March Madness scores, winners and losers: Big Ten thrives as Iowa stuns Florida, ACC falters entering Sweet 16

The Big Ten hasn't won a national title since 2000, but the conference is well-positioned to end that drought

David Cobb

Isaac Trotter

Cameron Salerno

Mar 22, 2026

11:55 pm ET

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7 min read

Imagn Images

The Big Ten has the target well within reach as the conference seeks its first national championship since Michigan State won it all in 2000. With six teams advancing to the Sweet 16, the conference will have multiple teams with solid chances at reaching the Final Four after it missed out last season.

At least one Big Ten team is guaranteed to reach the Elite Eight. That's because No. 4 seed Nebraska and No. 9 seed Iowa will play each other in the Sweet 16 as part of a South Region that also features No. 3 seed Illinois. It is the first time since 2018 and just the third time ever that three teams from the same conference have advanced to the Sweet 16 within the same region.

YearRegionConferenceTeams (Seeds)2026SouthBig TenIllinois (3), Nebraska (4), Iowa (9)2018MidwestACCDuke (2), Clemson (5), Syracuse (11)1986SoutheastSECKentucky (1), Alabama (5), LSU (11)The Hawkeyes are unequivocally the Big Ten's most surprising Sweet 16 representative after stunning No. 1 seed Florida 73-72 on Sunday. No. 1 seed Michigan from the Midwest looks like the Big Ten's top title contender, but the Wolverines are surrounded by plenty of company as the league seeks a basketball breakthrough to accompany its three straight football titles.

Things are far less rosy for the ACC, which saw just one of its eight NCAA Tournament teams survive the weekend. That team was No. 1 overall seed Duke, which will now enjoy the distinct displeasure of playing No. 5 seed St. John's in the Sweet 16 after the Red Storm squeaked out a thrilling win over Kansas.

Here are the winners and losers from Sunday's second-round action.

Winner: Big Ten's epic day

Six of the Sweet 16 teams hail from the Big Ten. Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska and Iowa are still alive entering the second weekend. It's tied for the second-most for any conference behind the 2025 SEC, which sent seven teams to the Sweet 16. The guard play in the Big Ten has been especially excellent this season, which may explain the surge of Sweet 16 entries.

- Purdue's Braden Smith is the all-time assist leader.

- Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. just had a 16-assist game, the most in MSU history, passing up the ole Magic Johnson.

- Iowa point guard Bennett Stirtz is a potential first-round pick.

- Illinois point guard Keaton Wagler is a potential lottery pick.

- Michigan's Elliot Cadeau has had a much better year than many projected.

You get the point.

No league posted a higher effective field goal percentage than the Big Ten this year, which could also be directly attributed to the floor generals in this league. It showed up in March. – Isaac Trotter

> Braden Smith just put the Miami defense in shock after this behind the back pass while jumping.

You can’t teach this 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/AjCbNNNwDv

— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) March 22, 2026

Loser: ACC is down to one team

If you're using NCAA Tournament success as a primary measuring stick, the ACC can't claim improvement this year. Miami's 79-69 loss to Purdue and Virginia's 79-72 loss to Tennessee on Sunday left No. 1 overall seed Duke as the league's only team advancing to the Sweet 16.

If you zoom out, the ACC took strides in the 2025-26 season toward restoring its national relevance after placing just four of its 18 teams into the field of 68 last year. With eight teams in this year's tournament and an improving roster of coaches, the conference is on a good trajectory. But that progress was not evident in its 2026 NCAA Tournament results. – David Cobb

Winner: Dylan Darling the unlikely hero

Kansas didn't seem overly concerned about getting beat off the dribble by St. John's point guard Dylan Darling on the final possession of regulation. Perhaps the Jayhawks should have devoted a little more attention to stopping the ball. Darling drove straight to the basket and hit a game-winner at the buzzer, lifting the No 5 seed Red Storm to a 67-65 victory over No. 4 seed Kansas. Darling sized up the 1-on-1 defense from KU's Elmarko Jackson and decided to take the game into his own hands, even though he had been held scoreless on 0-of-5 shooting until that point. No one will remember what Darling did for the game's first 39 minutes and 56 seconds. But they'll sure remember what he did to send St. John's to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999. – Cobb

> NOTHING LIKE THIS SPORT 🔥#MarchMadness https://t.co/fsz9U502ur pic.twitter.com/SvmVUiTw8U

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2026

Winner: The Ben McCollum masterpiece

Iowa is off to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999 after upsetting top-seeded Florida, 73-72. Iowa used a barrag