March Madness: What You Need to Know
The long wait is over! March Madness is finally upon us as the 2021 NCAA Basketball Tournament is set to commence from Mar. 18th - Apr. 5th in Indiana.
via Getty Images
On Mar. 12, 2020, NCAA President Mark Emmert and the Board of Governors released a statement canceling the Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments along with the remainder of winter sports championships and the spring season sports. This decision was made due to the upcoming global health threat of COVID-19.
It has been 728 long days since our last Selection Sunday, but now it’s official: we have a bracket for the men’s 2021 NCAA Tournament.
via NCAA
Keep in mind that all dates are tentative due to the changing conditions brought about by COVID-19.
Here is the schedule:
First Four — 4 p.m. start on Thursday, Mar. 18
First Round — 12 p.m. start on Friday, Mar. 19 and Saturday, Mar. 20
Second Round — 12 p.m. start on Sunday, Mar. 21 and Monday, Mar. 22
Sweet Sixteen — 2 p.m. start on Saturday, Mar. 27 and 1 p.m. start on Sunday, Mar. 28
Elite Eight — 7 p.m. start on Monday, Mar. 29 and 6 p.m. start on Tuesday, Mar. 30
Final Four — 5 p.m. start on Saturday, Apr. 3
NCAA Championship Game — 9 p.m. Monday, Apr. 5
Where to watch March Madness
CBS Sports and Turner Sports will continue to show all 67 games of the tournament across TBS, CBS, TNT, truTV and their digital platforms, including March Madness Live. Below is the schedule for the First Four and First Round games:
First Four - Thursday, March 18
First Round - Friday, March 19
First Round - Saturday, March 20
The “Best” of the Best
The Illinois Fighting Illini are the No. 1 seed for the Midwest Region after claiming their first Big Ten Tournament title since 2005 over No. 9 Ohio State. Junior Ayo Dosunmu received the Jim and Kitty Delany Most Outstanding Player and secured a spot on the All-Championship team along with sophomore Kofi Cockburn. For their 31st appearance in the NCAA tournament, Illinois is no stranger in the tournament with a record of 40-31 with four Sweet Sixteen appearances, four Elite Eight, five Final Four and one National Championship appearances. The Fighting Illini are averaging 81.4 points, 40.4 rebounds and 16.3 assists for the season. Illinois will be competing against Drexel on Mar. 19th at 1:15 p.m.
The Baylor Bears are the No. 1 seed for the South Region which is the first time in program history the Bears have received a No. 1 seed. With an overall record of 22-2 and a conference record of 13-1 in the Big 12 Conference, the Bears have only suffered losses to No. 17 Kansas on Feb. 27th and their semifinals loss in the Big 12 Basketball Championship to No. 12 Oklahoma State. Baylor senior Macio Teague was named to the Phillips 66 Big 12 Basketball Championship All-Tournament Team. The Bears have averaged 84.4 points, 36.5 rebounds, 17 assists and 9 steals for the season. Baylor will be facing Hartford in the first round of the tournament on Mar. 19th at 3:30 p.m.
The Michigan Wolverines are the No. 1 seed for the East Region with an overall record of 20-4 and a conference record of 14-3. The Wolverines fell short to No. 9 Ohio State in the semifinals of the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Wolverines are led by Big Ten Freshman of the Year and All-Big Ten Conference first-teamer Hunter Dickinson as well as All-Big Ten second-teamers senior Isaiah Livers and sophomore Franz Wagner. This will be the first NCAA Tournament appearance as a head coach for Juwan Howard. The Wolverines are averaging 76.3 points, 37.5 rebounds and 15.5 assists for the season. Michigan will be competing against the winner of Mount St. Mary’s and Texas Southern on Mar. 20th at 3 p.m.
The Gonzaga Zags are the No. 1 seed for the West Region after securing their 26th straight win of their undefeated season over BYU to attain their 19th West Coast Conference Tournament title. The Zags are now the fifth team in the past 45 seasons to enter the NCAA Tournament with an undefeated record. Freshman Jalen Suggs received Most Outstand Player during the championship while senior Corey Kispert and sophomore Drew Timme made the all-tournament team. The Zags are averaging 92.1 points, 37.9 rebs and 18.3 assists for the season. Gonzaga will be competing against the winner of Norfolk State vs. Appalachian State on Mar. 20 at 9:20 p.m.