March Madness bracket: Ranking every men’s NCAA tournament first-round game, from best to worst

You’ve called out sick from work. You’ve filled out 17 different brackets. You’ve ordered enough pizzas and chicken wings to feed the Denver Broncos’ starting offensive line.

That can only mean one thing: The best two days of the sporting calendar have finally arrived.

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Over the course of 48 action-packed hours on Thursday and Friday, CBS and Turner Sports will televise 32 first-round NCAA tournament games. Below is a 1-to-32 ranking of which ones are must-see from start to finish and which you can afford to click away from unless it’s close in the final few minutes.

[Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem: Make your picks for $50K in total prizes]

TIER 1: SKIP WORK, YOUR BOSS WILL UNDERSTAND 

1. Kentucky (7) vs. Santa Clara (10) — Friday, 12:15 p.m. (CBS)

A Santa Clara vs. Kentucky first-round matchup epitomizes everything that we love about the NCAA tournament. This is an evenly matched game pitting a deep-pocketed blue blood with a reported $22 million roster against a true mid-major dancing for the first time since 1996.

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There may not be a Steve Nash on this year’s Santa Clara’s team, but the Broncos boast high-major size and talent up and down their roster. Sixth man Allen Graves will be one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal this spring should he decide to enter it. Fellow reserve Thierry Darlan spent the past two seasons in the G League.

Santa Clara attempts a lot of 3s, gobbles up offensive rebounds and forces turnovers with its aggressive, full-court defense. The Broncos lost all three of their matchups against Gonzaga this season but earned an at-large bid anyway by beating the likes of Xavier, Minnesota, Nevada and McNeese and taking two of three from Saint Mary’s.

One concern for Santa Clara is how it will deal with an early tip-off time Friday in Saint Louis. The Broncos should pose a challenge for Kentucky provided they can adjust to playing at the equivalent of 9:15 a.m. PST.

TIER 2: FAVORITES ON UPSET WATCH

2. St….

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Author : Jeff Eisenberg

Publish date : 2026-03-18 14:27:00

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