win.
Kentucky played sloppy basketball against Iowa State, setting a program record for most turnovers (20) in an NCAA Tournament game. The 19-point loss was also Kentucky’s largest loss in a March Madness game since 1972.
Second-year coach Mark Pope is facing a pivotal offseason, especially with Oweh exhausting his eligibility.
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David Punch’s nose
TCU star David Punch took a shot to the face from Duke’s Cameron Boozer late in the second half of a close game on Saturday, March 21, and wasn’t the same after returning to the game. Boozer was called for a Flagrant 1 on the play, although Punch was unable to shoot the free-throws as he returned to the bench with blood flowing down his face.
Punch Jr. briefly went to the locker room, missing the remainder of the first half before returning in the final 20 minutes of the game.
TCU trailed 38-34 at halftime, before falling apart and losing 81-58 to Duke to end its season. And despite coming off a 16-point, 13-rebound performance against Ohio State in the first round, he was held to four points on 1-of-10 shooting against the Blue Devils.
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High Point’s season comes to an end
High Point’s program-best season came to an end against No. 4 Arkansas, as it fell 94-88 after winning its first-ever NCAA Tournament game in the first round. The Panthers dominated the regular season, finishing the regular season 30-4 with a Big South Conference Tournament win.
Chase Johnston became the latest March Madness legend after helping High Point to a win over Wisconsin, and Rob Martin channeled his inner-Kemba Walker with 30 points and five assists in High Point’s loss to Arkansas.
High Point was putting on for mid-major programs in the NCAA Tournament and hopes to continue its momentum fresh off a respect-earning trip.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness worst moments of NCAA Round 2, including Tyler Tanner
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