Iowa knocked off No. 1 Florida. Nebraska made its first-ever Sweet 16. And there are exactly four perfect brackets left in the country.
The 2026 NCAA Tournament, the 87th edition of March Madness, has delivered the kind of chaotic second round that makes this event one of the few truly unpredictable spectacles left in American sports. Sixty-eight teams started on March 17th. By Sunday night, the Sweet 16 was set — and the list of survivors included names that nobody outside their home arenas expected to see there.
The biggest upset: No. 9 Iowa over No. 1 Florida. The defending national champion Gators were supposed to cruise. Instead, they went toe-to-toe with the Hawkeyes for 39-plus minutes before Alvaro Folgueiras buried an open corner three with less than five seconds remaining. Iowa hadn't reached the Sweet 16 since 1999. The celebration was justified.
Nebraska made history too. The Cornhuskers, a program that has spent most of its basketball existence in football's shadow, beat No. 5 seed Vanderbilt on a Braden Frager layup with two seconds left. First Sweet 16 appearance ever. Let that sink in.
“5 seed Vanderbilt on a Braden Frager layup with two seconds left.”
No. 6 Tennessee knocked off No. 3 Virginia 79-72, which is the result that officially ended every remaining perfect bracket in ESPN's Challenge — except four. Yes, there are still four perfect brackets out of roughly 20 million entries. Those people should either be studied or feared.
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Key Takeaways
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Duke, the No. 1 overall seed, survived an uncomfortably close call against Siena in the first round before pulling away. Michigan State advanced behind a Coen Carr eruption. Purdue cruised past Miami behind Fletcher Loyer's 24 points and is heading to its third consecutive Sweet 16.
The Sweet 16 tips off Thursday, March 26th. The Final Four is scheduled for April 4th at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, with the championship game on April 6th.
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The one number that captures the weekend's chaos: CBS Sports reported that by Sunday evening, 99.3 percent of all brackets in ESPN's Challenge had at least one wrong pick in the first eight games. NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt called it "as competitive an opening weekend as we've ever had," and the viewership numbers confirmed it — Saturday's combined audience was up 17 percent over 2025.
If your bracket is dead, the stories are still alive.
#March Madness#NCAA#Basketball#NCAA Tournament#College Basketball#Bracket#Sweet 16#Iowa Hawkeyes#Nebraska#Upsets#Final Four
What are the biggest upsets in March Madness 2026?
The biggest upset was No. 9 Iowa defeating No. 1 Florida, the defending national champion, on a last-second corner three. Nebraska also made its first-ever Sweet 16 by beating No. 5 Vanderbilt.
When is the 2026 Final Four?
The 2026 Final Four is scheduled for April 4th at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, with the championship game on April 6th.
How many perfect brackets are left in 2026?
Only four perfect brackets remain out of roughly 20 million entries in ESPN's Challenge after No. 6 Tennessee's upset of No. 3 Virginia eliminated most remaining perfect picks.
