March Madness is off to a wild start and history has already been made. Here’s what you need to know

<i>Kareem Elgazzar/AP via CNN Newsource</i><br/>Texas guard Tramon Mark scores a layup during the First Four win against North Carolina State on Tuesday. Mark and the Longhorns will play BYU next.

By CNN Newsource

today at 3:00 am

Published March 19, 2026 1:02 pm

By Kyle Feldscher, CNN

(CNN) — The madness has well and truly set in.

The first 16 games of the men’s tournament are rolling throughout Thursday into the early morning hours of Friday and we’ve already had a nail-biter and a historic result.

Here’s all you need to know about the first day of the NCAA tournament:

High Point upsets Wisconsin to make school history

It was a tight game throughout, but the High Point Panthers have pulled off the first upset of the 2026 men’s NCAA tournament and it’s the first of the obligatory 12-seed over 5-seed win.

High Point took down Wisconsin, getting a breakaway layup to take a 83-82 lead with just 11 seconds left. Incredibly, Chase Johnston – the High Point 3-point specialist – scored his first two-point bucket of the entire season on the play, just in time to pull off the upset.

Wisconsin had time to run a play on the ensuing possession, but High Point blocked Nick Boyd’s layup attempt and picked up the rebound. Wisconsin would have one last chance after a missed free throw, but the deep pass down the court would be intercepted.

It’s another moment of history in this tournament as High Point captured their first NCAA tournament victory.

The bracket starts with a banger

The first game of the tournament is always a matchup of the eighth and ninth seeds and usually leads to an evenly matched game. For about 25 minutes on Thursday, it seemed like TCU was going to put an end to a tough season for Ohio State.

Until the Buckeyes remembered it’s one-and-done time.

A strong second-half run put the Buckeyes on top and the final minutes of the game would be played with the lead going back and forth in a tight one-possession game.

The opener came down to the final minute, with TCU taking a 3-point lead and then Ohio State answering with 30 seconds to play.

The Horned Frogs used up the entire shot clock on their next possession, with Xavier Edmonds getting the tough shot off in the paint with just four seconds to play – sinking the go-ahead bucket through two defenders.

Ohio State had an opportunity to get one more shot off – a heave as time expired – but the ball caromed off the middle of the backboard and the Buckeyes became the first victim of this year’s tournament.

The final score: TCU 66, Ohio State 64

Nebraska breaks unwanted streak

It didn’t take long for the first bit of history to be made in this year’s tournament.

Nebraska, the four-seed in the South region, did something that the school had never done: Win a tournament game.

The Cornhuskers had been 0-for-8 in the tournament before Thursday but this Nebraska team was much different than those of years past. They had started the season 20-0 and finished second in the Big Ten during the regular season.

The Troy Trojans began the contest hot from the field and gave Fred Hoiberg’s team a bit of a scare early but then a big run in the first half put the Cornhuskers comfortably ahead and on cruise control. Oklahoma City had turned into South Lincoln with the number of red-clad fans who made the trip and chants of “Go Big Red!” roared the Huskers on.

Pryce Sandfort led the way for Nebraska, going off from beyond the arc. He hit seven 3-pointers and ended up with 23 points as the Cornhuskers rolled to an easy 76-47 victory.

They’ll play the winner of Vanderbilt and McNeese, who play later on Thursday.

Here are all the results and games for Thursday

TCU 66, Ohio State 64
Nebraska 76, Troy 47
Louisville 83, USF 79
High Point 83, Wisconsin 82
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 Siena at 2:50 p.m. ET on Thursday in Greenville, South Carolina. (CBS)
No. 5 Vanderbilt vs. No. 12 McNeese at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday in Oklahoma City (truTV)
No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 14 North Dakota State at 4:05 p.m. ET on Thursday in Buffalo (TNT)
No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 13 Hawaii at 4:25 p.m. ET on Thursday in Portland (TBS)
No. 6 North Carolina vs. No. 11 VCU 6:50 p.m. ET on Thursday in Greenville (TNT)
No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 16 Howard on Thursday in Buffalo (CBS)
No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Texas 7:25 p.m. ET on Thursday in Portland (TBS)
No. 7 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 10 Texas A&M 7:35 p.m. ET on Thursday in Oklahoma City (truTV)
No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 14 University of Pennsylvania 9:25 p.m. ET on Thursday in Greenville (TNT)
No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 Saint Louis at 9:45 p.m. ET on Thursday in Buffalo (CBS)
No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 14 Kennesaw State 10 p.m. ET on Thursday in Portland (TBS)
No. 2 Houston vs. No. 15 Idaho at 10:10 p.m. ET on Thursday in Oklahoma City (truTV)