The first round of the 2026 NCAA tournament ends, and we are off to a brilliant start entering March Madness. We break down the five best games that happened on day 2, from UConn's thrashing of UTSA to USC-Clemson's thrilling OT encounter.

Virginia (10) 82 - 73 (7) Georgia (OT)

Georgia was one of the few higher seeds to lose in a matchup so far, as the Cavaliers have seemingly made it a habit of taking games down to the wire and coming out of it as the victor. Virginia is only the second First Four team to win their Round of 64 game after Mississippi State in 2023.

The Cavaliers outscored the Bulldogs 13-6 over the final seven minutes of regulation time after trailing for the majority of the game. The final nail in the coffin arrived in OT as the tenth-seeded never looked back with a 7-0 run.

Homegrown talent Kymora Johnson was the star of the night with 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists against the Bulldogs. Virginia is now set to face Iowa in the second round.

USC (9) 71 - 67 (8) Clemson (OT)

Another game that went to OT was the nail-biting encounter between the Trojans and Clemson. Kara Dunn was on fire in the fourth quarter and scored a bucket in the final seconds to turn the tide over to USC. Meanwhile, Freshman Jazzy Davidson took control of the game with 31 points and ended Clemson's hopes for a comeback in OT after nailing two shots from beyond the arc.

But the Trojans have their work cut out for them, as they play the unforgiving South Carolina in just the second round.

UConn (1) 90 - 52 (11) UTSA

Sarah Strong made program history by completing 600 points and 100 steals in a single season. The American-French scored 18 points and accumulated 5 steals to achieve this feat. Azzi Fudd underperformed from her average score of 17.7 ppg this season, scoring only 7 in 17 minutes. The Roadrunners never really proved a threat to Geno Auriemma's team, which had full control of the game from tip-off.

The Huskies head to their 32nd straight second-round game against No. 9 Syracuse.

UCLA (1) 96 - 43 (16) California Baptist

UCLA put out all the fires of California after the start of the second half and scored the first 11 points of the third quarter. The Bruins never looked back and had a 37-point lead by the time the third quarter ended. California's scare lasted only in the first half after the Bruins conceded 34 points.

Lauren Betts was the star of the show with 22 points and 10 rebounds. The Bruins will now go on to face No. 8 Oklahoma State in the second round.

South Carolina (1) 103 - 34 (16) Southern Jaguars

South Carolina players had themselves a field trip, as the Jaguars could not match the Gamecocks' size and skill from the first quarter itself, as South Carolina scored a commanding 44 points in the first half, with 32 of them coming from inside the Jaguars' defence. Joyce Edwards finished the game with 27 points from 11-14 shooting. Other notable performances include Ta'Niya Latson with 17 points and six assists, followed by Madina Okot's 15.

South Carolina will now face off against the JuJu Watkins-less USC Trojans, which is still expected to be an enticing matchup after USC's OT heroics in the first round.

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Written by

Joy Bassy

Edited by

Joyita Das