5 best moments of March Madness Round 2, from upsets to buzzer-beaters

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5 best moments of March Madness Round 2, from upsets to buzzer-beaters

Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports

Mon, Mar 23, 2026 ·

4 min read

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What a way to end the first weekend of March Madness .

After a mostly tame opening round of the men's NCAA Tournament, the second round absolutely cooked. Whether it was the outstanding performances, thrilling finishes and shocking upsets, Saturday and Sunday truly brought the unexpected to set the stage for an exciting Sweet 16.

It's tough to pick which moments were the best since there were so many to choose from the two days, but these ones stood out as ones we'll remember from this year's tournament.

The fight to make it to the Sweet 16 provided some all-time moments. Here are the best ones from the 16 games of the second round:

Iowa stuns defending champion Florida

It starts with the biggest upset of the tournament so far.

The defending champions will not get to keep their crown after Iowa sent Florida home packing early. The Hawkeyes controlled the majority of the game but the Gators stormed back to take a late lead, looking like they would survive.

However, Iowa didn't falter. It stuck around until the very end, when Alvaro Folgueiras knocked down the go-ahead 3-pointer with four seconds left . What makes it even sweeter is Folgueiras honors his late father with every bucket, and he pointed to the sky after he hit the shot that will live in Iowa history forever, sending his team to its first Sweet 16 since 1999.

Folgueiras also hit the shot in front of his mom, who hadn't seen him play for Iowa in two years.

"This one is for her and my dad," he said. "He's watching up there."

Iowa forward Alvaro Folgueiras (7) makes the go-ahead 3-pointer against Florida during the second round of the 2026 NCAA men's tournament at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Fla.

Texas clutch shot from Camden Heide

Camden Heide picked the best time to score his first points of the second round.

After not recording a single point for 39 minutes against Gonzaga, Heide came in with the Longhorns up one point in the final seconds. Texas needed a bucket to avoid a Bulldogs win, and Heide got the ball in the corner and drilled a 3-pointer with 14 seconds left for the dagger in the upset .

Truly saved the best for last.

Iowa Hawkeyes forward Cooper Koch (8) celebrates after a play against the Florida Gators in the second half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena.
(Matt Pendleton, Imagn Images)

Iowa Hawkeyes forward Alvaro Folgueiras (7) celebrates after defeating the Florida Gators in a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena.
(Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images)

Tavion Banks #6 of the Iowa Hawkeyes dunks the ball against Alex Condon #21 of the Florida Gators during the second half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Benchmark International Arena on March 22, 2026 in Tampa, Florida.
(Mike Carlson, Getty Images)

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Kael Combs (11) celebrates after defeating the Florida Gators in a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena.
(Matt Pendleton, Imagn Images)

Alvaro Folgueiras #7 of the Iowa Hawkeyes attempts a three point basket against the Florida Gators with under five seconds left during the second half in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Benchmark International Arena on March 22, 2026 in Tampa, Florida.
(Mike Carlson, Getty Images)

Iowa Hawkeyes forward Alvaro Folgueiras (7) makes a go-ahead three-point basket against the Florida Gators in the second half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena.
(Matt Pendleton, Imagn Images)

Iowa Hawkeyes forward Alvaro Folgueiras (7) makes a go-ahead three-point basket against the Florida Gators late in the second half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena.
(Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images)

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stirtz (14) dribbles the ball against the Florida Gators in the second half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena.
(Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images)

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Bennett Stirtz (14) shoots against the Florida Gators in the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena.
(Matt Pendleton, Imagn Images)

Iowa Hawkeyes forward Cooper Koch (8) holds his follow through on a shot against the Florida Gators in the second half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena.
(Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images)

Iowa Hawkeyes forward Cooper Koch (8) and Iowa Hawkeyes guard Kael Combs (11) celebrate after a play against the Florida Gators in the second half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena
(Matt Pendleton, Imagn Images)

Iowa Hawkeyes forward Alvaro Folgueiras (7) high-fives Iowa Hawkeyes forward Cam Manyawu (3) against the Florida Gators in the second half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena.
(Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images)

Iowa Hawkeyes forward Alvaro Folgueiras (7) is seen against the Florida Gators in the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena.
(Matt Pendleton, Imagn Images)

Florida Gators guard Isaiah Brown (20) dunks the ball past Iowa Hawkeyes forward Cooper Koch (8) in the second half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena.
(Matt Pendleton, Imagn Images)

Iowa Hawkeyes forward Alvaro Folgueiras (7) reacts after a play against the Florida Gators in the second half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena
(Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images)

Florida Gators guard Xaivian Lee (1) passes the ball around Iowa Hawkeyes forward Alvaro Folgueiras (7) in the final seconds as Florida Gators was unable to get a shot off in the second half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena.
(Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images)

Florida Gators forward Alex Condon (21) reacts after losing to the Iowa Hawkeyes in a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena.
(Matt Pendleton, Imagn Images)

Alex Condon #21 of the Florida Gators reacts after being defeated by the Iowa Hawkeyes in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Benchmark International Arena on March 22, 2026 in Tampa, Florida.
(Mike Carlson, Getty Images)

Thomas Haugh #10 of the Florida Gators reacts after being defeated by the Iowa Hawkeyes in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Benchmark International Arena on March 22, 2026 in Tampa, Florida.
(Mike Carlson, Getty Images)

Nebraska beats Vanderbilt in a thriller

You would've thought it was a national championship game with the environment in Oklahoma City.

Perhaps the game of the year so far, Nebraska and Vanderbilt played a thrilling back-and-forth affair that captivated everyone watching, and it ended with a spectacular finish. Braden Frager drove down the lane for a go-ahead bucket with two seconds left. All that was needed was to avoid a Vanderbilt game-winner, and oh how close it came to happen .

Vanderbilt's Tyler Tanner heaved the ball from halfcourt as the buzzer sounded and the ball looked like it was going inside the bucket, but it bounced out, putting everyone in disbelief on how it didn't go in.

It was the perfect ending to what was a near-perfect game.

Darius Acuff Jr.-Rob Martin duel

March is where stars are made, and an established one and new one emerged in a classic fun battle in Portland.

Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr. and High Point's Rob Martin put on a show in the second round, putting their teams on their back in an exciting contest. Acuff, a projected lottery pick, dropped 36 points and Martin cemented himself as a star with a 30 point effort against the SEC champions.

What was incredible is their performance in the clutch. They accounted for a combined 31 points in the last 12 minutes of the game, capped off by Acuff's nine points in the final three minutes. An entertaining battle between elite playmakers.

St. John's buzzer-beater

We knew we were getting a hall of famer coaching matchup in St. John's vs. Kansas, and the teams went down to the wire, capped by an amazing finish .

Tied at 65 with 3.9 seconds to go, St. John's guard Dylan Darling raced down the basket and avoided the Jayhawks defenders to sink a layup as the buzzer sounded for the win in an amazing battle.

What made it even better was Darling called for the play himself, and it paid off.

"The play coach was trying to run, there wasn't enough time for it. I threw the suggestion out, and I don't think Coach really had a choice at that point in time." he said. "So we went with it, and I probably don't deserve this. I was pretty bad all night long, but my teammates held it down tonight."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness best moments of Round 2 include upsets, buzzer beaters

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5 best moments of March Madness Round 2, from upsets to buzzer-beaters

Iowa stuns defending champion Florida

Texas clutch shot from Camden Heide

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Iowa shocks Florida with statement NCAA tournament upset

Nebraska beats Vanderbilt in a thriller

Darius Acuff Jr.-Rob Martin duel

St. John's buzzer-beater