Live tracker: How Utah ties are performing in the NCAA Tournament

Editor’s note: The Deseret News is updating how Utah ties — both native Utahns and those whose playing careers have included a stop in Utah — are performing in the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament through the first two rounds.

For BYU and Utah State, who both made the 68-team field, these updates will primarily focus on notable Utah natives with those respective teams.

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Check back for more updates throughout the first four days of this year’s tournament.

There won’t be a BYU ties reunion after Virginia, Kentucky both lose

Iowa State 82, Kentucky 63

Tennessee 79, Virginia 72

If both Kentucky and Virginia would have won Sunday in second-round action of the NCAA Tournament, there would had been a BYU reunion of sorts in the Sweet Sixteen with a Wildcats-Cavaliers matchup.

Kentucky coach Mark Pope is in his second year at the Wildcats’ helm after previously coaching at BYU, and one of his starters, guard Collin Chandler (Farmington High), once signed with BYU but never played there.

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Guard Dallin Hall (BYU, Fremont High), meanwhile, spent the past three seasons playing for the Cougars and was coached by Pope at BYU.

Both Kentucky and Virginia lost, though, in the Round of 32 to end their seasons.

Hall finished with 7 points, seven assists, seven rebounds and a steal as Virginia lost to Tennessee, ending his college career.

Chandler, meanwhile, finished off his sophomore year with 6 points, one rebound, a steal and a blocked shot for Kentucky in its loss.

In that same game, guard Dominick Nelson (Utah Valley) added 1 point in four minutes off the bench for Iowa State, who is on to the Sweet Sixteen for the third time in five seasons.

Former American Fork High star comes up clutch for Michigan State

Michigan State 77, Louisville 69

Forward Jaxon Kohler (American Fork High) was one of four Spartans to reach double-figures in his team’s win.

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He finished with 10 points, six rebounds and an assist in helping Michigan State advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

Half of his points came during a second-half stretch where the Spartans built a double-digit lead on Louisville to help them earn the victory.

With under eight minutes to play and with Michigan State leading 58-50, Kohler was fouled going up for a shot. Upon review, refs ruled the defender had committed unnecessary contact, resulting in a flagrant foul that led to Kohler shooting two free throws and returning possession to Michigan State.

Kohler made both free throws, making it a 60-50 game, then on the ensuing possession, he hit a 3-pointer to make it a 13-point game with 6:41 to play.

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Louisville never got within eight the rest of the way.

“It was big for a season to deliver at the moment,” Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said of Kohler’s solo five-point run, according to The State News. “I think he did a good job. He and Carson Cooper struggled a little bit early, but both came back (to play) pretty good.”

On the opposite bench, center Aly Khalifa (BYU) scored 8 points, hit two 3-pointers and added a rebound for the Cardinals in the loss.

Utah ties in other second-round action Saturday

Duke 81, TCU 58: Three Utah ties played for the Horned Frogs in the loss.

Forward Xavier Edmonds (Salt Lake Community College) scored in double-figures for the second straight NCAA Tournament game, finishing with 12 points and two rebounds.

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Guard Tanner Toolson (BYU and Utah Valley) scored 5 points off the bench and added four rebounds and a block.

Guard RJ Jones (Wasatch Academy) played one minute but did not record any statistics.

Houston 88, Texas A&M 57: Guard Isiah Harwell (Wasatch Academy) had one rebound in four minutes for the Cougars in the win.

Guard Pop Isaacs (Wasatch Academy) scored 8 points and added two assists and one rebound for the Aggies in the loss.

Texas 74, Gonzaga 68: Forward Camden Heide (Wasatch Academy) had 3 points, one assist and one steal for the Longhorns in their third win this week.

Heide’s lone score of the night was a dagger, as he hit a 3-pointer in the corner with 14.7 seconds remaining to give Texas a four-point advantage.

Mason Falslev’s career-high in an NCAA Tournament game paces Utah State

Utah State 86, Villanova 76

The Aggies’ do-everything junior guard, Mountain West Conference Player of the Year Mason Falslev (Sky View High), came up big in the NCAA Tournament, too.

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Falslev led the Aggies with 22 points — a career-high in the NCAAs for the Utah native — while shooting 9 of 16 from the field and 4 of 5 from the free-throw line.

He also had seven rebounds and four assists to lift the Aggies.

Falslev’s final points — on a jumper with 1:37 to play — came during a decisive 14-1 run that allowed Utah State to put the game away.

Another Utah native, guard Drake Allen (Utah Valley, Southern Utah and Westlake High), also scored in double-figures for the Aggies.

He ended the day with 11 points, a team-high six assists, three rebounds and three steals, and Allen scored four of his points in the final 3:11 to help Utah State pull away.

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Forward Zach Keller (University of Utah) added 4 points, a rebound and an assist in 12 minutes.

Friday evening/night games with Utah ties

Iowa 67, Clemson 61: Forward Jake Wahlin (University of Utah, Timpview High) had four rebounds and a blocked shot for the Tigers in the loss.

St. John’s 79, Northern Iowa 53: Center Handje Tamba (Weber State) played one minute but didn’t record any stats for the Red Storm.

Florida 114, Prairie View A&M 55: Forward Cory Wells (Utah Valley) had 9 points, two rebounds and a steal for the Panthers in the loss.

Kansas 68, Cal Baptist 60: Guard Martel Williams (USU Eastern) had 15 points and five rebounds for the Lancers in the loss.

Dallin Hall, Virginia stave off upset bid from Wright State

Virginia 82, Wright State 73

Utah native Dallin Hall (BYU, Fremont High) and No. 3 seed Virginia are moving on after rallying from a halftime deficit.

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Hall, a senior guard who previously played three seasons at BYU, was limited in the first half after picking up two fouls.

His first bucket of the day tied the game at 43-43 early in the second half, after Virginia went into the break trailing 43-38.

Hall ended up with 8 points, three assists, three rebounds and a steal for the Cavaliers.

Virginia will face the winner of Tennessee and Miami (Ohio) in Sunday’s second round.

Other Friday afternoon action

Iowa State 108, Tennessee State 74: Guard Dominick Nelson (UVU) had 9 points, two rebounds, an assist, a steal and a blocked shot in the Cyclones’ blowout win.

Miracle shot saves Mark Pope’s Kentucky team in overtime win

Kentucky 89, Santa Clara 84

Former BYU head coach Mark Pope has dealt with an up-and-down season in his second year at his alma mater, Kentucky, and the Wildcats looked like they were on the verge of elimination in their first-round NCAA Tournament game against Santa Clara Friday.

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Then Otega Oweh delivered the season-saving shot Kentucky needed.

Moments after the Broncos’ Allen Graves hit a go-ahead 3 with 2.4 seconds to go in their first-round contest to put Santa Clara up 73-70 in regulation, Oweh quickly pushed the ball upcourt, set his feet and launched a 3 just beyond midcourt.

Bank. Swish.

Oweh’s miracle shot forced overtime, and after both teams held the lead in the extra session, Kentucky prevailed 89-84.

Oweh’s unforgettable performance wasn’t just limited to the final 3-point heave. The senior guard scored a game-high 35 points and added eight rebounds, seven assists, a steal and a blocked shot.

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The Wildcats needed another late hoop just to extend the game to overtime, and a Utah native played a key role in that sequence.

Kentucky took possession of the ball with 28 seconds remaining in regulation down 70-68, and after a timeout to set up a play, Collin Chandler (Farmington High) found a cutting Brandon Garrison, who spun into the lane and banked in a short jumper to tie the game with 9.9 seconds remaining.

That set up the final sequence that included two 3s — and one midcourt heave — in the final 10 seconds.

Chandler ended up with 5 points, five assists, two steals and a block for Kentucky.

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Pope and the Wildcats, a No. 7 seed, will advance to face the winner of No. 2 Iowa State and No. 15 Tennessee State on Sunday in the NCAA Tournament’s second round.

Last year, Pope led Kentucky to the Sweet Sixteen before the Wildcats fell to Tennessee.

Utah ties in Thursday’s late action

Saint Louis 102, Georgia 77: Guard Jordan Ross (Pleasant Grove High) scored 7 points and had two rebounds for the Bulldogs in the loss.

Forward Kanon Catchings (BYU) was scoreless on 0 of 11 shooting while adding four rebounds, a steal and a block for Georgia.

Houston 78, Idaho 47: Guard Isiah Harwell (Wasatch Academy) had one steal in three minutes of play for Houston.

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Guard Jackson Rasmussen (Utah Prep) scored 5 points and had four rebounds, an assist and a block for Idaho.

Texas A&M 63, Saint Mary’s 50: Guard Pop Isaacs (Wasatch Academy) scored 3 points, tied for the team lead with three assists and added two steals for the Aggies.

Texas 79, BYU 71: Forward Camden Heide (Wasatch Academy) had 5 points, two rebounds and two steals for the Longhorns in the victory.

Forward AJ Dybantsa (Utah Prep) had a game-high 35 points, 10 rebounds and one assist for BYU, while forward Keba Keita (University of Utah) added 5 points, four rebounds and three blocks before fouling out.

American Fork native nearly puts up a double-double for Michigan State

Michigan State 92, North Dakota State 67

Michigan State senior forward Jaxon Kohler (American Fork High) had another solid day for the Spartans, helping his team roll to a first-round win.

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The 6-foot-9 Kohler was one of four Michigan State players in double-figures, as he scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds, to go with two assists and a steal.

Kohler has played in the NCAA Tournament each of his four seasons at Michigan State.

Guard Carson Smith (Bountiful High), the son of former Utah head coach Craig Smith, played one minute for North Dakota State in the loss.

Arkansas 97, Hawaii 78

A trio of Utah natives were on the losing end of the Rainbow Warriors’ first NCAA Tournament game in a decade.

Center Isaac Johnson (Utah State, American Fork High), who has played in the NCAAs two previous times with the Aggies, started for Hawaii and scored 15 points and grabbed five rebounds.

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Guard Hunter Erickson (Utah, BYU, SLCC and Timpview High) and forward Isaac Finlinson (Utah Tech, Snow College and Dixie High) also started for the Rainbow Warriors.

Finlinson was one of three Hawaii players in double-figures, as he added 12 points, two rebounds and two assists.

Erickson had 5 points and a team-high six assists.

High Point’s coach has roots to the Beehive State

The first upset of the 2026 NCAA Tournament is in the books, as No. 12 seed High Point beat No. 5 Wisconsin 83-82.

There’s a Utah tie to this game — High Point head coach Flynn Clayman is a former Southern Utah assistant coach.

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The 37-year-old Clayman is in his first year as head coach of the Panthers, and Thursday’s victory was High Point’s first in the NCAA Tournament.

Clayman began his coaching career at SUU in 2017, and over the next six years, he was a special assistant, assistant and associate head coach with the Thunderbirds.

During his final year at SUU, he was the interim coach during the program’s three games in the CBI tournament. Clayman led them to a 2-1 record in the CBI, then took an assistant coach position at High Point the next season.

Former Salt Lake Community College star delivers game-winner in NCAA’s opening game

TCU 66, Ohio State 64

The first game of the NCAA Tournament had plenty of March Madness, and it was a former Salt Lake Community College star that delivered the winning points.

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In a tie ball game with the clock winding down, TCU forward Xavier Edmonds (SLCC) took a pass in the paint from teammate David Punch, then patiently found an opening before finishing at the rim for two with 4.3 seconds left to play, giving the Horned Frogs a 66-64 lead.

Following a timeout, Ohio State could only get a half-court heave off and it was no good, allowing TCU to advance.

“I had to get the ball in the basket. Punch made a great pass, put me in the right position to score, and I went up and I scored it,” Edmonds told CBS in a postgame interview.

Edmonds, who spent the past two seasons at SLCC and was ranked the No. 1 JUCO player of the year last season, ended up with 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists and a steal in the win.

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TCU went into halftime up 39-24 but Ohio State rallied behind John Mobley Jr. (Wasatch Academy) and eventually took a 55-50 lead.

Moments after picking up his fourth foul with 8:02 to play, Edmonds helped TCU retake the lead.

He scored three straight points for the Horned Frogs to cut the deficit to one, and then after a defensive stop, TCU went back ahead 58-57 on a Punch layup.

TCU guard Tanner Toolson (BYU, Utah Valley) had three rebounds, an assist and a steal while missing his only two shot attempts.

Mobley, meanwhile, scored a team-high 15 points for Ohio State in the losing effort. He shot 6 of 17 from the floor and hit three 3-pointers, while adding six assists and three rebounds.

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Other Thursday morning action

Louisville 83, South Florida 79: Center Aly Khalifa (BYU) had 3 points and an assist for the Cardinals in the win.

From First Four action

Prairie View A&M 67, Lehigh 55: Forward Cory Wells (Utah Valley) scored 19 points and added 11 rebounds, three steals and three blocks for the Panthers in the win.

Texas 68, NC State 66: Forward Camden Heide (Wasatch Academy) had 3 points, two assists, one rebound and a block for the Longhorns.