2026 March Madness: Iowa, High Point among teams to pull off biggest upset wins, so far
The first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament are generally chaos, with upsets in every region.
This year is no different as 11 games have ended in upsets, so far.
Let’s take a look at every upset through the first two rounds of this year’s tournament.
Make sure to check out Sports Interaction’s complete list of March Madness game odds and March Madness futures.
March Madness upsets through two rounds
| 2026 March Madness Upsets |
|---|
| No. 9 TCU wins 66-64 over No. 8 Ohio |
| No. 11 VCU wins 82-78 in OT over No. 6 North Carolina |
| No. 10 Texas A&M wins 63-50 over No. 7 Saint Mary's |
| No. 9 Saint Louis wins 102-88 over No. 8 Georgia |
| No. 11 Texas wins 79-71 over No. 6 BYU |
| No. 12 High Point wins 83-82 over No. 5 Wisconsin |
| No. 9 Utah State wins 86-76 over No. 8 Villanova |
| No. 9 Iowa wins 67-61 over No. 8 Clemson |
| No. 11 Texas wins 74-68 over No. 3 Gonzaga |
| No. 5 St. John's wins 67-65 over No. 4 Kansas |
| No. 9 Iowa wins 73-72 over No. 1 Florida |
No. 9 TCU vs. No. 8 Ohio State
The 9-8 games are basically a coin flip, but the higher seed won so this still counts as an upset.
TCU led by 15 points at the break, but a 40-point second half from Ohio State brought this game down to the wire.
Micah Robinson had a game-high 18 points in the first game, but the Horned Frogs eventually fell to the tournament’s top overall seed, Duke, in the second round.
No. 11 VCU vs. No. 6 North Carolina
VCU gutted out a win to open the tournament against North Carolina. The Rams trailed by 19 points at one point before they rallied with 47 points in the second half to send the game to overtime.
Terrance Hill Jr. sealed the game with a massive 34-point effort, sending the Tar Heels to one of the most crushing losses in school history.
The magic ended for VCU in the second round as they lost to No. 3 Illinois.
No. 10 Texas A&M vs. No. 7 Saint Mary’s
Texas A&M cruised by Saint Mary’s in their first game of the tournament. The Aggies led at halftime and never looked back in a comfortable 13-point victory.
Rashaun Agee did the bulk of the heavy lifting with game-highs in points (22) and rebounds (nine).
Unfortunately, Texas A&M were eventually routed by No. 2 Houston in the second round.
No. 9 Saint Louis vs. No. 8 Georgia
It was a battle of at-large teams in the first round between No. 9 Saint Louis and No. 8 Georgia. The Billikens shot the lights out in a triple-digit scoring performance and led by 17 at halftime.
Saint Louis didn’t let up in the second half as six players finished with double digit points, led by Dion Brown (18 points on nine-of-10 shooting).
The Billikens got the unlucky matchup against No. 1 Michigan next, with the Wolverines dismantling Saint Louis 95-72.
No. 11 Texas vs. No. 6 BYU
Texas was one of the last teams to claim a spot in the tournament as they qualified through the First Four by beating NC State. The Longhorns continued to prove their worth in the first round and led BYU by nine points at the half.
The Cougars battled back, outscoring Texas 34-33 in the second half, but it wasn’t enough.
Matas Vokietatis finished with a team-high 23 points and completed a double-double with 16 boards.
No. 12 High Point vs. No. 5 Wisconsin
Everyone loves to circle the 12 vs. 5 matchup as an upset and we actually called this one before the tournament started (ignore our other two upset picks).
This was one of the more competitive and entertaining games of the first round. High Point trailed by two points at the break, but they stuck around with Wisconsin and did enough in the second half to secure an 83-82 win.
The Panthers actually looked like they might pull off another upset against No. 4 Arkansas in the second round, but the Razorbacks escaped with a close win.
No. 9 Utah State vs. No. 8 Villanova
The No. 9 vs. No. 8 matchup is the only one in the tournament’s long history where the higher seed has the edge in wins over the lower seed. Utah State kept that momentum going despite an absolute ass-kicking from beyond the arc (Aggies shot 12.5 per cent from three, Villanova shot 46.7 per cent).
Utah State used a late 20-6 run to close out an 86-76 win. Mason Falslev (22 points) and MJ Collins Jr. basically willed their team to victory. However they couldn’t will themselves past No. 1 Arizona in the second round.
No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 8 Clemson
Iowa completed the sweep by 9-seeds, downing Clemson 67-61 in the first round.
The Hawkeyes survived a late surge by the Tigers, but it was even more impressive they found a way to win with leading scorer Bennett Stirtz shooting just 4-of-17 from the field.
Iowa got it done in the dirty areas, winning the rebound battle 40-27, while making 24 of 31 free throws.
No. 11 Texas vs. No. 3 Gonzaga
Texas one-upped their first-round upset win over a 6-seed by busting many brackets (mine included) with a 74-68 win over No. 3 Gonzaga in the second round.
Vokietatis recorded another double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds and he’ll need to be even better on Thursday when the Longhorns face No. 2 Purdue in the Sweet 16.
No. 5 St. John’s vs. No. No. 4 Kansas
We’re counting this on the list because of the seeding, but St. John’s was actually a 3.5-point favourite, so technically this isn’t even an upset.
Kansas rallied from a 14-point deficit in the second half, tying the game at 65 with just under four seconds left on the clock. However, overtime wasn’t in the cards as Dylan Darling called game with a buzzer-beater that stood as his only made shot on five attempts.
Now it’s time to rest and reset for St. John’s, who will face No. 1 Duke in the Sweet 16 on Friday.
No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 1 Florida
This is easily the most stunning result of the tournament as Alvaro Folgueiras’ game-winning triple ended Florida’s bid for a second straight national championship.
The Hawkeyes led by as much as 12 at one point, but the Gators pressed until the dying seconds thanks to Alex Condon’s 21-point effort.
Condon’s performance wasn’t enough for Florida, however, and now Iowa will face No. 4 Nebraska as the Hawkeyes make their first appearance in the Sweet 16 since 1999.