March Madness scores, winners and losers: No. 1 seeds Duke, Michigan pull away; Texas A&M gets rude awakening

Here's the spin through Saturday's second round action as the first wave of Sweet 16 tickets were punched

David Cobb

Cameron Salerno

Isaac Trotter

Mar 22, 2026

12:17 am ET

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7 min read

Getty Images

No. 1 seeds Duke and Michigan each faced legitimate challenges from No. 9 seeds on Saturday before pulling away and advancing to the Sweet 16. The final score of the Blue Devils' 81-58 win over TCU hides the truth that it was a dogfight for 30 minutes.

When Duke needed it most, it got a heroic effort from star freshman Cam Boozer. The All-American forward exploded in the second half after going MIA during the first. His 19 points and 11 rebounds, along with the return of center Patrick Ngongba from injury, helped the Blue Devils wear down a gritty Horned Frogs team that briefly took a lead early in the second half.

Saint Louis tested Michigan in a different way before the Wolverines cruised to a 95-72 victory. The Billikens' well-oiled attack knocked the No. 1 seed Wolverines on their heels early. But the Atlantic 10 champions ultimately had no answer for Michigan stars Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara.

A total of eight Sweet 16 bids flew off the shelf on Saturday as the first weekend of the 2026 NCAA Tournament rolled on. Here are the winners and losers from the action.

Winner: Michigan activates "machine" mode

Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz and Michigan coach Dusty May are close friends who share basketball insights and swap ideas. But Michigan at its best is an inevitable force that cannot be contained -- even by an opponent who knows exactly what's coming.

The No. 1 seed Wolverines' 95-72 win over No. 9 seed Billikens brought the latest demonstration of Michigan's unmatchable top gear, as SLU offered a valiant but ultimately hopeless effort. The two-way attack led by bigs Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara simply overwhelmed a skilled but undersized group of Billikens. When your 7-foot-3 center is rifling cross-court passes like this to a 6-foot-9 potential lottery pick for open 3s, things are definitely going well. – David Cobb

> Yaxel from deep 😤#MarchMadness @umichbball pic.twitter.com/AIxRcp3tzG

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 21, 2026

Winner: Saint Louis runs into a buzzsaw but appears primed for consistent relevance

The best season in Saint Louis history is over after catching Michigan on a day when everything was rolling.

No one is beating Michigan when it plays as well as it did on Saturday, and SLU certainly found that out the hard way. But with sharp coach Josh Schertz signed to come back, there's tons of hope that this is far from just a blip on the radar.

The Robbie Avila Era is over, so SLU will need to remake its frontcourt, but five rotation players can return and a legitimate proof of concept has been established. This may be just the beginning. – Isaac Trotter

Winner: Duke emerges from the slumber with knockout second-half punch

What a response. Duke was wobbly early in the second half as TCU clawed back to take a two-point advantage, but the Blue Devils were not going to be denied.

Cameron Boozer scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half to lead Duke to the Sweet 16 with an 81-58 victory over the ninth-seeded Horned Frogs. Freshman wing Dame Sarr deposited four key 3-pointers and finished with 14 points. Isaiah Evans (17 points) did his thing as well.

Maybe most importantly, Duke is starting to get healthy. Big man Patrick Ngongba played 12 minutes and scored four points in his return from a foot injury. Kansas or St. John's awaits in what should be a doozy. -- Trotter

Loser: Iron unkind to Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt and Nebraska played the game of the tournament so far, and it all came down to a half-court heave from Commodores star Tyler Tanner. The high-arcing attempt hit the backboard, rattled around the rim and then bounced out, preserving a 74-72 victory for the No. 4 seed Cornhuskers. It was a brutal ending to a memorable performance from Tanner. The undersized sophomore led all scorers with 27 points as the No. 5 seed Commodores hung tough inside a road-type environment.

Oklahoma's City Paycom Center was filled with Nebraska fans thrilled to see the Cornhuskers advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history just two days after the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament win. Braden Fraser scored the go-ahead bucket with 2.2 seconds remaining, which left just enough time for Tanner to catch, dribble once then let it fly. It came oh so close to a moment for the history books. Instead, it produced a brutal agony for the Commodores that only March Madness can bring. - Cobb

> OH MY GOODNESS THAT ALMOST WENT IN! 🤯

NEBRASKA HOLDS ON 😱#MarchMadness @HuskerMBB pic.twitter.com/C8h63pSGLY

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

Winner: Arkansas avoids the trap

No. 12 seed High Point faltered in it