March Madness Day 2 Recap: UConn, Kansas Survive, Otega Oweh’s Clutch Bucket, Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson Hurt

And with that, we are on to the round of 32. Day 2 of the 2026 NCAA men’s tournament wasn’t as eventful as the first day, but there were still plenty of top moments. Kentucky’s Otega Oweh hit a buzzer beater to send the Wildcats’ game against 10-seed Santa Clara into overtime. They won, 89–84, and will face No. 2 Iowa State on Sunday. Alabama’s Labaron Philon Jr. decided the No. 4 Crimson Tide were not ready to go home and took over the game against 13-seeded Hofstra. Purdue’s Braden Smith set the NCAA all-time assists record, surpassing Duke legend Bobby Hurley, in the Boilermakers’ win. As we turn to the second round, here are five bold predictions. Sports Illustrated will be live all weekend with updates throughout the round of 32.

Men’s NCAA tournament first-round scores

• No. 7 Kentucky 89, No. 10 Santa Clara 84 (OT)
• No. 5 Texas Tech 91, No. 12 Akron 71
• No. 1 Arizona 92, No. 16 LIU 58
• No. 3 Virginia 82, No. 14 Wright State 73
• No. 2 Iowa State 108, No. 15 Tennessee State 74
• No. 4 Alabama 90, No. 13 Hofstra 70
• No. 9 Utah State 86, No. 8 Villanova 76
• No. 6 Tennessee 78, No. 11 Miami (Ohio) 56
• No. 9 Iowa 67, No. 8 Clemson 61
• No. 5 St. John’s 79, No. 12 Northern Iowa 53
• No. 7 UCLA 75, No. 10 UCF 71
• No. 2 Purdue 104, No. 15 Queens University 71
• No. 1 Florida 114, No. 16 Prairie View A&M 55
• No. 4 Kansas 68, No. 13 California Baptist 60
• No. 2 UConn 82, No. 15 Furman 71
• No. 7 Miami 80, No. 10 Missouri 66
• Second Round Schedule With TV

Men’s March Madness round of 64 Day 2 recap

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as March Madness Day 2 Recap: UConn, Kansas Survive, Otega Oweh’s Clutch Bucket, Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson Hurt.