The opening round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship brought elation for Kansas, Illinois and Saint Louis and the end of the line for Mizzou.

Kansas gets by Cal Baptist

The Kansas Jayhawks (4) held off scrappy tournament newcomer Cal Baptist  (13) 68-60 on Friday night. Freshman Darryn Peterson made four 3-pointers and scored 28 points. The Jayhawks led 48-22 just four minutes into the second half but went cold for most of the last six minutes as Cal Baptist went on a 18-2 run but ran out of time. Kansas advanced to face St. John’s in the second round on Sunday.

Illinois dominates Penn

Illinois Fighting Illini (3) dominated Penn Quakers (14) 105-70 on Thursday night. Keaton Wagler added 18 points and seven assists for the Illini, and the team shot 50 percent from the field. Michael Zanoni finished with 20 points for the Ivy League champions, but star player TJ Power battled an illness and was held to just six points. Illinois will face VCU in the second round Saturday.

Saint Louis blows past Georgia

The Saint Louis Billikens (9) blew past the Georgia Bulldogs (8) 102-77 on Thursday night. All nine rotation players scored in the team’s 29th win of the season—a school record. Dion Brown led the way with 18th points while Amari McCottry turned in 13 points and a team-best nine rebounds. Billikens maintained a 12-0 run in the first half and exploded for an 18-0 run to open the second. Saint Louis faces top-seeded Michigan on Saturday.

Miami ends Mizzou’s season

The Miami Hurricanes (7) overcame the challenge of playing in front of Missouri Tiger (10) fans in St. Louis Friday night. The Hurricanes pulled away late with a 80-66 victory. Jayden Stone scored 21 points and Mark Mitchell had 19 for the Tigers, but Missouri couldn’t capitalize down the stretch as Miami dominated the boards to secure a 19-2 advantage in second-chance points. Miami faces Purdue in the Sweet 16.