Men's March Madness Friday takeaways: How Kentucky, Virginia, Arizona won

Men's March Madness Friday takeaways: How Kentucky, Virginia, Arizona won

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Men's March Madness Friday takeaways: How Kentucky, Virginia, Arizona wonAkron Zips1hESPNOweh's heroics save Kentucky vs. Santa ClaraKentucky Wildcats5hBen BabyIowa St.'s Jefferson sprains ankle; X-rays negativeIowa State Cyclones4hBen BabyMiami (OH)'s run ends in blowout loss to VolsTennessee Volunteers49mDuke 'hopeful' Ngongba can return in 2nd roundDuke Blue Devils4hDavid HaleUtah State uses second-half rally to top VillanovaUtah State Aggies48mBall State names SMU assistant Capko head coachBall State Cardinals4hAmid scandal, CSUB eyes USC's Lee, sources sayCal State Bakersfield Roadrunners8hJeff BorzelloSources: W. Michigan to hire UTRGV's FennellWestern Michigan Broncos8hJeff BorzelloJay Bilas predicts every game of the 2026 NCAA tournamentDuke Blue Devils4dJay BilasChase Johnston's first 2-pointer, no subs for Siena and more men's NCAA first-round superlativesNorth Carolina Tar Heels46mKalan HooksYour guide to March Madness Day 1: Recaps, every winner's chance to advance, moreDuke Blue Devils19hESPNWelcome to 'The Reef': LIU's 'fins up' chant has turned a near-empty gym into March magicLong Island University Sharks12hJ.J. PostMen's tournament: How to bet the Duke, Michigan St. games and more SaturdayMichigan State Spartans5hMark ZinnoNBA debut to March Madness: Sandfort surprises brother in Nebraska winNebraska Cornhuskers22hBrooke PryorRemembering March Madness Cinderella runs: High Point, VCU top 2026 underdogs to watchGeorge Mason Patriots13hAnthony GharibRanking the top 50 men's college basketball players who could define March MadnessDuke Blue Devils3dJeff Borzello and Myron MedcalfMen's coaching carousel tracker: All the intel entering the NCAA tournamentBoston College Eagles1dJeff BorzelloBoozer, Dybantsa, Peterson, Wagler: Coaches break down freshmen built for MarchDuke Blue Devils2dJason JordanJoe Lunardi's ultimate guide to men's March Madness 2026Duke Blue Devils3dJoe LunardiJay Bilas predicts every game of the 2026 NCAA tournamentDuke Blue Devils4dJay BilasESPNMultiple AuthorsMar 20, 2026, 06:38 PM ETEmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe first round of the 2026 men's NCAA tournament continues Friday -- and we're tracking how every game was decided.

As every winner's second-round matchup is set, ESPN's reporters will also break down each team's keys for advancing to the Sweet 16.

How Tennessee won: "He missed one. Thank God." That was a Miami (Ohio) fan's reaction to a rare misfire by Ja'Kobi Gillespie in Tennessee's convincing 78-56 win. Gillespie took care of the bulk of the scoring (29 points) and the Volunteers handled their business on the boards (42-25) and on defense, limiting the RedHawks to just 35% shooting. Miami senior guard Peter Suder poured in 27 points, the most since Wally Szczerbiak in 1999, but no one else on the team reached double digits. -- Tim McManus

How Utah State won: In short: MJ Collins Jr. Down 10 points to Villanova early in the second half, the Aggies did not fold. Instead, they stuck to their game plan, attacked the paint and got to the free throw line over and over (37 times!). They got it back to a tie with 3:56 left and that's when Collins took over. The senior guard scored nine points as part of a 14-1 Utah State run, including an acrobatic, behind-the-back three-point play, as well as a key steal and dunk that put the exclamation point on the victory. -- Paolo Uggetti

How Alabama won: Without their second-leading scorer and their best 3-point shooter, Aden Holloway -- who was arrested Monday on felony drug charges -- the Crimson Tide were forced to rely on sophomore guard Labaron Philon Jr. He responded, putting up 29 points with eight rebounds and seven assists in the 20-point victory. The Pride did not go quietly, though, with freshman guard Preston Edmead putting up 24 points and going 5-of-10 from behind the arc, with four rebounds and four assists. -- Jenna Laine

How Iowa State won: Take your pick from any number of ways that Iowa State rolled Tennessee State. The Cyclones dominated in virtually every category, though the discrepancy on the glass was particularly notable. At one point late in the second half, Iowa State had more offensive rebounds than Tennessee State had defensive rebounds. Another telling stat: Iowa State scored the game's first 45 bench points. Looking ahead to Sunday's game against Kentucky, that depth could be the difference given how reliant the Wildcats were on Otega Oweh in their dramatic first-round win. That depth might also be needed if Joshua Jefferson remains out with a left leg injury -- he left early in the first half and eventually sat out the rest of the game with a boot. -- Ben Baby

Iowa's State's second-round opponent: Kentucky

How the Cyclones can advance to the Sweet 16: A miraculous recovery for Joshua Jefferson would help, but his availability is unclear after he was helped to the locker room following a lower leg injury and was later shown in a boot. The Cyclones are 21.8 points per 100 possessions better with Jefferson on the floor, according to CBB Analytics. Even without him, though, Iowa State has enough to beat Kentucky. The Cyclones have the individual perimeter defenders to slow down the trio of Oweh, Collin Chandler and Denzel Aberdeen -- particularly Tamin Lipsey and Killyan Toure -- and could have success forcing turnovers. Kentucky also doesn't have an answer for Milan Momcilovic, who has a case to make as the best shooter in the country and stands at 6-foot-8. The Wildcats will likely have to guard him with 6-4 Oweh or 6-5 Chandler, so Momcilovic should have the edge there. Without Jefferson, TJ Otzelberger could opt to go with a smaller lineup that features Momcilovic at the 4, which might create a tougher individual matchup but would also space out the Kentucky defense and remove some of its shot-blockers from the paint. -- Borzello

How Virginia won: Virginia escaped a scare and advanced to the second round with a come-from-behind win. Senior guard Jacari White took over down the stretch, scoring 15 of his season-high 26 points in the second half, using his gravitational pull to create easy baskets for his teammates. Those 26 points are the most by a Virginia player in an NCAA tournament game since De'Andre Hunter had 27 in the 2019 championship game against Texas Tech, per ESPN Research. White's six made 3-pointers also tied London Perrantes (2016 Elite Eight) for most by a Virginia player in an NCAA tournament game. -- Tim McManus

How Arizona won: Arizona's first-round matchup against 16-seeded Long Island proved to be a tepid warmup for the Wildcats, who dominated every facet of the game on their way to a commanding victory. It's striking how big they are in person, and they used every bit of their size to their advantage, outrebounding the Sharks 52-31 and scoring 50 points in the paint while adding 10 blocks to boot. Ivan Kharchenkov waltzed his way to a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double while on the perimeter. And freshman Brayden Burries brought the firepower, leading all scorers with 18 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3. It was the ideal start for a team with hopes (and expectations) for a deep tournament run. -- Paolo Uggetti

How Texas Tech won: Akron closed the gap to four points midway through the second half, but Texas Tech -- playing without All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year JT Toppin -- shot better than 75% in the second half to run away with it. (Forward LeJuan Watts, who led with six rebounds, also fouled out with under 10 minutes to go.) Freshman guard Jaylen Petty put up a career-best 24 points (5-of-7 from 3), and the Raiders held the Zips' top-10 scoring offense that had averaged 88.4 points per game during the regular season to just 71 points. -- Jenna Laine

How Kentucky won: Add what Otega Oweh did to the list of great performances in Kentucky's tournament history. Oweh scored a career-high 35 points to send the 7-seed Wildcats to the next round. Oweh's midcourt prayer that banked through the net at the buzzer sent the game into overtime and helped the Wildcats avoid the upset. Oweh fueled Kentucky's offense and held off a balanced Santa Clara attack that was led by Elijah Mahi and Allen Graves. Graves thought he had the game winner with two seconds left. But Oweh made sure he and the Wildcats had the last word. -- Ben Baby

Kentucky's second-round opponent: Iowa State

How the Wildcats can advance to the Sweet 16: It starts with taking care of the ball. Iowa State thrives when it can force turnovers and get out in transition for easy baskets. The Cyclones are fourth in the country in defensive turnover percentage and in points off turnovers per game. Kentucky was 12th in the SEC in turnover percentage, although the Wildcats have tightened things up lately, giving it away just 46 times in their last five games. Still, they've had issues against teams applying aggressive ball pressure, including against Vanderbilt and Texas A&M, the most turnover-prone defenses in the SEC. They will also need to make shots from the perimeter -- they shoot better than 37% from 3 in wins compared to just 29% in losses. Iowa State can guard the 3, but Kentucky's trio of Otega Oweh, Denzel Aberdeen and Collin Chandler have to get going. -- Borzello