Buzzer-Beaters, Cowbells and Chicken Strips: The Best Viral Moments From March Madness 2026
The first two rounds of March Madness 2026 are in the books, and honestly? The internet won.
From game-winning buzzer-beaters to press conference gold, high-flying dunks, and one very committed cowbell guy, this tournament has been serving meme content nonstop.
The Sweet 16 kicks off Thursday, March 26 (men) and Friday, March 27 (women).
Before the chaos continues, here’s your definitive guide to the moments everyone’s been sharing — so you can finally understand what all those clips on your timeline are about.
1. Flau’jae Johnson Roasted Her Own Coach on Live TV
After No. 2 LSU demolished No. 7 Texas Tech 101-47 in the second round, LSU star Flau’jae Johnson was asked about coach Kim Mulkey calling her one of the greatest players in LSU history. Her response was immediate and devastating.
“I mean, it’s an honor. Because you’ve been coaching for like 100 years,” Johnson said of her coach.
Mulkey’s comeback was chef’s kiss: “You just lost your starting job.”
The whole exchange radiates pure chaotic energy and it blew up instantly.
2. Dylan Darling’s NBA Press Conference Moment
No. 5 St. John’s beat No. 4 Kansas 67-65 on March 22 thanks to a Dylan Darling buzzer-beating layup. The kicker? Darling was 0 for 4 before that shot. He hadn’t hit a single bucket all game. Then he hit the only one that mattered.
Coach Rick Pitino’s breakdown was incredible: “I just can’t imagine a player today, in today’s world, with all the scrutiny, wanting the ball when he’s shooting terrible,” he said.
“It was the only play we could run – or you could try to throw it into the high post area. But as soon as [Darling] said to me to run power, I knew he could get to the rim because he hadn’t done a damn good thing the whole night, so I knew he was going to do it,” he added.
But the real gold came in the press conference after. When Darling was asked if it was his first buzzer-beater ever, he said, “This is my first one in college.”
Pitino jumped in: “What did you do it in the NBA?”
Darling wasn’t having it: “Well, I’m saying, I played in high school and middle school, coach. What you know? I didn’t just start playing ball.”
The man just hit a game-winner and still had to check his own coach. Iconic.
3. TCU’s Marta Suarez Just Needs Her Professor to Text Her Back
No. 3 TCU beat No. 6 Washington on March 22 in a game that went to overtime and didn’t end until around midnight. During the post-game press conference, Marta Suarez was told it was 11:54 p.m. and asked if she had any early classes.
Turns out she did have an 8 AM class.
“If Dr. Lemon is watching this, text me,” Suarez said.
Dr. Lemon, if you’re reading this, give her the day off. She earned it.
4. Alvaro Folgueiras Made Everyone Cry, Then Talked His Talk
This one hit different. No. 9 Iowa was down 70-72 to No. 1 Florida on March 22 with four seconds left. Iowa’s Alvaro Folgueiras drilled a three-pointer to seal the 73-72 upset win.
But here’s the part that broke the internet: after the final buzzer, Folgueiras didn’t celebrate with his teammates. He ran straight to the stands to find his mom, who had traveled 4,500 miles from Spain to watch him play. It was the first time she got to watch him play since his freshman year.
“It’s super special having my mom here,” he said. “She’s everything for me. Where the world would be without the moms?”
“Sometimes when I struggle through basketball, and basketball is life, I think of my mom,” he added.
Oh, and it gets better. Iowa guard Bennet Stirtz revealed that Folgueiras had told him beforehand that he’d be ready when the time came for a game-winning shot — and even said he would make it. Iowa’s coach asked, “Did you actually say that,” and Stirtz confirmed.
“I said that. I did. That was me,” Folgueiras told his coach with full confidence.
Main character energy. Manifested it and then delivered.
5. Olivier Rioux Is Simply Too Tall for This Sport
Florida’s Olivier Rioux is the world’s tallest teenager and the tallest college basketball player ever at 7-foot-9. He only played two minutes in the first round, but the content he generated was elite.
In a clip shared by CBS Sports, Rioux was standing near the baseline when Prairie View A&M’s 6-foot-8 Hassane Diallo stood next to him. Rioux made him look tiny. Diallo can be seen saying, “You big boy.”
Then Rioux went viral again. In another clip shared by CBS Sports, the Florida team had their arms around each other during pre-game introductions. Rioux’s teammate AJ Brown, a 6-foot-4 guard, was standing next to him and was visibly struggling to get his arm on Rioux’s shoulder. The two shared a laugh about it.
6. The Cowbell Guy Who Became a Legend
March Madness fans had a fever and the only prescription was more cowbell. One member of No. 12 High Point University’s pep band delivered exactly that when he was seen emphatically hitting a cowbell and the clip took off. High Point was eliminated on March 21 after a loss to No. 4 Arkansas, but Cowbell Guy lives on forever.
7. VCU’s Band Director Put On a UNC Jersey to Troll
No. 11 VCU overcame a 19-point deficit in the first round to beat No. 6 UNC 82-78. During their second round game against No. 3 Illinois, VCU’s band director decided to wear Michael Jordan’s No. 23 UNC jersey while directing the band.
“That’s a little bit of a troll job,” announcer Ian Eagle said during the first half.
VCU lost the game 76-55, but the troll was already complete.
8. The Buzzer-Beater That Went Halfway In and Bounced Out
The No. 5 Vanderbilt vs. No. 4 Nebraska game was tied until Braden Frager hit a layup with two seconds left, giving Nebraska a two-point lead. Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner launched a 49-foot buzzer-beater that was literally halfway through the basket before bouncing out. Nebraska won 74-72.
“Yeah, it hurts pretty bad being that close,” Tanner said.
“My heart sank as that ball went in the hoop and then it went out. I think it took me a half second to register that it didn’t go in and then I just screamed,” Nebraska guard Sam Hoiberg said.
“I just about died,” Nebraska forward Pryce Sandfort added.
9. Nebraska Volleyball Went Full Chaos Mode at 30,000 Feet
That Nebraska win was the program’s first-ever Sweet 16 bid. In a video shared on Nebraska women’s volleyball’s account, the volleyball team was watching the game on their devices while on a plane. When the men’s basketball team made school history, the entire plane was lit.
10. Nebraska’s Berke Büyüktuncel With the PSA of the Tournament
After the win on March 22, Nebraska forward Berke Büyüktuncel had an important message for Husker fans heading into the Sweet 16: “Please don’t drink and drive. No drinking, driving. Don’t get into fights for something small or anything. We want you back in Lincoln safe and we want to see you all in Houston supporting us,” he said.
“So, don’t jeopardize any chance that you have supporting us and other stuff. But please don’t drink and drive or fights.”
Wholesome king behavior.
11. Minnesota’s Amaya Battle Hit THE Shot
No. 4 Minnesota and No. 5 Ole Miss were tied 63-63 in the second round. Amaya Battle hit a fadeaway jumper with 0.7 seconds left, securing Minnesota’s first trip to the Sweet 16 in 21 years.
“I think any basketball player, when you shoot on your own, you’re like, ‘OK, three, two, one,’ throw it up there and see what happens,” Battle said. “It was real life today.”
12. Clemson’s Buzzer-Beater Got Called Off
No. 9 USC and No. 8 Clemson were tied with seconds left. Clemson’s Mia Moore drained a buzzer-beater from beyond the arc. Crowd goes wild. Except officials ruled the ball was still in her hands when the clock hit zero. The game went to overtime. USC won 71-67. Brutal.
13. Big Z’s Block-to-Dunk Sequence Was Filthy
Illinois’ 7-foot-2 center Zvonimir Ivisic put together a highlight reel in one sequence against No. 11 VCU on March 21. VCU’s Lazar Djokovic went up for a poster dunk and got absolutely denied by Ivisic. Illinois grabbed the rebound and started a fast break.
Ivisic made his way down the floor, got the ball at the three-point line, took two steps without dribbling and threw down a poster dunk of his own. Illinois’ bench went absolutely nuts.
14. Dallin Hall Admitted He Touched It
No. 6 Tennessee was up 73-71 against No. 3 Virginia with under 30 seconds left. A Tennessee player tipped the ball off a teammate’s head, and Virginia’s Dallin Hall tried to grab it but missed as it went out of bounds.
Officials called Tennessee ball, Virginia challenged, and the call was upheld due to inconclusive evidence. Tennessee went on to win 79-72.
After the game, Hall was asked if he touched it: “It happened pretty quick. I knew it hit me, barely. So, unfortunately, it worked out the way it did.”
Social media immediately compared it to that viral sportsmanship commercial where a player admits to his coach “I touched it” in the huddle.
15. Malik Reneau Just Wanted Chicken Strips
No. 7 Miami lost to No. 2 Purdue on March 22, and Miami’s best player Malik Reneau was hungry. Photos surfaced online of him standing in line at a chicken strip vendor.
“I should probably mention he was great to everyone that approached him. Even the Purdue fans,” PU Boiling Points, who took the photo, wrote on X.
A man needs his chicken strips, especially after a loss. Respect.
16. Iowa vs. Florida Coaches Nearly Lost It
Earlier in the Iowa-Florida game, Iowa coach Ben McCollum and Florida coach Todd Golden got into a heated exchange after Folgueiras and Florida’s Alex Condon were in the middle of a tie-up.
Golden and McCollum were seen yelling at each other while refs reviewed the foul. Golden was furious on the sideline following a double technical assessed to both teams.
17. Illinois Coach Shauna Green Doesn’t Sleep in March
No. 7 Illinois beat No. 10 Colorado on March 21, and women’s basketball coach Shauna Green detailed her post-game schedule: team dinner, coaches meeting, then film until 3 a.m.
“Slept for a couple of hours and then got back up and started watching film,” she said. “This is what you live for - It’s March. We’ll sleep when we’re done.”
18. Notre Dame vs. Ohio State Was a Family Affair
No. 6 Notre Dame beat No. 3 Ohio State on March 23, and the backstory is wild. Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff was a coach for Notre Dame when current Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey played point guard there.
McGuff’s wife, Letitia, was also on the Notre Dame coaching staff and later the director of basketball operations during Ivey’s playing days.
Ivey is also the godmother of Kevin and Letitia McGuff’s daughter Lily. Notre Dame pulled off the upset to advance to the Sweet 16.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
