Miami (Ohio)'s storybook season comes to an end: RedHawks bow out to stout Tennessee squad in Round 1

Tennessee put an end ot one of college basketball's most surprising stories, Iowa State on shaky ground after injury and more takeaways

In retrospect, Miami (Ohio) should be glad the NCAA Tournament selection committee slotted it in the First Four. Beating SMU on Wednesday night in Dayton, Ohio allowed the RedHawks to prove their legitimacy against a high-major opponent before they ran into a buzzsaw on Friday.

No. 6 seed Tennessee's 78-56 shellacking of the No. 11 seed RedHawks in the first round brought Miami's memorable season to an end with a 32-2 record. The Volunteers' vaunted defense started shaky, but eventually SEC-caliber length and athleticism carried the day.

Had Miami not put 89 points up against SMU on Wednesday night, perhaps the narrative coming out of the Tennessee loss would be about how the RedHawks didn't belong in the field. Thankfully, Miami had the opportunity to prove it did belong before running up against a bad matchup on Friday.

Ja'Kobi Gillespie led Tennessee with 29 points to carry the Volunteers through a scoreless outing from freshman star Nate Ament, who is still not 100% healthy after suffering an injury against Alabama on Feb. 28. Ament logged just 19 minutes and finished 0 for 3 from the floor. Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said Ament won't be 100% until after the season.

Unfortunately, Ament's injury isn't the only one to monitor coming out of Friday's action.

Iowa State's Jefferson suffers ankle injury

Iowa State's All-American forward Joshua Jefferson exited less than three minutes into the No. 2 seed Cyclones' 108-74 win over No. 15 seed Tennessee State after suffering an ankle injury. He told reporters after the game that X-rays were negative, but it's nevertheless a rough development for ISU. 

Jefferson is the Cyclones' second-leading scorer, leading rebounder, and he's also second on the team in assists per game. Jefferson does some of everything for Iowa State, including a lot of defense. If he's unavailable for ISU's second-round game against Kentucky, that will be a brutal blow.

UCLA wins without Bilodeau

UCLA leading scorer Tyler Bilodeau missed the No. 7 seed Bruins' 75-71 win over No. 10 seed UCF with a knee injury that he suffered in UCLA's Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal victory over Michigan State. Bilodeau was questionable entering the game, and Bruins coach Mick Cronin said Bilodeau had looked good leading up to Friday's game. However, he was downgraded to out before tip.

"He had a good practice yesterday, and woke up stiff today," Cronin said. "I didn't like the way he was moving in shootaround this morning. He wanted to play and I said no. If you want to know why I said no, then you should probably never coach."

Trendy upset picks falter

No. 4 seed Alabama and No. 5 seed Texas Tech in the Midwest seemed like strong candidates to become upset victims in the first round. Both were in tight games until late in the second half before pulling away late. Texas Tech toppled Akron 91-71 while Alabama edged Hofstra 90-70. Now, the 3-point happy squads, who are both dealing with significant absences, will meet each other on Sunday with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line. 

The Crimson Tide got a huge effort from Labaron Philon (29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists) in a 90-70 win over No. 13 seed Hofstra. Philon's huge game helped make up for the absence of starting point guard Aden Holloway, who picked up a felony drug charge before the NCAA Tournament.

Texas Tech leaned heavily on its perimeter shooting and transition attack while continuing to navigate life without star forward JT Toppin, who is out for the season. The Red Raiders hit 11 of 20 attempts from 3-point range as Jaylen Petty and Donovan Atwell combined for nine makes.

2026 NCAA Tournament scores

All times Eastern | NCAA Tournament schedule | LIVE bracket

(7) Kentucky 89, (10) Santa Clara 84 (OT) Highlights	(5) Texas Tech 91, (12) Akron 71 Highlights
(1) Arizona 92, (16) LIU 58 Highlights	(3) Virginia 82, (14) Wright State 73 Highlights
(2) Iowa State 108, (15) Tennessee State 74 Highlights	(4) Alabama 90, (13) Hofstra 70 Highlights
(9) Utah State  86, (8) Villanova 76 Highlights	(6) Tennessee 78, (11) Miami (Ohio) 56 Highlights
(9) Iowa 67, (8) Clemson 61 Highlights	(5) St. John's 79, (12) Northern Iowa 53 Highlights
(7) UCLA 75, (10) UCF 71 Highlights	(2) Purdue 104, (15) Queens 71 Highlights
(1) Florida 114, (16) Prairie View 55 Highlights	(4) Kansas 68, (13) Cal Baptist 60 Highlights
(2) UConn 82, (15) Furman 71 Highlights	(7) Miami 80, (10) Missouri 66 Highlights

CBS Sports will be with you the entire way, updating this story with the latest from every first-round game on Friday. Keep it locked here for scores, analysis and highlights.

[Mar 21, 2026 at 12:45 am ET · Cameron Salerno]

FINAL: (2) UConn 82, (15) Furman 71

UConn is moving on to the second round to face No. 7 seed UCLA after surviving an upset bid from Furman. UConn big man Tarris Reed Jr. had a performance to remember against Furman. Reed finished with 31 points and 27 rebounds (no, those are not typos). 

Per CBS Sports research, here is the list of players who had at least 30 points and 25 rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game.

• Elvin Hayes             3 times
  
• Jerry Lucas              Twice
  
• Tarris Reed Jr           2026
  
• Tom Gola                 1955
  
• Terry Rand               1955
  

[Mar 21, 2026 at 12:28 am ET · Cameron Salerno]

FINAL: (7) Miami 80, (10) Missouri 66

Miami first-year coach Jai Lucas has his team dancing into the second round after a 80-66 win over No. 10 seed Missouri. The Hurricanes will face No. 2 seed Purdue in the second round on Sunday. This is Miami's first NCAA Tournament win since defeating Texas in the Elite Eight back in 2023. Lucas, a former Duke assistant coach, has been one of the best first-year coaches in the sport this season.

[Mar 21, 2026 at 12:13 am ET · Cameron Salerno]

FINAL: (4) Kansas 68, (13) Cal Baptist 60

After Kansas led by as many as 26 points, Cal Baptist went on a 19-2 run to cut the deficit to as little as six points in the final minutes. Cal Baptist ran out of gas, and Kansas survived to advance. Kansas star Darryn Peterson finished with 28 points in the win. The Jayhawks will face No. 5 seed St. John's on Sunday in the second round. That game should be one of the best games of the weekend.

[Mar 20, 2026 at 11:51 pm ET · Adam Silverstein]

Final: (1) Florida 114, (16) Prairie View A&M 55

TAMPA -- One of the most dominant performances ever seen in the NCAA Men's Tournament concluded the night as No. 1 seed Florida pulled away for a 59-point win over No. 16 Prairie View A&M. The Gators led by as many as 63 points in the final minute but ultimately fell 10 points shy of history. Still, Florida won by the second-largest margin in an NCAA Tournament game with seven players scoring in double figures.

None was more important than Boogie Fland, who completed a near-perfect stat line with a team-high 16 points on 6-of-6 shooting, draining both his 3-pointers and free throw attempts with four assists for good measure. Rueben Chinyelu set the UF program record for most double-doubles in a single season (19) with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Florida picked up margins of +34 on the glass, +14 on second-chance points, +54 on paint scoring and +16 on fastbreak points. It also had 29 assists on 45 made baskets.

[Mar 20, 2026 at 11:37 pm ET · David Cobb]

Half: (2) UConn 40, (15) Furman 36

Tarris Reed is already the first UConn player with 15 points and 15 rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game since Hasheem Thabeet did it during the Sweet 16 in 2009, according to CBS Sports research. It's only halftime. The No. 2 seed Huskies are in a battle, but Reed is dominating with 19 points and 16 rebounds. He is trying to become the first player with 25 points and 25 rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game since Elvin Hayes did it in 1968.

[Mar 20, 2026 at 11:02 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

• No. 4 seed Kansas appears well on its way to an appearance in the second round. The Jayhawks are up 38-18 at halftime over No. 13 seed California Baptist. Kansas star Darryn Peterson leads all scorers with 15 points.
• The game that will come down to the wire is No. 10 seed Missouri vs. No. 7 seed Miami. The Hurricanes are up 27-23 in the final minute of the first half.
• No. 15 seed Furman is hanging tough with No. 2 seed UConn behind 13 points from Alex Wilkins. Winner gets No. 7 seed UCLA on Sunday.

[Mar 20, 2026 at 10:37 pm ET · Adam Silverstein]

Half: (1) Florida 60, (16) Prairie View A&M 21

TAMPA -- No. 1 seed Florida overcame a surprising stretch of dynamic 3-point shooting from No. 16 seed Prairie View A&M top open their first-round game, scoring the final 17 points of the first half to lead by 39 at the break. Boogie Fland had his best half of the season, a flawless line with 13 points on 5-of-5 shooting for a game-high 13 points. The Gators held the Panthers to just 6 points over the final 13 minutes of the period. Florida has made 21 of 25 attempts inside the arc with its triumvirate of dominant frontcourt players combining for 31 points.

[Mar 20, 2026 at 10:06 pm ET · David Cobb]

Final: (7) UCLA 75, (10) UCF 71

Playing without leading scorer Tyler Bilodeau (knee), UCLA got a huge game from Eric Dailey Jr. (20 points) and kept UCF at arm's length all night. The Knights slowly chipped away and made it a game late, but it never felt like the Bruins were in grave danger. The Bruins forced 17 turnovers and limited UCF to just 37.5% shooting. Things got grimy down the stretch, and UCLA guard Skyy Clark lost part of his tooth during a scrum for a loose basketball.

[Mar 20, 2026 at 10:05 pm ET · David Cobb]

(7) Miami vs. (10) Missouri

Friday | 10:10 p.m. | truTV
If you like star left-handed forwards who transferred away from historically proud programs, this is the game for you. Malik Reneau, formerly of Indiana, is averaging 18.8 points and 6.6 rebounds on 54.9% shooting for the Hurricanes, who turned things around quickly in Year 1 under coach Jai Lucas. Missouri is led by ex-Duke forward Mark Mitchell, who averages 18.3 points and 5.3 rebounds on 55.1% shooting. For such a late-night game, the atmosphere should be great since Mizzou is playing a de facto home game in St. Louis.

[Mar 20, 2026 at 10:00 pm ET · Isaac Trotter]

No. 7 Miami vs. No. 10 Missouri

Miami won't be able to big-boy Missouri. Mizzou star Mark Mitchell is an ideal matchup for Miami big man Malik Reneau. Shawn Phillips and Ernest Udeh feel like a wash in the paint. Missouri will swarm the paint and live with open jumpers. Miami has been a poor 3-point shooting team all year. Jai Lucas needs one of his role players like Noam Dovrat or steady freshman Dante Allen to make Missouri's defense pay for its sins.

Mizzou in a grimy one.

The pick: Missouri

[Mar 20, 2026 at 9:55 pm ET · David Cobb]

26. (2) UConn vs. (15) Furman

Friday | 10 p.m. | TBS
Furman stunned No. 4 seed Virginia in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. This team doesn't look nearly as dangerous, but it does have one of the NCAA Tournament's most under-appreciated freshmen in Alex Wilkins. It will also be worth staying up late to see Dan Hurley's antics. If this pod goes according to chalk, we'll get Hurley vs. Mick Cronin in the second round for a chance to face Tom Izzo in the Sweet 16. The bottom half of the East Region is officially the angry coach section of the bracket.

[Mar 20, 2026 at 9:50 pm ET · Isaac Trotter]

No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Furman

Furman freshman guard Alex Wilkins is a star, and the Paladins have a barrage of tall shooters next to a legit big man in Cooper Bowser, but UConn is a way different beast. The Huskies' offense is way too layered, and this is the first time Furman has played a high-major team this year. I thought Furman could be frisky, but not in this matchup. 

The pick: UConn

[Mar 20, 2026 at 9:40 pm ET · David Cobb]

(4) Kansas vs. (13) Cal Baptist

Friday | 9:45 p.m. | CBS
Only in college basketball do we get a generational professional prospect playing against Cal Baptist as part of the race to determine a national champion. What version of Darryn Peterson will we get? That's the big question looming over a loaded East Region. The answer will determine how far the Jayhawks go. What's crazy is that he's not even the highest-scoring player in this matchup. That distinction belongs to Cal Baptist's Dominique Daniels, who is the second-highest scoring player in the NCAA Tournament at 23.2 points per game behind only BYU's AJ Dybantsa.

[Mar 20, 2026 at 9:38 pm ET · David Cobb]

Final: (5) St. John's 79, (12) Northern Iowa 53

St. John's started with a 20-3 spurt and closed with a 14-3 spurt. In between, there were moments when Northern Iowa played well. But digging out of a massive hole without any 3-point shooting was never a realistic possibility for the Panthers. UNI finished just 3 of 14 from deep and shot just 38.% from the field. Nine players scored for the Red Storm, which will play the winner of (4) Kansas vs. (13) Cal Baptist.

[Mar 20, 2026 at 9:35 pm ET · Isaac Trotter]

No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 13 Cal Baptist

Cal Baptist is heavily reliant on isolation brilliance from dynamic point guard Dom Daniels. There are pathways for Cal Baptist to stay alive by shortening the game, letting Daniels cook and holding serve on the glass. The Lancers are entirely capable of that, but Cal Baptist is just not a good enough 3-point shooting team to get over the hump here. It has made 10-plus treys just twice all season. It relies heavily on getting to the rim, where KU big man Flory Bidunga is a menace. Melvin Council will certainly make Daniels' life miserable, too. 

If Darryn Peterson does Darryn Peterson things, KU will have this one in hand without too much resistance.

The pick: Kansas

[Mar 20, 2026 at 9:20 pm ET · David Cobb]

(1) Florida vs. (16) Prairie View A&M/Lehigh

Friday | 9:25 p.m. | TNT
Florida will be angry after getting blown out against Vanderbilt in the second round of the SEC Tournament. The Gators are legitimate contenders to repeat as national champions and should cruise here. UF absolutely demolished the handful of teams of this caliber that it played during nonconference action.

[Mar 20, 2026 at 9:15 pm ET · Isaac Trotter]

No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Prairie View A&M

No team wins the possession battle quite like Florida. The Gators are +454 this year in combined rebound margin and turnover margin. That's No. 1 in the nation, per CBB Analytics. That massive edge in shots on goal (to steal a soccer analogy) thanks to a behemoth frontline in Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon and Tommy Haugh makes Florida virtually upset-proof.

Prairie View A&M wants to play fast. That's a death sentence against these Gators. That just provides more opportunities for Florida's elite transition offense to hum.

The pick: Florida

[Mar 20, 2026 at 9:08 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

FINAL: (9) Iowa 67, (8) Clemson 61

No. 9 seed Iowa is moving on to the second round after defeating No. 8 seed Clemson 67-61. The Hawkeyes won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 2021, and it came in Year 1 of the Ben McCollum era. The former Drake coach helped his team upset Missouri in the NCAA Tournament last season. 

Iowa star Bennett Stirtz didn't have his best shooting night (4 of 17), but he still finished with 16 points. Iowa could face No. 1 seed Florida on Sunday in the second round, if the reigning national champions take care of business against Prairie View A&M. Iowa hasn't been to the Sweet 16 since 1999.

[Mar 20, 2026 at 8:22 pm ET · David Cobb]

Half: (5) St. John's 47, (12) Northern Iowa 28

St. John's is in total control at halftime after jumping out to a 20-3 lead. Oziyah Sellers and Bryce Hopkins are hitting 3s, Zuby Ejiofor is running the paint and Dylan Darling has four assists. Northern Iowa's best defense was to foul -- as St. John's hit just 8 of 14 free throws in the first half. The Panthers finally settled in a bit, but climbing out of this hole will be awfully challenging against a team that defends as well as St. John's does.

[Mar 20, 2026 at 8:09 pm ET · Isaac Trotter]

Clemson was all but buried in the first half, but the Tigers have clawed back within four at 35-31, using a whole lot of defense. Iowa has not scored in nearly five minutes.

[Mar 20, 2026 at 7:30 pm ET · David Cobb]

(2) Purdue vs. (15) Queens

Friday | 7:35 p.m. | truTV
Teams that have knocked Purdue out of the NCAA Tournament over the past decade: Little Rock (2016), North Texas (2021), Saint Peter's (2022) and FDU (2023). You will forgive Boilermakers fans if they are weirdly nervous to be facing Queens. The Royals are in their first season of NCAA Tournament eligibility since transitioning from Division II, which would make them a perfect addition to the list of surprising teams that have frazzled Purdue in the past.

[Mar 20, 2026 at 8:07 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Purdue senior guard Braden Smith broke the men's NCAA Division I record for career assists in the first half of a first-round NCAA Tournament game Friday in St. Louis . Smith passed former Duke star Bobby Hurley after finding Trey Kaufman-Renn for a bucket with 12:11 remaining in the first half. He set the record after tying it minutes before, after dishing out an assist to big man Oscar Cluff.

Smith now has 1,077 assists and counting during what will be his final season of college basketball.

Smith, a four-year player at Purdue, has become a rarity in the modern college basketball landscape because he stayed at the same school for the entirety of his career. He is averaging a career-high 9.1 assists per game this season, which surpassed his mark of 8.7 assists per game last year. He dished out 11 assists during Purdue's win over Michigan in last weekend's Big Ten title game.

Braden Smith breaks NCAA career assist record: Purdue star passes Bobby Hurley's mark with 1,077 dimes

Cameron Salerno

[Mar 20, 2026 at 7:25 pm ET · Isaac Trotter]

No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 15 Queens

Queens' guard play is for real. Chris Ashby is a professional net-shredder, and Jordan Watford is one of the top mid-major freshmen, but this Queens interior defense will have zero answers for Purdue. 

The pick: Purdue

[Mar 20, 2026 at 7:20 pm ET · David Cobb]

(7) UCLA vs. (10) UCF

Friday | 7:25 p.m. | TBS
It would have been hilarious to see UCLA scheduled for the 12-1 p.m. window after being sent three time zones away from home as a better-seeded team for this game. The meltdown from Bruins coach Mick Cronin after a loss in those circumstances would have been must-see stuff. Nonetheless, he'll still be mad about the cross-country travel if UCLA loses at 7:25 p.m. If the Bruins win, we'll likely get a Cronin vs. Dan Hurley matchup in the second round. Those poor officials. Either way, enjoyers of Cronin's antics are in for a good time.

[Mar 20, 2026 at 7:15 pm ET · Isaac Trotter]

No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 UCF

UCLA had a 20-game stretch, from Jan. 1 up until Tyler Bilodeau got injured, where it was the No. 3 offense in the country. Bilodeau's status for this one is still up in the air after suffering a knee strain, but Mick Cronin expects Donovan Dent to play. The three-guard lineup of Dent, Skyy Clark and Trent Perry should be able to crease this UCF defense repeatedly. If Bilodeau plays, UCLA should win. If not, this will be a dogfight because UCF goes to the glass at will. Jamichael Stillwell is impossible to keep off the boards.

The pick: UCLA

[Mar 20, 2026 at 7:05 pm ET · David Cobb]

(5) St. John's vs. (12) Northern Iowa

Friday | 7:10 p.m. | CBS
Northern Iowa has more NCAA Tournament victories this century than St. John's. But this is a tough draw for the Panthers, who are up against an under-seeded Red Storm team that won the Big East regular season and tournament titles. St. John's has been performing at a top-10 level over the past month. If the Red Storm win, we could get Rick Pitino vs. Bill Self in the second round. If that's not your taste, UNI vs. Cal Baptist is also on the table.

[Mar 20, 2026 at 7:00 pm ET · Isaac Trotter]

No. 5 St. John's vs. No. 12 Northern Iowa

Rick Pitino demands all-out pressure defense that tries to turn you over and dominate the extras. St. John's style of play eats the Big East alive because the guard play in that league leaves a lot to be desired. The Red Storm are excellent at making teams uncomfortable and getting easy runouts. St. John's averaged 7.5 more scoring opportunities, easily No. 1 in the Big East.

But the pace is everything in this one. Northern Iowa has a veteran-laden backcourt that does not cough it up and can handle the barrage that's headed its way. UNI punts on offensive rebounding to get back in transition. That should help them in this matchup. 

I can't quite pull the trigger on the upset because St. John's has too much athleticism, and UNI is a bit too reliant on shot-making from Trey Campbell. The senior guard has to have an awesome game for the Panthers to stay alive in this one, but anyone who thinks this is a good matchup for St. John's is in for a different story. 

The pick: St. John's

[Mar 20, 2026 at 6:40 pm ET · Isaac Trotter]

No. 8 Clemson vs. No. 9 Iowa

Clemson wants to drag this game into the mud by eliminating transition opportunities and relying on its well-coached halfcourt defense to force opponents into late-clock muckholes. Iowa is just fine with that. Hawkeyes point guard Bennett Stirtz will be the best player on the floor, and the Ben McCollum-Stirtz braintrust is a whopping 14-4 in win-or-go-home games dating back to their days at Northwest Missouri State, Drake and now Iowa.

McCollum-coached teams move without the ball exceptionally well, which is something that you have to do to beat Clemson. The schematic edges are pointing toward Iowa in this one, plus Clemson will not have big man Carter Welling (torn ACL), who transformed into the Tigers' best per-minute rebounder. Clemson has the depth to mask Welling's absence, but these guards don't have enough juice.

The pick: Iowa

[Mar 20, 2026 at 6:33 pm ET · David Cobb]

Final: (6) Tennessee 78, (11) Miami (Ohio) 56

Tennessee's size, length and physicality proved too much for Miami to handle as the Redhawks' storybook season came to an end with a 32-2 record. Miami started hot while jumping out to an early 10-6 lead, but the Vols were far and away the best defensive team the RedHawks have seen this season, and water eventually found its level. Ja'Kobi Gillespie scored 22 of his 29 points in the first half as Tennessee pulled away. A 40-16 edge for the Vols in the paint tells the story of the physical differences between these teams.

[Mar 20, 2026 at 6:28 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

FINAL: (9) Utah State 86, (8) Villanova 76

No. 9 seed Utah State is moving on after a second-half surge against No. 8 seed Villanova. The Aggies used a 13-1 run during the final four minutes of the game to pull away. Utah State advanced despite Villanova making 12 more 3-pointers than them. The Aggies trailed by as many as 10 points in the opening minutes of the second half. Utah State will face No. 1 seed Arizona on Sunday in the second round.

Notable matchups on Sunday already set...

• (7) Kentucky vs. (2) Iowa State
• (1) Arizona vs. (9) Utah State
• (5) Texas Tech vs. (4) Alabama