The first round of the 2026 NCAA tournament concludes with Miami vs. Missouri in a showdown in St. Louis. The game is scheduled to begin about 30 minutes after the conclusion of Purdue vs. Queens.
The Hurricanes (28-5) enter as the favored No. 7 seed in the bracket, though No. 10 Mizzou (20-12) will have the advantage of playing in its home state. Miami saw a drastic turnaround in its first season under coach Jai Lucas, reaching the ACC tournament semifinals just a year removed from a 7-24 season that saw Jim Larrañaga step down. The Tigers reached March Madness for the second straight year and the third time in four seasons under coach Dennis Gates.
The two teams are led by senior forwards, Malik Reneau for Miami and Mark Mitchell for Missouri. A win tonight would be the first for both teams since 2023, when the Tigers reached the second round and the Hurricanes made it all the way to the program’s only Final Four.
Watch Miami vs. Missouri game live on Sling
The Palm Beach Post will be providing live score and game updates through the final buzzer. Follow along below.
Miami vs Missouri score updates in NCAA tournament bracket
This section will be updated when the game begins.
Miami dropping the hammer with a pair of 3s, and a three-point play
Tre Donaldson, who has played in the NCAA tournament with Auburn and Michigan, is displaying his veteran leadership for the Hurricanes. His two 3-pointers late, along with a Malik Reneau three-point play, have the Hurricanes all but continuing the dance this weekend. Miami leads by 12 with 89 seconds remaining.
Miami’s 11-0 run creates major separation late vs. Missouri
Malik Reneau only started what was an 11-0 run for the Hurricanes, which including a drive-and-dunk for Shelton Henderson. With under 4 minutes left in the game, Miami leads Missouri, 63-57.
Malik Reneau giving Miami a lead with play on both ends
Malik Reneau, the 6-9 forward, came up with perhaps the biggest sequence of the game. A denial at the rim, followed by a tough layup inside, followed by a steal from Mark Mitchell, followed by a 3-pointer forcing a Missouri timeout. With about 6 minutes left, Miami leads by five.
Miami vs. Missouri continue slugfest; Hurricanes still hold lead
The crowd is into it. The competition is fierce. This Tigers-Hurricanes matchup is shaping up to be the best game of the second day of the NCAA tournament. But Miami’s plus-11 edge in offensive rebounding continues to loom large in the three-point lead.
Miami stems tide, overrides Missouri’s momentum
The Tigers came out roaring to start the second half, and it seemed for a moment like Missouri would take over the lead, especially as Miami’s free-throw struggles continued (4-for-12 for the game). But more rebounding and a Tre Donaldson 3-pointer helped push the Hurricanes’ lead to five.
Missouri closes out half on a run, makes it a close one at halftime
The Tigers get rolling late in the first half and got the partisan St. Louis crowd rocking with a 9-1 run to close out the half. Anthony Robinson II scored this layup and a 3-pointer to make it one-point Miami lead at the break.
Miami starting to pull away in first half
The Hurricanes seem just a step or two faster in transition. This layup by Shelton Henderson helped the Hurricanes build a nine-point lead late in the first half.
Miami challenges out of bounds call, gets it overturned
Jai Lucas is 1-for-1 with challenges. With about 4:30 left in the first half, a rebound went out between Missouri’s T.O Barrett and Miami’s Dante Allen. After review, the ball last touched Barrett and possession was awarded to Miami.
Miami flexing their muscle inside
Missouri may have the height advantage, but the Hurricanes are the stronger team so far. Miami is winning the offensive rebound battle, 12-0, and their 11 second-chance points have them ahead.
Pace picks up as Missouri wakes up on offense
There have only been two fouls called in the first eight minutes of the game, which allows for a lot of back-and-forth action — and a lot of rebounds. Both teams are shooting just 33% from the field, and Miami is winning the rebounding battle, 15-11, which is helping boost their small lead.
Miami coach Jai Lucas, during the out-of-timeout interview, on how Missouri is limiting Tigers star Mark Mitchell:
“Just giving him different looks, can’t let him get comfortable. Just mixing up his coverages and how we’re guarding him, just to keep him guessing.”
A slow start early favors Miami
Just about four minutes into the game, the Tigers have more turnovers (three) than points (two) and Miami is holding Missouri to 1-for-6 shooting. Meanwhile, a Tre Donaldson 3-pointer is given Miami a 5-2 advantage.
Miami vs Missouri will be Florida High reunion
A pair of opponent in tonight’s Miami-Missouri NCAA tournament game will be very familiar. Hurricanes guard Tre Donaldson and Tigers guard Anthony Robinson II not only played together at Florida High in Tallahassee, but won a state title together in 2022 under then-head coach Charlie Ward.
It won’t be the first time the pair have squared off in college basketball: they were opponents when Donaldson was at Auburn.
“I try not to think about it too much. It’s just another game for me,” Robinson said to the Missouri media. “I’m just going to go out there and compete “
— Peter Holland Jr., Tallahassee Democrat
NCAA bracket
Here are the results for West Region games in the first round.
Miami vs Missouri odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Friday, March 20.
Miami vs Missouri injury updates
Miami freshman Treyvon Maddox has not played all season, while sophomore guard Marcus Allen, a Missouri transfer, has been out since December after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Mizzou guard Annor Boateng has been out since Jan. 31 and forward Jevon Porter hasn’t played since Dec. 14 because of leg injuries.
Miami vs Missouri start time in NCAA tournament bracket
Miami vs Missouri TV channel today in March Madness bracket
Miami will tip off vs. Mizzou on truTV with streaming options including Sling, which offers a one-day pass for $5.99. Announcers for the game are Spero Dedes, Jim Spanarkel and Jon Rothstein.
Miami vs Missouri predictions for NCAA tournament
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami beats Missouri to advance in NCAA tournament. See highlights
Reporting by Dan Rorabaugh and Kirkland Crawford, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
