Ranking top March Madness games so far: Top 5 NCAA Tournament finishes

Austin Curtright, USA TODAY NETWORKMon, March 30, 2026 at 2:21 AM UTC

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As always, March Madness has delivered in 2026.

The 2026 men's NCAA Tournament has had upsets, back-and-forth thrillers and buzzer-beater game-winners, all before the Final Four has even started. There's a chance this list could change even more once No. 2 UConn, No. 3 Illinois and No. 1s Arizona and Michigan start the final weekend of the season.

From the first round to the Elite Eight, here's a look at our top-five ranked games of the NCAA Tournament so far, following UConn's thrilling win over top-seeded Duke for a spot in the Final Four:

March Madness top games so far, ranked5. Kentucky vs. Santa Clara, West Region first round

Kentucky overall disappointed at the NCAA Tournament based on its standards, but its first-round win over Santa Clara kept Wildcats fans from spiraling even further. Star guard Otega Oweh hit a 32-foot 3-pointer from near midcourt at the buzzer to send the game to overtime, before Kentucky won 89-84.

Oweh's shot came after Santa Clara's Allen Graves buried a would-be game-winner with less than five seconds left. It was a career performance for Oweh, who scored 35 points with eight rebounds and seven assists in the win.

4. Kansas vs St. John's, East Region second round

An unlikely hero emerged for St. John's in the second round against Kansas, when guard Dylan Darling drove to the lane and made a contested game-winning layup with 3.9 seconds left. Those were Darling's only two points of the game.

The game featured two legendary coaches in St. John's Rick Pitino and Kansas' Bill Self, both of whom have won multiple national championships. Ultimately Pitino came out on top, winning 67-65 to advance to the Sweet 16.

3. Iowa vs Florida, South Region second round

Perhaps the best upset for any team in the NCAA Tournament, No. 9 Iowa shocked No. 1 Florida, the defending national champions, in the second round.

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Alvaro Folgueiras' 3-pointer with 4.5 seconds left gave Iowa a 73-72 win after Florida was unable to get a final shot off before the buzzer. It was the Hawkeyes' first Sweet 16 appearance since 1999, and came under a first-year coach in Ben McCollum.

Iowa's run didn't stop there, as it then defeated darlings Nebraska in the Sweet 16 before losing to Illinois in the Elite Eight.

2. Nebraska vs Vanderbilt, South Region second round

Nebraska's Braden Frager hit a go-ahead layup with 2.2 seconds left to ultimately send Nebraska to the Sweet 16 for the first time ever in a 74-72 win, although Vanderbilt star Tyler Tanner nearly made a half-court heave at the buzzer as the ball went through the rim and somehow bounced out.

Not only was the final stretch wild, but the game was back-and-forth throughout the second half. Nebraska fans also took over the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, giving the Cornhuskers a virtual home atmosphere over six hours from the school's campus.

It's an unfortunate end to college for Tanner, should he opt for the NBA draft. Tanner scored 27 points with two rebounds and four assists, along with four steals in the loss.

1. Duke vs UConn, East Region final

One of the best Elite Eight games in years, UConn completed a 19-point comeback against Duke after true freshman Braylon Mullins hit a game-winning 3-pointer from 35 feet out with 0.4 seconds left. The Huskies outscored the top-seeded Blue Devils 44-28 in the second half for the 73-72 win.

UConn started the game 1-of-18 from 3-point range, before making 4 of its last 5 shots from distance in crunch time. Mullins' game-winning shot only came after Cayden Boozer's pass with less than 10 seconds left was deflected by Silas Demary Jr., with Mullins eventually regaining possession and hitting the shot after passing it off to and getting it back from Alex Karaban.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ranking top March Madness games so far: Top 5 NCAA Tournament finishes

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