Friday's evening games feature historical NCAA Tournament powerhouses Florida, Kansas and UCONN, dangerous squads Purdue, UCLA and St. John's, and potential Cinderellas Northern Iowa and Central Florida. Take the jump to remember a special NCAA Tournament first-round experience for each team playing Friday night.
Game #25: (9) Iowa vs. (8) Clemson
- Remember the last time Iowa was a #9 seed, an upset of #8 Texas during the first round of the 1992 NCAA Tournament.
- Remember when Clemson made a surprising Elite Eight run two years ago during the 2024 NCAA Tournament, beginning with a first-round victory against #11 New Mexico.
Game #26: (12) Northern Iowa vs. (5) St. John's
- Remember when the #9 Panthers squeaked by #8 UNLV during the first round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament, leading to UNI's historic upset against #1 Kansas in the second round.
Game #27: (10) UCF vs. (7) UCLA
- Remember when #9 UCF handled #8 VCU in the first round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament before Tacko Fall almost took down Zion Williamson and Duke during the second round.
- Remember a year ago when #7 UCLA crushed #10 Utah State in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Game #28: (15) Queens (NC) vs. (2) Purdue
- Remember when Queens (NC) beat Central Arkansas a little more than a week ago in the ASUN Championship Game. Note: Queens (NC) is participating in its first ever NCAA Tournament, a quite impressive feat when considering 2026 was the school's first year in Division I.
- Remember when Purdue last was a #2 seed during the 2018 NCAA Tournament, beginning with the Boilermakers' first-round victory against #15 Cal State Fullerton.
Game #29: (16) Prairie View/Lehigh vs. (1) Florida
- Remember Prairie View A & M's first ever NCAA Tournament game, a first-round loss to #1 Kansas during the first round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament.
- Remember #15 Lehigh's shocking Round of 64 (what really is the First Round) upset of #2 Duke during the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
Remember when the defending national champion Florida Gators cruised past #16 Norfolk State during the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Game #30: (13) Cal Baptist vs. (4) Kansas
- Remember when Cal Bapist secured its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance after a missed dunk by Utah Valley this past weekend during the WAC Tournament Final.
- Remember when #4 Kansas survived #13 Samford during a controversial finish in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Game #31: (15) Furman vs. (2) UCONN
- Remember when Furman stormed back late to shock #4 Virginia as a #13 seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
- Remember when UCONN was a #2 seed en route to its second national title during the 2004 NCAA Tournament, beginning with a first-round victory against #15 Vermont. Note: Game highlights begin at 13:30.
Game #32: (10) Missouri vs. (7) Miami (FL)
- Remember when Missouri followed up a surprising run to the Elite Eight during the 2009 NCAA Tournament with a first-round victory as a #10 seed against #7 Clemson during the first round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
- Remember when #5 Miami (FL) began its surprising run to the Final Four two years ago with a victory against #12 Drake during the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
In the comments share your recollections of a favorite/memorable NCAA Tournament game with one of the schools participating in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament on Friday evening.
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