Tar Heels collapse, Dybantsa’s run ends in wild first round

The first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament delivered drama and shocks: North Carolina blew a 19-point lead to No. 11 seed VCU and exited early for the second straight year; freshman AJ Dybantsa’s college career appears over after BYU’s 79-71 upset of Texas; Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson left the game with an ankle injury, with unclear severity; Wisconsin crashed out in the first round for the third straight time after losing to 12-seed High Point; and Villanova coach Kevin Willard publicly joked about firing his staff after a loss to Utah State.