We’re here for you, bringing you the March Madness 2021 info you need. Selection Sunday is less than a week away and already a handful of automatic bids to the NCAA tournament have been decided. The entire field of 68 will be announced Sunday, March 14.
With March Madness 2021 approaching quickly, here’s the latest news and notes about the tournament.
March Madness 2021 – We’re In!
The first of two automatic bids were cast when Morehead State (23-7) upset Belmont in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament. The Bruins went 18-2 in OVC play and were the favorite to earn the conference’s automatic bid.
In the Atlantic Sun tournament, LIberty will earn the automatic bid regardless of whether or not it defeats North Alabama in the conference championship game. North Alabama is ineligible for the NCAA tournament, so the Flames (22-5) will be heading to March Madness.
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Projected No. 1 Seeds
There’s no question that Gonzaga and Baylor are the top two teams in the country. The Bulldogs are the only remaining unbeaten and the Bears made it through the regular season with a lone loss to No. 13 Kansas. Gonzaga will be the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed.
Michigan (19-3) made it through the gauntlet that is the Big Ten with just three losses, two of them coming in the regular season’s final week of play. The Wolverines and Big Ten runner-up Illinois (20-6) will be the other two No. 1 seeds.
The Illini got leading scorer Ayo Dosunmu back and trounced Michigan last week before beating No. 7 Ohio State 73-68 on the road to end the regular season.
Last Four In – March Madness 2021
With a huge win over Michigan to end the regular season, Michigan State punched its ticket into March Madness. The Spartans are just 15-11 overall, but in their last six regular season games head coach Tom Izzo’s club beat No. 7 Ohio State, No. 5 Illinois, and No. 2 Michigan. You need to consider this when handicapping the NCAA Tournament this year.
Drake was cruising through the regular season before a series of injuries hurt the Bulldogs. Still, at 25-4 with two losses to Missouri Valley Conference champion Loyola-Chicago, Drake will be one of the last four teams to make March Madness.
The loser of the Atlantic-10 final will also be one of the last four in. VCU (19-6, 10-4) takes on St. Bonaventure (15-4, 11-4) on Sunday for the conference title. Both teams deserve to be in the Big Dance. VCU’s Nah’Shon Hyland (19.4 ppg) is the best player in the conference.
Georgia Tech (15-8) finished the regular season with six straight victories, including one over 16th-ranked Virginia Tech. The Yellow Jackets surprised a lot of people with their third-place finish in the ACC.
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First Four Out
For some teams, losing in your conference tournament can lead to being left at home come NCAA tournament time. That is likely the case for Saint Louis (14-6) which lost to St. Bonaventure in the Atlantic-10 semifinals.
Utah State (18-7) lost to Boise State twice this season. The Aggies will need a Mountain West tournament run to get into March Madness. The same is true for Memphis (15-7) which lost to No. 9 Houston in the regular season finale.
St. John’s (16-12) or Seton Hall (13-12) will be one of the last four out. Both teams will not make the tournament, but one will receive some consideration and ultimately be one of the last four teams out.