These are the NCAA Tournament stars who deserve some recognition for their performances after opening weekend
By David Cobb Mar 23, 2026 at 9:29 am ET • 5 min read 
Getty Images The first weekend of the 2026 NCAA Tournament is in the books after a run of games that featured some blowouts along with a handful of bangers that will absolutely be revisited in "One Shining Moment" on April 6 after a national champion is crowned. Along with the memorable team performances came some heroic individual showings that are worth revisiting before full attention turns to the Sweet 16.
Three players who didn't survive the second round are included on the All-First Weekend first team. Vanderbilt's Tyler Tanner and High Point's Rob Martin are each undersized guards who put teams on their backs. While their squads faltered before reaching the Sweet 16, both players have earned some recognition after balling out on college basketball's biggest stage.
For some teams, not having a player featured here is actually a good thing. No. 1 seed Arizona was so well-balanced over the 2-0 weekend that no one player stood out as a "must-include" on the All-First Weekend team.
So who did make the team? Without further ado, here are the 2026 honorees.
First Team
Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas: Acuff totaled 60 points in Arkansas' wins over Hawaii and High Point. Perhaps to the uninitiated, that's an eyebrow-raiser. But Acuff has been doing that sort of thing all season while rising on NBA mock drafts and becoming arguably the purest bucket-getter in the college game.
Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt: Tanner came one brutal rim-out away from NCAA Tournament immortality. Even still, Tanner's 27-point showing in a heartbreaking loss to Nebraska illustrated his brilliance. It followed a 26-point outing in Vanderbilt's win over McNeese. If Tanner returns to college basketball, the 2026-27 preseason accolades will be flowing.
OH MY GOODNESS THAT ALMOST WENT IN! 🤯 NEBRASKA HOLDS ON 😱#MarchMadness @HuskerMBB pic.twitter.com/C8h63pSGLY
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2026
Rob Martin, High Point: Martin went toe-to-toe with Arkansas star Darius Acuff Jr. in a second-round loss on Saturday night, finishing with 30 points and five assists on 11-of-23 shooting before fouling out. Martin's season-high performance followed a 23-point, 10-assist double-double in the Panthers' victory over Wisconsin. The 5-foot-10 guard showed the country that he can hoop.
Otega Oweh, Kentucky: Oweh's buzzer-beating heave from just inside half court sent UK to overtime with Santa Clara and saved from the Wildcats from the indignity of a first-round exit. He became the first player since Larry Bird to finish with 35 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in an NCAA Tournament game. UK got bounced by Iowa State on Sunday, but Oweh finished with 18 points and eight boards in defeat.
THIS IS MARCH pic.twitter.com/OcAKNgerqm
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 20, 2026
Alex Karaban, UConn: Karaban scored a career-high 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting in UConn's second-round win over UCLA. That followed a 22-point showing in the Huskies' win over Furman. Karaban is an NCAA Tournament veteran, and he's playing his best basketball at the right time as UConn prepares for a Sweet 16 showdown with Michigan State.
Second Team
Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State: No player since 2000 has amassed more assists through two NCAA Tournament games than Fears, who racked up 27 dimes while leading the Spartans into the Sweet 16. The redshirt sophomore set a school record for most assists in a game with 16 while directing Michigan State to a 77-69 win over Louisville in the second round.
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State: With star forward Joshua Jefferson missing due to an ankle injury, Lipsey picked up some extra slack in Iowa State's 82-63 beatdown of Kentucky on Sunday. The veteran floor general finished with 26 points, 10 assists and five steals while wreaking all sorts of havoc on the Wildcats.
Tamin Lipsey went off for a career-high 26 points in a win over Kentucky 🔥 The Cyclones advance to the Sweet 16 pic.twitter.com/kdNCqssOyI
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) March 22, 2026
Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Tennessee: With star forward Nate Ament less than 100% healthy, Tennessee needed a big weekend from Gillespie to advance. It got one, as the Maryland transfer went off for 29 points and nine assists against Miami (Ohio). Gillespie's encore in Sunday's win over Virginia included 21 points and six assists.
Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan: Lendeborg showed why he is an All-American on Saturday, finishing with 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting in Michigan's second-round win over Saint Louis. The 23-year-old UAB transfer is a late bloomer, but his performance against the Billikens embodied why he's been on the rise in NBA mock drafts: Lendeborg can do it all at 6-foot-9.
Matas Vokietaitis, Texas: BYU had no answer for Vokietaitis on Thursday, as the seven-footer feasted with 23 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. On Saturday, he held his own when pitted against Gonzaga All-American Graham Ike. Vokietaitis finished with 17 points and nine rebounds on 7-of-11 shooting in the Longhorns' 74-68 upset victory over the Zags.
Honorable mentions
Labaron Philon, Alabama: Philon finished with 29 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals in the Crimson Tide's first-round win over Hofstra. He made just 2 of 12 shots in Sunday's beatdown of Texas Tech, but Philon dished out a career-high 12 assists as Bama rolled into the Sweet 16.
Pryce Sandfort, Nebraska: It would feel wrong not to acknowledge Nebraska on the All First-Weekend Team, considering the Cornhuskers are one of the best stories of the weekend. Sandfort went off for 23 points on seven made 3-pointers in the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament victory against Troy on Thursday. He added 15 points and five boards in a thrilling 74-72 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Zuby Ejiofor, St. John's: St. John's would not be moving on to its first Sweet 16 since 1999 without the steadily impactful presence of Ejiofor in the paint. His 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists kept the Red Storm centered in a tight win over Kansas on Sunday. Ejiofor also finished with a double-double against Northern Iowa in the first round.
Cam Boozer, Duke: Boozer didn't play his best basketball during the NCAA Tournament's first weekend, and he still produced a pair of double-doubles and plenty of dominant moments. His second-half explosion in Saturday's win over TCU was particularly important in helping the Blue Devils flip a tight game into an 81-58 win.
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue: Kaufman-Renn totaled 19 points and nine rebounds in Purdue's win over Miami on Sunday after finishing with 25 and nine against Queens on Friday. If you were picking just one Purdue star for the all-first weekend team, he narrowly edges Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith. But you could go with any of them. Loyer led the Boilermakers in scoring against Miami, and Smith became the NCAA's all-time assists leader on Friday.
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