TCU upset Ohio State 66-64 in the opening game of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on Thursday, marking the first major surprise of March Madness. The No. 9 seed Horned Frogs secured the victory with a late basket, edging out the No. 8 seed Buckeyes in a closely contested matchup, according to live updates from NBC News and bracket information from On3.
The opening day of the tournament also saw several other teams advance, including No. 1 seeds Duke and Michigan. Duke defeated Siena 71-65, though the Blue Devils faced a significant challenge, trailing by as many as 13 points in the second half before rallying to secure the win. Michigan dominated Howard with a score of 101-80. No. 4 Nebraska recorded its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory, defeating Troy 76-47. Arkansas, also a No. 4 seed, defeated Hawaii 97-78.
Further upsets unfolded as the day progressed. No. 12 seed High Point stunned No. 5 seed Wisconsin 83-82, while No. 11 VCU defeated No. 6 UNC 82-78 in overtime. Texas also secured an upset victory, defeating BYU 79-71 as an 11 seed. Louisville defeated South Florida 83-79, and Texas A&M defeated Saint Mary’s 63-50.
Duke’s victory was highlighted by the performance of ACC Player of the Year Cameron Boozer, who contributed 22 points and 13 rebounds. According to his Wikipedia page, Boozer was born July 18, 2007, and is the son of former NBA player Carlos Boozer. He was named Gatorade National Player of the Year in both 2023 and 2025.
The tournament schedule continued with games throughout the evening, including matchups between North Carolina and VCU, Michigan and Howard, BYU and Texas, and Illinois and Penn. Houston faced Idaho in the final game of the day. The CBS Sports live blog indicated ongoing coverage of all games, with scores and analysis being updated throughout the day.
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