By: BHS Sports Staff
March 26, 2026
Is your bracket busted after the first two rounds like most of ours? Now is the time for redemption.
With the first weekend of games fully in the books and 48 teams out of the 64 eliminated, it is time to recap how each region’s first two rounds unfolded to see which 16 teams remain.
*South Region: #1 Florida and #9 Iowa got through their first round matchups, but when it came time to face each other, the Hawkeyes ended up knocking off the top-seeded and defending National Champion Florida Gators, thanks to a game-winning three from Alvaro Folgueiras. This is Iowa’s first Sweet 16 appearance since 1999. The next two matchups saw #5 Vanderbilt beat #12 McNeese State, and #4 Nebraska won their first ever NCAA tournament game. Nebraska and Vanderbilt had a 40-minute battle in round two, and the Commodores nearly hit a game-winning half court shot as time expired, but the Cornhuskers survived. This will be Big Red’s first Sweet 16 appearance ever. #11 VCU had the first upset in the region, knocking off #6 North Carolina, and #3 Illinois cruised past their first opponent. The Fighting Illini continued their dominance by ending VCU’s Cinderella run in the Round of 32. Lastly with #10 Texas A&M and #2 Houston, the Cougars knocked off the Aggies to advance to the Sweet 16.
The South matchups are set: Iowa vs. Nebraska and Illinois vs. Houston.
*West Region: #1 Arizona dominated their first round matchup against Long Island, and #9 Utah State got past #8 Villanova. The predicted upset for this region was #12 High Point taking down #5 Wisconsin, while #4 Arkansas defeated #13 Hawaii. The Panthers run came to an end after the Razorbacks hung on in a back-and-forth tilt. The #11 Texas Longhorns, after their first four victory, took down #6 BYU, and #3 Gonzaga beat #14 Kennesaw State. The Longhorns kept their run going, taking down Gonzaga in the second round. Lastly, #7 Miami (FL.) defeated #10 Missouri, and #2 Purdue dominated in their opening round. The Boilermakers kept their winning streak going, knocking off the Hurricanes to advance.
The West matchups are set: Arizona vs. Arkansas and Texas vs. Purdue.
*East Region: #1 Duke and #9 TCU barely escaped their first round matchups, with the Blue Devils overcoming a 13-point deficit in the second half to defeat Siena, and the Horned Frogs scored a game-winning layup with only four seconds left to beat #8 Ohio State. In the second round, Duke continued to struggle, but nonetheless, they rallied again to defeat TCU. Rick Pitino’s #5 St. John’s cruised past #12 Northern Iowa by 26 points and advanced to the second round, playing #4 Kansas, who defeated #13 California Baptist. The Red Storm came out victorious with the buzzer-beater win, knocking off the Jayhawks. Elsewhere, #6 Louisville defeated #11 South Florida but nearly blew a 23-point-lead, and #3 Michigan State knocked off #14 North Dakota State. In the second round, the Spartans knocked off the Cardinals to advance. Finally, #7 UCLA escaped #10 UCF, and #2 UConn avoided a near upset against #15 Furman. The Huskies kept things alive, knocking off the red-hot Bruins to advance.
The East matchups are set: Duke vs. St. John’s and UConn vs. Michigan State.
*Midwest Region: #1 Michigan and #9 Saint Louis dominated their first round matchups, but when it came to the second round, the Billikens were no match as the Wolverines continued their dominance, advancing to the Sweet 16. Next, #4 Alabama dominated the game against #13 Hofstra, and #5 Texas Tech held on against #12 Akron, but the Crimson Tide destroyed their second round matchup, too, over the Red Raiders. #6 Tennessee and #3 Virginia each won their first round games, but the Volunteers upset the Cavaliers to move on to the Sweet 16. Lastly, #7 Kentucky and #10 Santa Clara arguably saw the wildest finish of the tournament so far with Santa Clara hitting a go-ahead three-pointer with two seconds left, but the Wildcats’ Otega Oweh hit a midcourt three to send the game into overtime, and ultimately, the Wildcats prevailed. #2 Iowa State cruised past their first round matchup and later defeated Kentucky in round two to advance to the Sweet 16.
The Midwest matchups are set: Michigan vs. Alabama and Tennessee vs. Iowa State.
Now that every bracket is completely destroyed, it is time for The Return of the Eye Sports Staff, plus Mr. Urig and Mr. Holko, to make their final four picks.
*Nicolle: (10) – For spending a lot of recent time talking to a local judge, her picks weren’t that bad. However, if her next picks are anything like her driving record and early softball season results, she will quickly find her way in the basement with these picks.
- South: Houston
- West: Arkansas
- East: Michigan State
- Midwest: Tennessee
*Reese: (12) – How is this even possible? She thought Central Florida’s abbreviation was UFC. Apparently, she has fighting on her mind, but low and behold, her reign at the top will not last long, similar to the strength in her right knee.
- South: Houston
- West: Arizona
- East: Duke
- Midwest: Michigan
*Jacob: (11) – I have to give him credit. His early picks shattered his early picks from last year, but everyone knows that he won’t be in contention after this weekend. Him going the distance in this pick ‘em is like him hitting a ball past the pitcher’s mound. Simply, it’s not going to happen.
- South: Houston
- West: Arkansas
- East: Duke
- Midwest: Iowa State
*Mr. Urig: (12) – I have more faith in Coach Urig leading this challenge more than I do in Reese. However, Mr. Urig just made the turn, and the back nine will not be so friendly to him, especially picking St. John’s as the East representative.
- South: Houston
- West: Arizona
- East: St. John’s
- Midwest: Iowa State
*Mr. Holko: (11) – Not great yet not terrible early picks from the fearless leader. Everyone knows he’s going with the Maize and Blue to win it all, so his mood throughout the duration of this tournament will lie with Dusty May and battle-tested Michigan Wolverines.
- South: Houston
- West: Arizona
- East: Michigan State
- Midwest: Michigan
The games will resume tonight with the Texas Longhorns battling the Purdue Boilermakers with tip-off at 7:10. You can check out the rest of the Sweet 16 schedule on the March Madness website.
Below is the upcoming schedule for Brooklyn Hurricanes Athletics:
- March 26: Softball @ Euclid (5:00)
- March 28: Baseball @ Rhodes (11:00)
- March 30: Softball @ Cuyahoga Heights (5:00)
- March 31: Baseball @ Lutheran West (4:30)
- April 1: Baseball @ John Marshall (5:00)
- April 1: Softball vs. Trinity (5:00)
Go Canes!
{For up-to-date events and schedules, visit Brooklyn Hurricanes Athletics.}
THE RETURN OF THE EYE 