March Madness has delivered some drama. Even though fans have lamented the lack of massive upsets and a surprising Cinderella drought, there was still a ton of theater over the first week of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

A look back at the first weekend of playoff hoops as the higher seeded teams held serve across Game 1s. For the most part, at least.

The first weekend of the NCAA tournament is in the books, and there are, of course, distinct winners and losers. Among the big winners are the Big Ten and John Calipari, who’s guided Arkansas to its second Sweet 16 in his second season as head coach.

Michael B. Jordan. Sure, Paul Thomas Anderson and the "Battle" thing won the most awards, but Apollo's boy and Black Panther's nemesis won the biggie and arrived as a bona fide, first-team Hollywood A-lister. Cool. Who would have thought that Wallace from ...