Texas, Howard advance in 2026 NCAA Tournament: Longhorns, Bison moving on after First Four wins on Tuesday

NC State just won't go away. Texas up 66-65 with 25 seconds left.

LATE 2H: No. 11 seed Texas 54, No. 11 seed NC State 51

Both First Four games today have been exciting. This game between Texas and NC State has been no different. Again, the style of play has been very different than the first matchup in Maui. It's going to be a hard-fought win for whoever comes out on top.

MID 2H: No. 11 seed Texas 49, No. 11 seed NC State 44

The pace of this game has been slow, and it seems to be favoring Texas. The Longhorns keep adding to their lead. Whenever NC State gets a bucket, Texas is responding. If NC State is going to win this game, someone other than Williams or Quadir Copeland will have to step up. They have 29 of NC State's 44 points.

EARLY 2H: No. 11 seed Texas 41, No. 11 seed NC State 38

Since NC State retook the lead, it has gone cold from the floor. The Wolfpack have missed eight of their last 10 attempts from the floor. Still, as a team, NC State is shooting better from the floor than Texas. NC State is 15 of 44 (34.1%), while Texas is 13 of 43 (30.2%). This game is very different than the last time these two teams met.

EARLY 2H: No. 11 seed NC State 34, No. 11 seed Texas 32

NC State just hit a 3-pointer to go up 34-32 with 18 minutes remaining. That is NC State's first lead since the opening minute of the game.

HALF: No. 11 seed Texas 30, No. 11 seed NC State 29

No. 11 seed Texas leads No. 11 seed NC State 30-29 at halftime of this First Four doubleheader from Dayton. The Longhorns have led for nearly 19 of the 20 minutes in the first half and used a hot shooting start from the 3-point line to take control early.

Despite going nearly nine minutes without a field goal to end the half, Texas jumped out in front due to its hot shooting from beyond the arc. The Longhorns are shooting 5 of 12 from the 3-point line. Texas star Daylin Swain has a team-high seven points.

Outside of Darrion Williams going for 14 first-half points, NC State hasn't been able to generate much offense. Eighteen of NC State's 29 points came inside the paint. The low-scoring first half is a surprising development based on how high-scoring the first matchup between NC State and Texas was back in November. NC State won that game 102-97.

The winner of this game faces No. 6 seed BYU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.

LATE 1H: No. 11 seed Texas 30, No. 11 seed NC State 23

Despite not scoring a field goal in almost five minutes, Texas is still in control. Texas is outrebounding NC State 22-10, which includes six offensive rebounds for the Longhorns. NC State is winning the battle in the paint. Sixteen of NC State's 23 points have come inside.

MID 1H: No. 11 seed Texas 25, No. 11 seed NC State 19

What's the difference in this game so far? The 3-point shooting. Texas is 5 of 9 as a team, while NC State is just 2 of 5. Texas has also taken four more free throw attempts than NC State. The Longhorns haven't scored in almost three minutes heading into the U8 Media Timeout.

EARLY 1H: No. 11 seed Texas 16, No. 11 seed NC State 12

NC State has 12 points through the first nine minutes of this game. Williams has 10 of those points. The Texas Tech transfer has already had some big moments in the NCAA Tournament. NC State will need him to keep playing like this to advance to Thursday's first round.

EARLY 1H: No. 11 seed Texas 9, No. 11 seed NC State 2

After NC State scored the first bucket of the game, it's been all Texas. The Longhorns are on a 9-0 run since Darrion Williams scored in the opening 16 seconds.

The second game of this First Four doubleheader is underway.

FINAL: No. 16 seed Howard 86, No. 16 seed UMBC 83

No. 16 seed Howard defeated No. 16 seed UMBC 86-83 on Tuesday during the opening game of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. The win in the First Four for the Bison marked the program's first NCAA Tournament victory after going 0-4 in their previous four appearances.

UMBC missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would've sent the game to overtime.

With the win, Howard tied the program record for most wins (24), which matched its record during the 1986-87 season. Howard will now face No. 1 seed Michigan in the first round on Thursday in Buffalo. Three Howard starters -- Ose Okojie, Cedric Taylor III, and Bryce Harris -- all scored over 16 points in the win. 

Okojie scored 16 of his 23 points in the first half after dealing with foul trouble for the majority of the final 20 minutes of play.

UMBC entered this game riding a 12-game winning streak, which was the second-longest among all active Division I teams. UMBC's lone NCAA Tournament win came in 2018, when it defeated No. 1 seed Virginia as a No. 16 seed in one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history.

Howard led by as many as 14 points with just over 14 minutes remaining in regulation before UMBC cut the deficit to single digits. Jah'Likai King scored a team-high 19 points in the loss.

Up next in this First Four doubleheader will be a matchup between No. 11 seed NC State and No. 11 seed Texas. The winner of that game faces No. 6 seed BYU.

LATE 2H: No. 16 seed Howard 81, No. 16 seed UMBC 72

Howard leads UMBC 71-82 with 3:19 remaining. The Bison are seeking their first NCAA Tournament win in program history. The winner of this game gets No. 1 seed Michigan on Thursday.

EARLY 2H: No. 16 seed Howard 72, No. 16 seed UMBC 67

After trailing by as many as 14 points in the second half, UMBC has cut the deficit to five with 7:43 remaining. Not only does Okojie have four fouls for Howard, but so does standout defender Cedric Taylor III. Okojie is staying in the game with four fouls, but Taylor is heading to the bench.

EARLY 2H: No. 16 seed Howard 66, No. 16 seed UMBC 58

Here comes UMBC. UMBC is currently on a 6-0 run, and Howard's lead is down to eight. Something to keep an eye on is if Howard keeps Okojie in the game. The Howard star has four fouls. The Bison can't afford to have him foul out with so much time remaining.

EARLY 2H: No. 16 seed Howard 61, No. 16 seed UMBC 48

It's been all Howard during the opening minutes of the second half. The Bison have stretched their lead back to 13 points with 16:21 remaining. UMBC hasn't led since the 18:47 minute mark in the first half.

HALF: No. 16 seed Howard 49, No. 16 seed UMBC 41

No. 16 seed Howard leads No. 16 seed UMBC 49-41 at halftime of the first First Four matchup in the NCAA Tournament. The Bison have been led by star guard Ose Okijie, who has a team-high 16 points. Howard shot 4 of 9 from the 3-point line in the first half to take control early.

Despite UMBC knocking down more 3-pointers (five) than Howard in the first half, Howard has been able to build its lead by getting to the free-throw line. Howard attempted 16 free throws in the first half and made 13. The Bison entered this game having won 14 of their last 16 games, which includes an eight-game win streak. 

Howard is seeking its first NCAA Tournament win in school history (0-4 all-time). The winner of this game faces No. 1 seed Michigan in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.

LATE 1H: Howard 41, UMBC 30

It's been all Howard for the majority of this first half from Dayton. The Bison have extended their lead to 11 points heading into the final media timeout before halftime. Ose Okojie is having a first half to remember, as the Howard guard is up to 16 points.

MID 1H: Howard 28, UMBC 24

UMBC guard DJ Armstrong Jr. is helping his team make a run. The star guard is up to seven points after scoring a bucket plus the foul right before the U8 Media Timeout. UMBC, as a team, is shooting better than Howard, but the Bison have been able to generate more looks.

EARLY 1H: Howard 19, UMBC 13

Howard has stretched its lead to six points at the U12 Media Timeout. The Bison are shooting an impressive 7 of 12 from the floor. Taylor has a team-high six points, while Ose Okojie isn't far behind with five.

EARLY 1H: Howard 14, UMBC 11

Howard was on a 9-0 run before UMBC snapped it with a bucket by Jah'Likai King. Cedric Taylor lll has six quick points for Howard. 

The 2026 NCAA Tournament is officially underway.

The 2025-26 college basketball season has been dubbed "the year of the freshman," and for good reason. This has arguably been the best and deepest collection of talent college basketball fans have seen. 

Case and point for how dominant this class is? Thirteen of the 68 teams in this year's NCAA Tournament have a freshman as their leading scorer. That is far and away the most in NCAA Tournament history, with the previous record of eight coming in 2008. Fifteen freshmen on NCAA Tournament teams are averaging at least 15 points per game.

March Madness 2026: NCAA Tournament's top 10 freshmen headlined by Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybantsa

Cameron Salerno

March Madness is defined by the players who take over the NCAA Tournament.

Every year, the NCAA Tournament bracket produces a handful of stars who swing games, bust brackets and carry their teams through March, from National Player of the Year contenders to breakout guards and NBA Draft prospects.

The 2026 NCAA Tournament is no different. From Duke star Cameron Boozer to BYUphenom AJ Dybantsa and Michigan standout Yaxel Lendeborg, this year's field is loaded with players capable of defining the bracket.

Here are 24 players to watch in March Madness 2026 -- six from each region -- who could shape the NCAA Tournament and become the next household names.

24 players who will define March Madness 2026: NCAA Tournament stars to watch

Isaac Trotter

March Madness is about to double as an NBA showcase. In a rare convergence, a historically loaded freshman class — one that could dominate the top of the 2026 NBA draft — has already taken over college basketball. Now, those same players will take center stage in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, with a chance to shape both the bracket and the future of the league.

Just how good is college basketball's freshman class this season?

Well, consider this. The first 11 picks in our most recent mock draft were all freshmen, and not only are they the best long-term prospects, but they're also able to drive winning right now. All 11 have played significant roles in helping lead their teams into this week's tournament field.

March Madness 2026: Future NBA stars who could take over the NCAA Tournament

Adam Finkelstein

NC State is not particularly physical or outstandingly athletic on the defensive end, which is an area that Texas should be able to exploit with some success given how aggressively they attack the rim and end up getting to the free throw line. Those easy points should help the Longhorns fill it up even if it's a tough shooting night, though that alone will not guarantee success in the game given the way that Texas defended over the final weeks of the season.  

The Longhorns enter the NCAA Tournament having lost five of their last six, with the level of defense not being good enough to win games against the SEC's best teams. NC State may not be rated as highly as one of the SEC's best teams, but it's got an offense that can absolutely force the issue in this game. That will keep a fire under Texas, which is not a high-possession team on average, to keep scoring in a game that should see them get to 80. Pick: Texas Team Total Over 79.5 

2026 March Madness predictions: NCAA bracket expert picks against the spread, odds in Tuesday's First Four

Chip Patterson

UMBC, like Howard, was not like one of these other mid-majors that crashed the 206 tournament field from the middle of the standings by stealing the conference tournament. Both of these teams were the class of their respective conferences throughout the year, excelling on offense, defense and in the win column. Now they get one stage to determine who will continue on play No. 1 seed Michigan in Buffalo on Thursday. 

I think UMBC has a higher offensive ceiling in this game with a couple different options for players who can handle the offensive responsibility. DJ Armstrong, Jah'Likai King or Ace Valentine are capable of stepping up,  and if Howard can't force turnovers with its pressure defense then it might struggle to defend UMBC's scorers in the half-court. They key to breaking that pressure and preventing Howard's transition game is great ball security and a commitment to getting back on defense that includes selling out on the offensive glass. Since UMBC can turn this into a game on its terms, I like their odds to win. Pick: UMBC -1.5 

2026 March Madness predictions: NCAA bracket expert picks against the spread, odds in Tuesday's First Four

Chip Patterson

Trends flood the lead-up to the NCAA Tournament, but numbers without context rarely tell you what's actually about to happen in March. The real edges live in the matchups -- in how styles clash, where defenses crack and which players can tilt a game.

That's the approach here.

These aren't blind picks for every first-round game in the bracket. They're scouting reports -- built on data, personnel and the eye test -- to project how each matchup could unfold.

The First Four starts Tuesday. Here's a quick look at how we expect those games to shake out.

2026 March Madness picks: Predictions for every first-round game in the bracket

Isaac Trotter

Hall of Fame broadcaster Dick Vitale will make his NCAA Tournament debut behind the mic on Tuesday when No. 11 seed NC State faces No. 11 seed Texas in Dayton, Ohio, during the First Four. The winner of that game will advance to the first round of the NCAA Tournament to face No. 6 seed BYU on Thursday in Portland, Ore.

Vitale will be on the call alongside Brian Anderson, Charles Barkley and sideline reporter Jenny Dell. It will be the second time this season that Vitale and Barkley teamed up on a broadcast, as one of the most recognizable faces in basketball called Indiana's matchup against Kentucky earlier this season with Dave O'Brien.

Dick Vitale to make his NCAA Tournament broadcasting debut Tuesday in the First Four with Charles Barkley

Cameron Salerno