🏀 Y! Sports AM: 16 games down, 47 to go

March 20, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

HEADLINES

To continue the basketball theme, today's headlines will be exclusively about the NBA, which had more than its fair share of action on Thursday…

🏀 LeBron ties Parish: LeBron James played in his 1,611th regular-season game, tying Hall of Famer and Celtics legend Robert Parish's record for the most in NBA history. Oh yea, and then he went on to put up a triple-double (19-15-10) in the Lakers' win over the Heat. At 41.

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🏀 Luka drops 60: LeBron's feat wasn't the only headline in that game, as Luka Dončić scored 60 points, the most by a Laker since Kobe Bryant scored 60 in the final game of his career back in 2016. Luka's averaging a cool 41 points per game during L.A.'s current eight-game win streak.

🏀 Wemby calls game: Victor Wembanyama nailed a jumper with 1.1 seconds left against the Suns, lifting the Spurs to a 101-100 victory and clinching San Antonio's first playoff berth since 2019.

🏀 Cade out indefinitely: Pistons MVP candidate Cade Cunningham will miss at least the next two weeks with a collapsed lung. He'll then be re-evaluated, but it remains unclear when, or if, he will return for first-place Detroit.

See what else is trending on Yahoo Sports.

16 GAMES DOWN, 47 TO GO

Chase Johnston celebrates one of his barrage of late threes. (Soobum Im/Getty Images)

The High Point Panthers entered Thursday's game against No. 5 Wisconsin 0-57 all-time against power conference programs. 40 minutes later, they walked off the court with the first upset — and the first "Where did he come from?" star — of the 2026 NCAA tournament.

Panthers 83, Badgers 82: For a while, it looked like this game would come down to whichever star guard got the last touch, as High Point's Rob Martin (23 points, 10 assists) and Wisconsin's Nick Boyd (27 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists) were both electric. Then Chase Johnston, and the most unlikely game-winning layup in NCAA tournament history, happened

Johnston, a sixth-year senior who plays just 12 minutes a game, is the epitome of a three-point specialist. Entering Thursday, he was 64-132 (48.5%) from long range… and 0-4 from inside the arc. Yes, really. And he didn't do much in the first 35 minutes against Wisconsin, going 1-3 with three points.
But he took over in the final five minutes, sparking a comeback with three more 3-pointers — including one from the logo that I've watched at least 20 times — and the game-winning layup with 11 seconds left for his first two-pointer of the season.

What they're saying: "This is something you dream about," said Johnston, the latest in a long line of out-of-nowhere NCAA tournament heroes. "I remember playing basketball with my brother in the backyard 1-on-1. We had our own little brackets, picking what teams we wanted to be and trying to win March Madness. Now to be on this stage with these guys and to be able to hit a couple shots and finish with a layup, it's something I'll never forget."

A welcome return: This kind of performance, reminiscent of what Oakland's Jack Gohlke did in the first round against Kentucky two years ago, is what makes March Madness such a beloved event. And after last year's historically-chalky tournament largely lacked such performances, it felt particularly meaningful to get one in the very first window of games.

Terrence Hill Jr., take a bow. (Chris Carlson/AP Photo)

Elsewhere: The fireworks didn't end with High Point and Johnston. Later in the day, No. 11 VCU stormed back from 19 down to beat No. 6 North Carolina, 82-78 (OT), for the largest first-round comeback in NCAA tournament history. The hero? Another bench player who had the game of his life.

Terrence Hill Jr. is no mere specialist, but he certainly shot like one on Thursday. The sophomore guard, who actually leads the team in scoring from that bench role, put up a career-high 34 points — including 7-10 from long range — to key VCU's historic comeback.
On the other side, UNC's meltdown makes one thing abundantly clear in Chapel Hill: It's time to cut bait with head coach Hubert Davis.

More Day 1 highlights:

Close call: Duke was pushed to the brink by Siena in what was supposed to be a "cakewalk," becoming the first No. 1 seed ever to trail a No. 16 by double digits at the half. But the Blue Devils finally re-gained the lead with a little over four minutes left and held on for a 71-65 win.
Victory at last: No. 4 Nebraska crushed No. 13 Troy, 76-47, to pick up their first NCAA tournament win in program history after losing in their first eight appearances.
One and done? Potential No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa had another stellar game for No. 6 BYU (35 points, 10 rebounds), but the Cougars' lack of depth was exposed in a 79-71 upset loss to No. 11 Texas, which moves on to the second round after emerging from the First Four.

The rest: The other 11 games were an assortment of nail-biters, near-comebacks and blowouts.

(9) TCU def. (8) Ohio State, 66-64
(6) Louisville def. (11) South Florida, 83-79
(3) Gonzaga def. (14) Kennesaw State, 73-64
(5) Vanderbilt def. (12) McNeese State, 78-68
(10) Texas A&M def. (7) Saint Mary’s, 63-50
(4) Arkansas def. (13) Hawaii, 97-78
(1) Michigan def. (16) Howard, 101-80
(9) Saint Louis def. (8) Georgia, 102-77
(3) Michigan State def. (14) North Dakota State, 92-67
(2) Houston def. (15) Idaho, 78-47
(3) Illinois def. (14) Penn, 105-70

How's your bracket doing? Only 0.1% of brackets remain perfect on Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem. Is yours one of them?

More Madness:Thursday recap

THE MADNESS CONTINUES

(Josh Heim/Yahoo Sports)

After 16 games across 12 glorious hours yesterday… we get to do it all over again today. Isn't March grand?

Early afternoon: Virginia has looked great this year, going 29-5 and just barely losing to Duke in the ACC championship. But their NCAA tournament track record is shaky, to say the least, losing three straight openers — including two as 4-seeds — since winning the 2019 title.

No. 7 Kentucky (-2.5) vs. No. 10 Santa Clara (12:15pm ET, CBS)
No. 5 Texas Tech (-7.5) vs. No. 12 Akron (12:40pm, truTV)
No. 1 Arizona (-30.5) vs. No. 16 LIU (1:35pm, TNT)
No. 3 Virginia (-18.5) vs. No. 14 Wright State (1:50pm, TBS)

Late afternoon: Hofstra is back for the first time since 2001, Jay Wright's last season as their head coach before he left to build a Hall of Fame career at Villanova. Their current head coach? Former NBA vet Speedy Claxton, who led Hofstra to the tourney as a senior in 2000.

No. 2 Iowa State (-24.5) vs. No. 15 Tennessee State (2:50pm, CBS)
No. 4 Alabama (-11.5) vs. No. 13 Hofstra (3:15pm, truTV)
No. 8 Villanova (+2.5) vs. No. 9 Utah State (4:10pm, TNT)
No. 6 Tennessee (-11.5) vs. No. 11 Miami-Ohio (4:25pm, TBS)

Primetime: Queens (North Carolina) is just the fourth team in the last 50 years to make the tournament in their first year of eligibility. They'll face Purdue All-American Braden Smith, who is two assists shy of passing Bobby Hurley (1,076) for the most in NCAA Division I history.

No. 8 Clemson (+2.5) vs. No. 9 Iowa (6:50pm, TNT)
No. 5 St. John's (-9.5) vs. No. 12 Northern Iowa (7:10pm, CBS)
No. 7 UCLA (-5.5) vs. No. 10 UCF (7:25pm, TBS)
No. 2 Purdue (-25.5) vs. No. 15 Queens (7:35pm, truTV)

Late night: The defending champs, favored by 35.5 points over Prairie View A&M, are the biggest favorite in an NCAA tournament game since 1999.

No. 1 Florida (-35.5) vs. No. 16 Prairie View A&M (9:25pm, TNT)
No. 4 Kansas (-13.5) vs. No. 13 California Baptist (9:45pm, CBS)
No. 2 UConn (-20.5) vs. No. 15 Furman (10pm, TBS)
No. 7 Miami (-2.5) vs. No. 10 Missouri (10:10pm, truTV)

Friday viewing guide.

WOMEN'S TIP-OFF: CAN ANYONE BEAT THE HUSKIES?

(Amy Monks/Yahoo Sports)

The NCAA women's tournament tips off today, and though the bracket says there are 64 teams in contention, there's one that stands head and shoulders above the rest.

UConn vs. the field: The Huskies are the overwhelming favorite to win the title (-275 at BetMGM), entering the tournament on a 50-game winning streak after capturing their 12th national championship a year ago.

They do it on offense, scoring the second-most points per game in the nation (88.7), and on defense, where they allow the fewest (50.4). Yes, their average score this season was 89-50.
The Huskies have tremendous depth, of course, but really shine at the top of the lineup thanks to POY frontrunner Sarah Strong and fifth-year senior Azzi Fudd, who just became the 10th pair of teammates to both be named first-team AP All-Americans.

The argument against: While UConn is clearly the best team, they also benefitted from playing in a weak Big East, which sent just one other team to the tournament (10-seed Villanova). In their four ranked non-conference games, their average margin of victory was "just" 17.5 points, including a three-point win over Michigan. So, who are the most likely candidates to beat them?

Top-seeded UCLA is the 1B to UConn's 1A. The Bruins have won 25 straight, feature two All-Americans of their own in first-teamer Lauren Betts and third-teamer Kiki Rice, and are the only team with a more efficient offense than UConn.
Then there's No. 1 South Carolina, No. 1 Texas and No. 2 LSU, SEC powerhouses with stars who can go toe-to-toe with UConn's best. Same goes for No. 2 Vanderbilt, which could meet the Huskies in the Elite Eight and is led by the nation's leading scorer in Mikayla Blakes.

What to watch: UConn's opener is tomorrow against No. 16 UTSA (3pm ET, ABC), though as 55.5-point favorites it might not be the most entertaining game. Instead, here are four other first-round games worth watching.

No. 7 NC State (-1.5) vs. No. 10 Tennessee (Fri. 8pm, ESPN): The Vols, making their 44th straight tournament appearance even in the midst of a down year, seek revenge for their season-opening three-point loss to the Wolfpack in this clash of perennial contenders.
No. 6 Notre Dame (-10.5) vs. No. 11 Fairfield (Sat. 2pm, ESPN): The Irish have the game's best player in three-time All-American Hannah Hidalgo, but beware the Stags, a popular upset pick thanks to their NCAA-leading 11.4 threes made per game.
No. 6 Washington (-5.5) vs. No. 11 South Dakota State (Fri. 2:30pm, ESPNews): Speaking of potential upsets, the Jackrabbits have won first-round games in the past decade as a 9-seed, 10-seed and 12-seed. This year's 11 would fit nicely in that set.
No. 8 Iowa State (-7.5) vs. No. 9 Syracuse (Sat. 5:30pm, ESPN2): Cyclones junior Audi Crooks is the best volume scorer in the country, putting up four 40-point games this season. No other D1 player has more than one.

Pre-tournament reading:

Region-by-region previews:Fort Worth 1 | Sacramento 2 | Fort Worth 3 | Sacramento 4

CHART DU JOUR: APPAREL PARTNERS

(Lev Akabas/Sportico)

Under Armour is the apparel partner for just nine teams in this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament, the fewest since 2015, per Apex Marketing. Nike, including Jordan Brand, is outfitting 45 of the 68 teams to once again lead the way by a wide margin.

MARCH MADNESS TRIVIA

(Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Question: Who are the all-time leading scorers in the men's and women's NCAA Division I basketball tournaments?

Hint: Duke and Iowa.

Answer at the bottom.

FILL OUT YOUR BRACKET!

Beat the buzzer before the women's tournament tips off at 11:30am ET! Make your picks and enter Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem for a chance to win $25K. Fill out your bracket now.

Trivia answer: Christian Laettner (407 points) and Caitlin Clark (492)

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