Concerning Stat Proves NCAA Tournament Has Lost Its Magic

March Madness doesn't have the same magic that it used to. At least that's what people are saying this weekend. Unfortunately, the opening round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament didn't feature a lot of upsets. Sure, we saw No. 12 seed High Point take down No. 5 seed Wisconsin on Thursday, but that ...

by Chris Rosvoglou

Mar 21, 2026

UConn's Malachi Smith looks on.

March Madness doesn't have the same magic that it used to. At least that's what people are saying this weekend.

Unfortunately, the opening round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament didn't feature a lot of upsets. Sure, we saw No. 12 seed High Point take down No. 5 seed Wisconsin on Thursday, but that wasn't a monumental upset. To make matters worse, Friday's slate of games didn't feature a single upset. Every single betting favorite won their game outright.

ESPN's Jeff Borzello pointed out that only four double-digit seeds remain in this year's tournament. He said the average margin of victory in the first round was 17.4 points, which is the highest it's been since the tournament expanded in 1985.

After watching every favorite win on Friday, fans are convinced the NCAA Tournament we used to know is officially gone.

Mar 20, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) shoots a three point basket against Santa Clara Broncos guard Sash Gavalyugov (2) to tie the game as time expires in the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
© Jeff Curry-Imagn Images&period;

"Well, this is not an encouraging trend for Cinderellas," Stewart Mandel of The Athletic wrote. "... The NCAA tournament went to 64 teams in 1985. Only 7 times have the 13-14-15 seeds all gone winless in the first round. It's now happened two years in a row (for the first time).

"The reason these teams below existed was largely to players being exploited with no ability to make money & punished for transferring," Jack Mac from Barstool Sports argued. "NIL introduced….cream rises to the top. In 2012 a guy who fell through the cracks in recruiting would spend 4 years at a mid major and develop there…not anymore. 80% of those players trickle up to make the major conference teams that were losing in 2008 better in 2026. College sports was prob better in 2010 but it was due to a model that unequivocally ripped off athletes."

"NIL killed March Madness," one fan declared.

"Unlimited free agency every offseason has nuked the sport. Outside of like 2 games the first round was a snoozefest," another fan said.

Hopefully, the second round will be much better.

The Round of 32 will begin this Saturday at 12:10 p.m. ET when No. 1 seed Michigan takes on No. 9 seed Saint Louis. We'll also get to see No. 1 seed Duke square off against No. 9 seed TCU at 5:15 p.m. ET.

Maybe, just maybe, No. 11 seed VCU and No. 12 seed High Point will continue their Cinderella runs and book spots in the Sweet 16. However, it's tough to have a lot of confidence in underdogs right now.

Do you think we'll see a major upset in the second round of the tournament?