March Madness Bracket Live Updates: Day 2 NCAA Tournament Live Blog
Stay ahead of the madness! Get real-time updates, live betting odds, and bracket-busting highlights from Day 2 of the NCAA Tournament. We track every upset and buzzer-beater as they happen. Don't miss a single play—follow our live blog now.
Live Updates (13)
Santa Clara Shows Up
At least one WCC team showed up to the Tournament knowing when it would start. To be completely honest, Saint Mary's egg-laying and Gonzaga's malaise had me thinking about fading Santa Clara aggressively today. But right now, I am quite glad I have no survivor entries tied to Kentucky.
The Best Bet for LIU vs Arizona
Don't overthink Long Island University vs Arizona. The Wildcats might be the best team in the country. They've been favored by more than 30 points in seven games this season and won all of them by more than 25.
A far more interesting bet is Shadrack Lasu Over 5.5 rebounds (-110). In what should be a blowout, there's value in backing LIU Sharks players on their props. The Wildcats play at a blistering pace, and once they build a big lead, they could rest some of their top players and won't be quite as locked in.
LIU forward Shadrak Lasu has grabbed at least six boards in 11 of his last 15 games, averaging 7.1 rpg over that span.
The Sharks have an extremely small lineup, and Lasu is easily their biggest player at 6-foot-9. They'll need him on the court as much as possible against Arizona's imposing frontcourt.
Read more of Rohit Ponnaiya's Long Island University vs. Arizona prediction ahead of tip-off.
Red Raiders Ride Hot Shooting to Early Lead
Texas Tech has been lights out from deep to begin their first round game against Akron. Donovan Atwell has hit three of his first four 3-point attempts and the Red Raiders are 6-9 overall from downtown.
They rumble towards halftime with -300 live moneyline odds to advance to the second round.
Upset Watch: Santa Clara Enters Half With 2-Point Lead
It hasn't been pretty, but the Broncos lead the Wildcats 31-29 at halftime in a gritty, low-scoring game. The Broncos have shot just 35% from the field and 27% from deep, but have outrebounded Kentucky and forced the Wildcats into seven turnovers.
Santa Clara enters the second half with -110 moneyline odds after opening as a +125 underdog.
Santa Clara and Kentucky Ice Cold From Deep
The Broncos and Wildcats appear to be experiencing some serious first game jitters. Both squads have identical 3-12 marks from behind the arc and have missed a number of open looks.
It might be time to consider hammering the Under on the 150.5 total with Kentucky clinging onto a narrow 29-26 lead near halftime.
Akron Has the Edge Over Toppin-Less Texas Tech
The Texas Tech Red Raiders' perimeter defense has slipped without JT Toppin, allowing teams to shoot over 33% on 20+ attempts from downtown in six games without him.
If the Akron Zips get those looks, they can pull off the upset as they defend well enough to slow Tech’s elite 3-point shooting.
See more of Phil Naessen's March Madness Round 1 moneyline picks.
Kentucky vs Santa Clara Too Close for Comfort
Kentucky and Santa Clara have been neck and neck through the first 10 minutes, with the Wildcats clinging onto a narrow 18-16 lead. Senior guard Otega Oweh is pacing UK with 5 points on 2-4 shooting.
Kentucky entered the game with -155 moneyline odds and those have now stretched to -170 as the game progresses.
Akron Poised to Pull Off Upset
The loss of JT Toppin derailed what looked to be a Final Four-contending team in Lubbock, and the Akron Zips are a bad matchup for the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Since Toppin’s injury, the Red Raiders have seen a serious dip in paint production, FT attempts, and bench output. Their 3-point rate has increased, while their second-chance opportunities have also dropped.
If those outside shots aren’t falling, they'll be vulnerable. They managed a total of 13 offensive boards against TCU and Iowa State, and shot below 35% from deep in both games — and lost.
Akron ranks Top 10 in eFG%, and Top 15 in accuracy both inside and outside the arc. The Zips knock down FTs when they get to the line, operate at a breakneck pace, and have nine players who can provide offensive output off the bench.
See more of Jason Ence's March Madness Round 1 upset picks.
March Madness Meltdown
March Madness can turn into March Sadness in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, we're here for you when your bracket breaks.
Our brand new March Madness Meltdown hotline is a free number built to support you through the emotional torment of the NCAA Tournament. Whether your bracket just imploded or the 6 vs. 11 upsets you predicted all land: the Meltdown Line meets you where you are.
Call today at 1-866-MAD-9876. We’re standing by.
Santa Clara Covers
Covers college basketball expert JD Yonke thinks Kentucky could be in trouble today against Santa Clara.
“There isn’t much separating these teams over the last two months — the Santa Clara Broncos rank 31st in BartTorvik since January 20, while the Kentucky Wildcats are only one spot ahead at 30th,” he explains.
Yonke is also concerned about Kentucky’s ability to travel.
“The Wildcats have been poor when not in Lexington, ranking 355th in Haslametrics’ Away From Home grade and 362nd in Paper Tiger Factor,” he says.
Yonke is taking Santa Clara +3 in his first pick of the day. Check out the rest of his March Madness ATS picks for Day 2.
Otega Oweh Will Lead the Way for UK
Covers college basketball expert Chris Hatfield expects big things from Kentucky guard Otega Oweh in his team’s opening game against Santa Clara.
“Kentucky’s transition offense is elite, scoring an absurd 1.44 points per play (99th percentile), and that where Oweh thrives as he’s responsible for a team-leading 7% of Kentucky’s transition scoring,” he says.
On the flip side, Santa Clara allows 1.28 points per play in transition (one of the worst nationally).
“That’s a problem against Kentucky as a whole, but it’s a big issue against one of the best transition scorers in the SEC,” Hatfield explains. “Why is Oweh shooting over 45% from the field? Because he gets so many easy looks. We’ll see that here.”
Read Hatfield's full Kentucky vs. Santa Clara prediction for more insights ahead of game time.
Is Your Bracket Busted?
After a wild Day 1 of the 2026 NCAA Men's Tournament, the "perfect bracket" is nearly as rare as the dodo. While 36 million were filled out across a multitude of sites, there are less than 30,000 perfect brackets remaining. That’s a scant 0.08% survival rate.
This year is proving far tougher than 2025, where roughly 36,000 brackets on ESPN alone survived Day 1. If the current pace of upsets continues through Friday, experts estimate we could be down to fewer than 10 perfect brackets total heading into the Round of 32.
Take solace in the fact that the true mathematical odds of completing a perfect bracket are 1 in 147.5 quintillion. In other words, you're roughly 7 trillion times more likely to be struck by lightning than to pick a perfect bracket by pure chance.
The Madness Continues: Day 2 is Here!
If Day 1 taught us anything, it’s that no bracket is safe. With High Point and VCU already playing the role of giant-killers, the pressure is on for today’s heavyweights.
All eyes are on Kentucky in the early slot as they look to avoid a massive letdown against a dangerous Santa Clara squad. Meanwhile, No. 1 seeds Arizona and Florida take the floor, each carrying the weight of "perfection" on their shoulders. Will we see another 12-over-5 shocker from Akron or Northern Iowa?
Grab some popcorn and clear your schedule because Day 2 is about to get underway!
Pages related to this topic
