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.
The NCAA Tournament brings joy to some people. For others, it brings ruin.
While High Point fans are enjoying the excitement as the Panthers defeated No. 5 seed Wisconsin in the first round to claim the first NCAA Tournament win in program history, others, including those at North Carolina, continue to search for answers after a 19-point loss to No. 11 VCU.
Will the Tar Heels move on from Hubert Davis? If so, would North Carolina hire a non-family coach for the first time?
The NCAA Tournament is about give and take.
Here are the five worst moments from the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
North Carolina Collapse
The most obvious loser in the first round of the NCAA Tournament is the University of North Carolina, which went 1-1 in March Madness for the second straight season.
It’s been a tough year for the Tar Heels, one of the most iconic brands in college basketball. Davis led North Carolina State to an unlikely national championship runner-up finish as a first-year coach in 2021-22, but has since turned down an NIT invite, reached the Sweet 16 once and lost in the first round twice.
To make matters worse, the University of North Carolina was in control on March 19 against No. 11 seed VCU. The 19-point deficit was the sixth-largest in NCAA Tournament history, and the largest since Nevada’s comeback game against Cincinnati in 2022.
UNC was playing without star freshman Caleb Wilson, who is likely to be a top-five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, but excuses are starting to run out, especially considering the Tar Heels’ national championship-or-bust standards.
AJ Divanza’s career comes to an end
College basketball fans knew that after No. 6 seed BYU lost 79-71 to Texas in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, talented freshman AJ Divanza would be denied a spot, likely ending his college career.
DiVanza played his best ball of the season even as the Cougars lost Richie Sanders to a season-ending injury and limped into March Madness. The projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft scored 35 points against the Longhorns, 26 points against Houston in the Big 12 Tournament, and 27 points and 40 points against West Virginia and Kansas State, respectively.
BYU lost eight of its final 12 games of the regular season, despite DiVanza leading the nation in scoring with 25.5 points per game. His career is likely over, and Cougars coach Kevin Young said after the game that it was clear he was a little different than the other players on the floor.
“There were moments in tonight’s game where it looked like he should have been on the floor for the Portland Trail Blazers,” Young said. “Look at what he can do on the court, like an NBA player.”
Joshua Jefferson leaves Iowa State game with injury
Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson, a second-team All-American this season, played just three minutes due to an injury in the Cyclones’ 108-74 first-round win over East Tennessee State.
The severity of this is unknown, but losing Jefferson would be a huge loss for Iowa State, a team capable of reaching the Final Four. Coach TJ Otzelberger said he sprained his ankle and X-rays were negative, but added that his condition for the second-round game against Kentucky is unknown.
“We’re going to continue to re-evaluate over the next day or two and see what the situation is when we get there on Sunday and then decide what time we’re going to play,” Otzelberger said.
Wisconsin withdraws again in first weekend
For the third consecutive season, Wisconsin failed to advance through the first weekend despite being the top seed in all three losses.
The Badgers lost to No. 12 seed High Point in the first round on March 19, their second loss to a No. 12 seed in three seasons, the first being a loss to James Madison in 2024. Last season, Wisconsin defeated No. 14 seed Montana in the first round, but lost to No. 6 seed BYU in the second round.
It was a string of unfortunate NCAA Tournament appearances for longtime coach Greg Gard. Gard hasn’t led Wisconsin to a Sweet 16 appearance since his first two seasons at the helm in 2016 and 2017, despite appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Despite making it to the Big Dance in six of the eight seasons in which he subsequently qualified.
Kevin Willard’s “Jokes”
Kevin Willard joked in an in-game interview with TNT’s Lauren Shehadi that he was going to fire his coaching staff after Villanova fell behind against No. 9 seed Utah State on March 20.
After Villanova’s eventual loss to the Aggies, he made the joke again in the postgame press conference, but had to clarify that it was a joke because his original intent was a little unclear.
Willard said after the game, “I’m kidding, God bless you.” “I don’t care. Welcome to my life. Just kidding.”
It was a strange order for the first-year Villanova coach, who led the Wildcats to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since reaching the Final Four in 2022.
