2026 Men’s NCAA Tournament: Second Round Overview

The second round of the 2026 Men’s NCAA Tournament is set to feature a strong showing from teams in the SEC, Big 10, and Big 12, all of which did remarkably well in the first round.

In total, 21 teams from these conferences will advance, with the SEC leading the pack—eight out of ten teams from that league have moved forward.

Interestingly, eight different conferences are sending multiple teams into the next round of the tournament.

The SEC had a standout performance in this year’s first round. Out of ten teams, only Georgia and Missouri faced losses.

Looking at past performances, last year, eight SEC teams made it to the tournament, but they had four fewer bids. The league maintains a notably high baseline, except for two seasons where they recorded a 3-5 performance in the first round.

In terms of the next round, Florida—the top seed in the South—and fourth-seeded Arkansas, which will take on High Point, are among the favorites. Alabama, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee are also well-positioned to move into the Sweet 16.

After a win against Santa Clara, Kentucky is set to challenge No. 2 seed Iowa State. An intriguing matchup is on the horizon as Texas, advancing to the First Four alongside Texas A&M, will face both No. 2 seed Houston and No. 3 seed Gonzaga.

Recent Results

2026: 10 bids, 9-2 record

2025: 14 bids, 23 wins, 13 losses.

2024: 8 bids, 9 wins, 8 losses.

In specific matchups, No. 1 Florida overwhelmingly defeated No. 16 Prairie View A&M with a score of 114-55. No. 4 Alabama moved past No. 13 Hofstra 90-70, while Arkansas secured a victory over Hawaii, 97-78. No. 5 Vanderbilt triumphed against McNeese 78-68, and No. 6 Tennessee beat Miami (Ohio) 78-56. In a thrilling game, No. 7 Kentucky edged out No. 10 Santa Clara, winning 89-84 in overtime, though No. 8 Georgia lost to No. 9 St. Louis, 102-77.

No. 10 Missouri State also fell short against No. 7 Miami with a score of 80-66, and No. 10 Texas A&M bested No. 7 St. Mary’s 63-50. Furthermore, No. 11 Texas defeated North Carolina State with a narrow victory of 68-66 in the First Four, later beating No. 6 BYU 79-71.

As for the Big Ten, they had a solid showing as well, landing a 7-2 record in the first round. Ohio State’s only losses came from an upset against No. 5 seed Wisconsin and an 8-9 matchup with TCU.

All of the top five teams in the Big Ten had commanding wins, each by a margin of at least 20 points. For the second round, they will be favored in all four matchups on Saturday, while Purdue lands those favored ranks on Sunday. Both UCLA and Iowa possess an impressive array of talent, making them dangerous underdogs as they move forward.

2026: 9 bids, 7-2 record

2025: 8 bids, 13-8 record.

2024: 6 bids, 10-6 record.

In their first-round results, No. 1 Michigan defeated No. 16 Howard 101-80, No. 2 Purdue overcame No. 15 Queens 104-71, and No. 3 Illinois State bested No. 14 Penn 105-70. Notably, No. 4 Nebraska triumphed over No. 13 Troy with a score of 76-47, while No. 5 Wisconsin narrowly fell to No. 12 High Point, losing 83-82.

UCLA, ranked seventh, edged out tenth-seeded UCF 75-71. Unfortunately, No. 8 Ohio State lost a close battle against No. 9 TCU 66-64, while No. 9 Iowa came out victorious against No. 8 Clemson 67-61.

In the ACC, the teams did not have quite the success they might have hoped for. Duke barely won against a 16th seed, while Virginia faced a challenging game versus the 14th seed. Miami secured a solid road win against Missouri State, but North Carolina, Clemson, NC State, and SMU were all eliminated.

Currently, Duke stands as the only heavy favorite from the ACC in the second round, expected to face TCU. Aside from Duke, No. 6 seed Tennessee appears to have the upper hand against Virginia, and No. 3 seed Michigan State is favored over Louisville.

2026: 8 bids, 4 wins, 4 losses

2025: 4 bids, 5 wins, 4 losses.

2024: 5 bids, 12 wins, 5 losses.

Continuing in the tournament, No. 1 Duke defeated No. 16 Siena 71-65 while No. 3 Virginia took down No. 14 Wright State 82-73. No. 6 Louisville secured a win against No. 11 South Florida 83-79. The NC State match against VCU ended in a loss for the Wolfpack, 82-78 in overtime.

Miami (Florida) claimed victory against No. 10 Missouri, scoring 80-66. No. 8 Clemson had issues against No. 9 Iowa, losing 67-61 while North Carolina State dropped their game against Texas State 68-66 in the First Four.

No. 11 SMU also fell to No. 11 Miami (Ohio) 89-79 in the First Four. The Big 12 saw success as the top five teams advanced, though BYU and UCF were knocked out.

Overall, wins by a large margin for the Big 12 set a strong tone for their performance. Upcoming second-round games are expected to be quite the test.

Arizona State and Houston State are favored against their respective opponents, Utah State and Texas A&M. If Joshua Jefferson can’t play, Iowa State will face challenges against Kentucky, particularly since he left the first round with an ankle injury.

Kansas is set to meet Big East champion St. John’s, while Texas Tech will also face fourth-seeded Alabama. TCU, notably, had a strong showing previously by defeating Ohio State and following it up with a victory over No. 1 seed Duke.

2026: 8 bids, 6-2 record.

2025: 7 bids, 14 wins, 7 losses

2024: 8 bids, 7 wins, 8 losses.

On the other hand, No. 1 Arizona beat No. 16 Ryu 92-58, while No. 2 Houston overcame No. 15 Idaho 78-47, and No. 2 Iowa State won decisively against No. 15 Tennessee State 108-74.

No. 4 Kansas defeated No. 13 California Baptist 68-60, and No. 5 Texas Tech triumphed over No. 12 Akron 91-71. In contrast, No. 6 BYU faced an upset, losing to No. 11 Texas 79-71, while No. 9 TCU edged out No. 8 Ohio State 66-64.

Finally, No. 10 UCF lost against No. 7 UCLA 75-71 in their match.

In the Big East, UW and St. John’s will advance, bringing a positive note for the conference. Villanova’s season came to an end after losing to top-seeded Utah State.

As both East sides prepare for round two, they’ll face UCLA and Kansas, respectively. If they both make it to the Sweet 16, it will reflect a growth in their NCAA win totals from the previous year.

2026: 3 bids, 2-1 record.

2025: 5 bids, 4 wins, 5 losses.

2024: 3 bids, 10-2 record.

In recent highlights, second-place University outperformed No. 15 Furman 82-71, while No. 5 St. John’s beat No. 12 Northern Iowa decisively 79-53. Meanwhile, No. 8 Villanova lost to No. 9 Utah State in a tighter game, ending at 86-76.

This year has marked the WCC’s first three-bid season since 2022, and it’s noteworthy considering their past history. Gonzaga, after a solid showing against Kennesaw State, now faces No. 11 seed Texas, aiming for advancement after last year’s early exit.

St. Mary’s experienced disappointment in their loss against Texas A&M, whereas Santa Clara was taken down by Kentucky in a nail-biting overtime.

2026: 3 bids, 1-2 results

2025: 2 bids, 2-2 record.

2024: 2 bids, 4 wins, 2 losses.

No. 3 Gonzaga successfully defeated No. 14 Kennesaw University 73-64, but No. 7 St. Mary’s lost to No. 10 Texas A&M 63-50, and No. 10 Santa Clara fell short against No. 7 Kentucky 89-84 in overtime.

As for the Atlantic 10, this year they finalized the first round with a 2-0 record, which is a positive shift. Dayton and Duquesne reached the Round of 32 last year but were eliminated early, while the A10 this time hopes to have one team make it longer into the tournament.

St. Louis took down Georgia impressively, and VCU managed to come back to beat North Carolina in overtime—it’s safe to say that both teams have surprised everyone. They’ll now meet No. 1 seed Michigan and No. 3 seed Illinois in their next matchups.

2026: 2 bids, 2-0 record.

2025: 1 bid, 0-1 record.

2024: 2 bids, 2-2 record.

Wrapping up, No. 9 St. Louis secured a victory over No. 8 Georgia with a final score of 102-77, and No. 11 VCU narrowly defeated No. 6 North Carolina, 82-78 in overtime.

Lastly, the MAC concluded the tournament with one win and two losses. Miami (Ohio) made a memorable exit with a First Four win against SMU but lost to Tennessee. Conference champion Akron also met defeat at the hands of Texas Tech.

This marks a significant moment as it represents the MAC’s first multiple-bid season since 1999. The groundwork laid by the Red Hawks’ stellar regular season, alongside Akron’s third consecutive tournament appearance, hints at a promising future for the league.

2026: 2 bids, 1-2 scores.

2025: 1 bid, 0-1 record.

2024: 1 bid, 0-1 record.