Men's March Madness live tracker: Updates from Thursday's first round - ESPN

More than 130 days have passed since the 2025-26 men's college basketball season tipped off. It has been a season of captivating storylines, from the dominance of the freshman class to Miami (Ohio)'s perfect regular-season run — and it's about to get even better.

The first round of the 2026 NCAA tournament has finally arrived and ESPN reporters are on-site to give you a real-time look at the Madness.

Follow along as they and the rest of the staff track all the live action on Thursday, with more games left to tip:

(16) Siena vs. (1) Duke: 2:50

(12) McNeese vs. (5) Vanderbilt: 3:15

(14) North Dakota State vs. (3) Michigan State: 4:05

(13) Hawai'i vs. (4) Arkansas: 4:25

(11) VCU vs. (6) North Carolina: 6:50

(16) Howard vs. (1) Michigan: 7:10

(11) Texas vs. (6) BYU: 7:25

(10) Texas A&M vs. (7) Saint Mary's: 7:35

(14) Penn vs. (3) Illinois: 9:25

(9) Saint Louis vs. (8) Georgia: 9:45

(14) Kennesaw State vs. (3) Gonzaga: 10

(15) Idaho vs. (2) Houston: 10:10

Jump to: Post-game takeaways

How TCU won: The Horned Frogs led by 15 at the half, looking poised to cruise into the second round; teams with halftime leads of 15 or more points were a perfect 34-0 over the previous three tournaments, according to ESPN Research. But the Buckeyes had no interest in going down without a fight, climbing all the way back to take a 51-50 lead at the 7:24 mark. The two teams traded blows the rest of the way — until a nifty dish from David Punch to Xavier Edmonds with four seconds to play proved the difference in a TCU victory. Punch was the late-game hero for the Horned Frogs, racking up 13 of his 16 points, seven of his 13 rebounds and two assists in the second half to keep his team dancing. — David Hale

How Nebraska won: The Cornhuskers made