March Madness Blowouts Show Growing Gap in College Basketball

Jeff Reynolds|published: Sat 21st March, 10:22 2026

Mar 20, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) dribbles the ball against Santa Clara Broncos forward Elijah Mahi (8) during the first half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images

ST. LOUIS — Short of one miracle Otega Oweh bank shot to force overtime and smack Santa Clara with a $22 million dose of reality on Friday morning, the NCAA Tournament first-round games under the Arch were all too literally an exhibit of the growing delta between power conferences and everyone else.

The average margin of victory in Friday's first-round games across the bracket was a tick below 19 points.

Santa Clara was a deserving winner as a 10 seed. Officials awarded a timeout to Kentucky, whose total NIL pay to a stacked blue-chip roster is more than $20 million, with 1:30 left in the middle of a scrum for a loose ball. A tie up jumpball would've given the ball to Santa Clara with a two-point lead on the possession arrow.

After redshirt freshman Allen Graves drained a three in front of Santa Clara's bench, head coach Herb Sendek begged for a timeout — not three feet from the closest referee — that wasn't awarded. Oweh's banked three-pointer sent the game to overtime, where a phantom foul call put Oweh on the line for the first two of his four free throws. Officials neglected to count Oweh's steps on an outlet pass — a blatant traveling violation — to Brandon Garrison in OT.

The Broncos belonged. The officials did not.

What followed in St. Louis was a smackdown by Iowa State, a powerful No. 2 seed from the Big 12, and another by Purdue, the second seed from the Big Ten. Both topped 100 points with relative ease.

So did Florida, and Illinois, and Michigan. Most of these teams had extended runs of at least 20-4 and Florida almost hit 30.

We get it.

It's what a 1 seed should do, right?

Well, let's talk Miami (Ohio). From almost undefeated to the First Four, the supposed Cinderella was the face of mid-majors in the tournament. Until the RedHawks were facemelted in the first round Friday by another SEC team, Tennessee.

Count up those blowout with the gate money before stretching the field any further. When expansion comes to the NCAA Tournament — and president Charlie Baker insists it will, by at least a handful of teams — this pendulum won't swing back.

The drama of the NCAA Tournament still exists, but don't look for it during the first round. Those days are done.