Duke and Michigan headline Saturday’s March Madness Round 2 preview
Saturday will host the big March Madness matchup between Duke, Michigan, VCU, Texas and High Point Tech as they battle for a spot in the Sweet 16.
Follow all of Saturday’s NCAA Tournament second round games with live updates from USA TODAY Sports.
They said their name, image and likeness was eliminated mid-major in the NCAA Tournament. Well, March Madness delivered in vintage fashion in the first round.
No. 12 High Point defeated No. 5 Wisconsin, No. 11 VCU defeated North Carolina in historic fashion and Otega Oweh hit a logo 3-pointer at the buzzer to send Kentucky into overtime against No. 10 Santa Clara, saving the Wildcats’ season.
Higher-seeded teams were also tested in the first round. After leading Siena 43-32 at halftime, No. 1 overall seed Duke fought back to avoid an upset, and No. 3 seed Virginia held on for its first-round victory despite leading No. 14 Wright State by five points at halftime.
On to round two. The NCAA Tournament is expected to continue to perform well.
We recap the best moments of the NCAA Tournament so far.
Chase Johnston, High Point beats Wisconsin
No. 12 High Point defeated No. 5 Wisconsin 83-82 thanks to late heroics from seventh-year guard Chase Johnston, who scored his first two-point basket of the season on the game-winning layup.
The 3-point specialist also made a deep shot from the March Madness logo and another late in the game to pull High Point within one point in crunch time. He led former March Madness hero Jack Gaelke with 14 points on 4-of-6 3-point shooting off the bench.
First-year coach Flynn Kleiman also gave a banner interview after the game, calling for a high-major program to avoid a mid-major like High Point. The strength of High Point’s schedule was used as a negative talking point for the program leading up to March Madness.
“It’s clear to me that the high majors need to play mid-major during the season,” Kleiman said. “Because they said we weren’t playing anyone? Now we’re playing someone.”
Even High Point’s student radio stations went viral, calling out the aftermath of Johnston’s game-winning layup and victory. The atmosphere at the Panthers is great.
Otega Oweh saves Kentucky
Senior guard Otega Oweh saved the best performance of his career on March 20, becoming the first player since Larry Bird in 1979 to record at least 35 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in an NCAA Tournament game.
In addition to his tremendous performance that earned him SEC Player of the Year honors in 2024-25, he also saved Kentucky with a wild shot in an 89-84 overtime victory over No. 10 seed Santa Clara. The Broncos took a 73-70 lead with two seconds left, but Oweh caught an inbounds pass and hit a 32-foot 3-pointer off the backboard, sending the game into overtime.
There was a controversy surrounding the shot as Santa Clara coach Herb Sendek tried to call a timeout, but officials did not notice. Still, Oweh’s shot not only saved Kentucky’s season, but kept the Wildcats from a first-round exit in a year of ups and downs.
Second-year coach Mark Pope is indebted to Oweh, as he will likely avoid widespread criticism from Kentucky’s rabid fan base, which has high expectations.
Nebraska wins first NCAA tournament game
Nebraska entered the NCAA Tournament on March 19th, facing No. 13 seed Troy with an overall record of 0-8 in March Madness play. After the 76-47 victory over the Trojans, their record improved to 1-8 overall.
The Cornhuskers made 14 3-pointers in the blowout win, one of the most in program history. Their fans also showed up in droves, taking over the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, making it a virtual home game for their devoted fan base.
Seventh-year coach Fred Hoiberg has done one of the most impressive jobs in college basketball this season, and the Cornhuskers will look to advance to their first Sweet 16 with a win over Vanderbilt on March 21st.
VCU completes 19-point comeback against North Carolina
North Carolina was playing 11th-seeded VCU. Until it isn’t.
The Rams rallied by 19 points in the second half against the Tar Heels without Caleb Wilson and defeated North Carolina 82-78 in overtime. To make matters worse, North Carolina went into overtime without making a field goal.
The victory was VCU’s first in the NCAA Tournament since 2016, despite being led by first-year coach Phil Martelli Jr. The win was the sixth largest upset in NCAA Tournament history and the largest since Nevada’s 22-point loss over Cincinnati in 2022.
VCU’s win could also put North Carolina coach Hubert Davis in trouble after a disappointing season.
St. Louis destroys Georgia
Saint Louis University second-year coach Josh Schertz has been one of the fastest rising players in the coaching ranks, even though he had never coached an NCAA Tournament game in his career until March 19.
It was pure domination.
The Billikens defeated Georgia 102-77, shooting 58 percent from the field and having five players score in double figures. He also held the Bulldogs to 35% shooting on 72 attempts and finished with 27 total assists.
St. Louis will face No. 1 seed Michigan in the second round on March 21, which will be a tough test for the Wolverines.
