Men’s March Madness Sunday takeaways: How every second-round game was decidedNathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn ImagesESPNMultiple AuthorsMar 22, 2026, 10:41 PM ET
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Which eight teams will join the first half of the Sweet 16 field in advancing to the 2026 men’s NCAA tournament regionals?
ESPN reporters across the country are recapping how each second-round game is decided Sunday.
(1) Arizona 78, (9) Utah State 66
How Arizona won: Arizona’s stellar guard play was once again on full display, as Jaden Bradley and Brayden Burries led the Wildcats in scoring with 18 and 16 points, respectively. Bradley was crucial in the second half as the Aggies made a run to turn what was once an 18-point lead into a four-point deficit. The senior guard continued to drive to the basket and make tough finish after tough finish to keep dispel any notion of an upset. Once again, Arizona’s size was relentless as it outrebounded Utah State 53-26 on its way to the Sweet 16 for the third straight season. — Paolo Uggetti
(9) Iowa 73, (1) Florida 72
How Iowa won: Alvaro Folgueiras drilled a go-ahead 3-pointer with 4.5 seconds left to upset the defending national champion Gators and advance to the Sweet 16. The Hawkeyes controlled most of the game, leading for 66% of it, thanks in large part to their ability to match the Gators physicality. Iowa outscored Florida, which ranks second nationally in paint points per game, 32-30 in the paint. Four Hawkeyes finished in double-figures, led by Tavion Banks’ 20 points with Folgueiras adding 14. They also outscored the Gators on fast break points (9-7) and held them to a season-low 61 possessions. — Jenna Laine
Iowa’s Sweet 16 opponent: Nebraska
How the Hawkeyes can advance to the Elite Eight: Unlike most other Sweet 16 matchups, we have evidence on how Iowa can beat Nebraska (and vice-versa). When the Hawkeyes beat the Cornhuskers back on Feb. 17, Bennett Stirtz was relatively inefficient but still finished with 25 points in willing Iowa to a win. When the Hawkeyes lost to the Cornhuskers in the regular-season finale, he finished with 11 points on 10 shots. In the NCAA tournament, Stirtz has received plenty of help from his supporting cast, with Alvaro Folgueiras averaging 14.0 in two wins and Tavion Banks scoring 20 against Florida. Defensively, they have to avoid fouling. They ranked last in the Big Ten in defensive free-throw rate, and there was a noticeable gap in free-throw attempts in the two games against Nebraska. When Iowa won, they were +6 at the free-throw line. When Nebraska won, Iowa was -10 at the stripe. — Borzello
(6) Tennessee 79, (3) Virginia 72
How Tennessee won: High drama in Philadelphia — Tennessee fended off Virginia to escape with the win and advance to the Sweet 16. The Cavaliers capitalized on a couple unforced errors to briefly take the lead with about two minutes remaining, but clutch free throw shooting from Ja’Kobi Gillespie and a few missed field goals on the other end allowed the Volunteers to hold on. Virginia freshman Thijs De Ridder did everything he could, scoring a game-high 22 points. He is the first Cavaliers player with at least 20 points and five rebounds in an NCAA tournament game since De’Andre Hunter in the 2019 championship. — Tim McManus
Tennessee’s Sweet 16 opponent: Iowa State
How the Volunteers can advance to the Elite Eight: To beat Iowa State, Tennessee will have to play the same disciplined defense that stopped Virginia in the final minutes of Sunday’s second-round game. That task begins with Felix Okpara, who had four blocks against the Cavaliers and altered other shot attempts, including a late drive by Thijs De Ridder that Okpara blocked during Virginia’s comeback attempt. Opposing players had made just 30$ of their shots around the rim against Okpara entering Sunday’s game, per Synergy Sports data. He’ll have to protect the rim against Iowa State, which had a significant advantage in paint points against Kentucky (34-20) — but he won’t have to do it alone. Tennessee has the personnel to handle every one-on-one matchup defensively. The Vols can guard at every spot. They will have to put pressure on Tamin Lipsey, sharpshooter Milan Momcilovich and Joshua Jefferson, if he returns, to win. That defensive effort coupled with standout performances from Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament would be the formula for a Tennessee trip to the Elite Eight. — Myron Medcalf
(5) St. John’s 67, (4) Kansas 65
How St. John’s won: Despite shooting 36% from the field and nearly coughing up a 14-point lead, the Johnnies did enough to survive and advance thanks to Dylan Darling’s buzzer-beating layup. Darling will be the headliner, but Bryce Hopkins was the star in this one — he scored 18 points, added seven rebounds and, most importantly, drained a season-high six of his nine 3-point attempts. St. John’s defense also shut down Kansas for most of the game, forcing the Jayhawks into 16 turnovers. — Paolo Uggetti
St. John’s Sweet 16 opponent: Duke
How the Red Storm can advance to the Elite Eight: The focus of Rick Pitino’s gameplan against Duke will obviously be centered around slowing down Cameron Boozer. St. John’s has one of the elite defenses in college basketball, but what the Red Storm don’t have is the sort of length and athleticism that has troubled Boozer at times. Much of the responsibility will fall on the individual defensive abilities of Zuby Ejiofor and Dillon Mitchell, with the latter likely being tasked with chasing around Isaiah Evans in the halfcourt. Offensively, the Red Storm need to keep up their improved 3-point shooting efforts. Prior to the NCAA tournament, they hadn’t made double-digit 3s in a game since Jan. 10; they’ve now done it in both tournament games, including 11 against Kansas on Sunday.
(2) Iowa State 82, (7) Kentucky 63
How Iowa State won: After a rather rough start to the game, Iowa State finally got shots to fall in the second half. Kentucky also kept turning the ball over. The Wildcats committed 20 turnovers, their most in an NCAA tournament game since 1993, per ESPN Research. And even though the Cyclones didn’t have senior forward Joshua Jefferson because of a sprained ankle, Tamin Lipsey (26 points) and Milan Momcilovic (20 points) picked up the slack to push them back into the Sweet 16. The big question coming out of this one for the Cyclones: Can Jefferson play next weekend? — Ben Baby
Iowa State’s Sweet 16 opponent: Tennessee
How the Cyclones can advance to the Elite Eight: With or without All-American Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State will have the same blueprint against Tennessee: Move the ball to find the best shot on offense, force turnovers with defensive pressure and score on fast breaks. Although they didn’t have Jefferson, who is dealing with a foot injury, the Cyclones forced 20 turnovers in their second-round win over Kentucky while outscoring the Wildcats 34-20 in the paint. Playing through Tamin Lipsey — who finished with 26 points, 10 assists and just three turnovers — the Cyclones registered 150 points per 100 possessions and made 63% of their shots after halftime; they are 18-2 when Lipsey’s assist-to-turnover ratio is 3-to-1or better.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament combined for five turnovers in Tennessee’s second-round win over Virginia. Iowa State can pressure that duo into the same mistakes Otega Oweh and Denzel Aberdeen (eight turnovers combined) made for Kentucky, even if Jefferson misses another game. That’s how the Cyclones can advance. — Medcalf
(2) Purdue 79, (7) Miami 69
How Purdue won: Leave it to the seniors to bring it home for Purdue. Fletcher Loyer had a game-high 24 points and Trey Kaufman-Renn added 19 to send the 2-seed Boilermakers back to the Sweet 16 for the third straight season.
After alternating the guards early in the first half, Matt Painter kept Loyer and point guard Braden Smith on the floor for the entire second half — and the senior tandem not only stabilized Purdue but helped neutralize a Miami squad that looked potent in the first half. In an era when rosters can be flipped on a yearly basis, Purdue is making a strong case for homegrown continuity. It seemed to be the difference Sunday in St. Louis.
Still, give Miami and Jai Lucas a ton of credit. The Hurricanes had a 19-win differential in Lucas’ first season at the helm. — Ben Baby
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Purdue’s second-round opponent: Texas
How the Boilermakers can advance to the Elite Eight: The late-season return to form of Kaufman-Renn and Loyer has taken Purdue to a different level — and is likely the Boilermakers’ biggest key moving forward. Kaufman-Renn had 20 points in the Big Ten tournament title game, 25 points in the first-round NCAA tournament win over Queens, then went for 19 points and nine rebounds in the second-round victory against Miami. Loyer was perfect from 3-point range (4-for-4) against the Hurricanes and is now shooting 19-for-35 from beyond the arc in his last five games.
While Texas’ defense has tightened up recently, it was still ranked in the bottom half of the SEC, while Purdue enters the Sweet 16 with the best offense in the country. Moreover, the Boilermakers rank in the top 10 nationally in 3-point percentage, while the Longhorns are in the bottom third in 3-point defense. If C.J. Cox is healthy and can make shots alongside Loyer and Kaufman-Renn, Purdue should be able to light up the scoreboard. — Jeff Borzello
