who won the play in games march madness

Texas and Howard won the 2026 March Madness play-in games. These First Four matchups kicked off the tournament on March 17 in Dayton, Ohio, delivering nail-biting drama right from the start.

Game 1: Howard vs. UMBC

No. 16 seed Howard Bison edged out No. 16 seed UMBC 86-83 in the opener.
Howard, securing their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory, led by 14 points midway through but held off a late UMBC rally led by Jah'Likai King's 19 points.

This win advances Howard to face a top-16 opponent in the main bracket on Thursday.

Game 2: Texas vs. NC State

No. 11 seed Texas Longhorns survived No. 11 seed NC State 68-66 on Tramon Mark's clutch game-winning jumper in the final seconds.

The thriller saw Texas fend off NC State's furious comeback, setting up a Round of 64 clash with No. 6 BYU.

Fans are buzzing about Mark's heroics as a tournament-defining moment early on.

Tournament Context

The 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament (aka March Madness) began with these play-in games on March 17, as confirmed by official schedules.

Winners Texas (No. 11 West) and Howard (No. 16) now join the 64-team bracket for first-round action starting March 19-20.

Both games went down to the wire, signaling the chaos fans love—perfect for bracket busters ahead.

Matchup| Winner| Score| Key Highlight
---|---|---|---
Howard vs. UMBC| Howard| 86-83| Program's first NCAA win 1
Texas vs. NC State| Texas| 68-66| Tramon Mark's buzzer-beater 5

TL;DR at bottom: Texas and Howard punched their tickets from the First Four—watch for upsets as the real bracket heats up this week!

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.