An Inside
Look at the 2021 NCAA Tournament
The 2021
NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament went off without a hitch, minus one game being
canceled due to COVID-19. The city of Indianapolis was once again a terrific
host, and the competition was tremendous.
After the
2020 NCAA Tournament was canceled, there was plenty of hype and anticipation
this year. The field was loaded with great teams, but two teams stood out from
the rest.
RECAPPING
THE 2021 NCAAB SEASON
Upsets
Highlight First Weekend
As always,
the first weekend of the
NCAA Tournament featured a number of stunning and
thrilling upsets. Upsets are what make this tournament so special, but it also
eliminates good teams early.
Day three
of the NCAA Tournament began with Loyola Chicago knocking off Illinois.
Illinois was the first number one seed to fall, and the game was not that
close.
The North
Texas Mean Green and the Abilene Christian Wildcats also pulled off massive
upsets in the first round. Even though fan attendance was limited, the arenas
still went nuts rooting for these teams.
The biggest
Cinderella team to emerge from the first weekend was the Oral Roberts Golden
Eagles. Oral Roberts became just the second 15th seed ever to reach the Sweet
16.
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Big Ten
Falls Flat
The Big Ten
Conference placed nine teams in the NCAA Tournament after a terrific regular
season. This league was the best in the country all season, and it was expected
to dominate March Madness.
Both
Illinois and Michigan were number one seeds, and Iowa and Ohio State were
second seeds in their respective regions. The only team left standing out of
the Big Ten after the first weekend was Michigan.
The
Wolverines advanced to the Elite Eight before falling to UCLA in the East
Region final. The Big Ten Conference once again failed to deliver a National
Championship and had a horrible tournament overall.
On the flip
side, the Pac-12 Conference had a great NCAA Tournament run, highlighted by the
UCLA Bruins and Oregon State Beavers.
Baylor
Blows Out Competition
One thing
was clear in March
Madness 2021: Baylor was the best college basketball team.
Gonzaga was the top overall seed, and it was the betting favorite to begin the
tournament.
Basketball
fans got their wish in the title game as Gonzaga and Baylor faced off. These
two teams were expected to get to the championship, and both did so with little
trouble.
It took
little time for the Bears to take control of the game and cruise to a victory.
Gonzaga appeared to be worn out after needing overtime to beat UCLA in the
semifinals. I hope you followed our Houston
vs. Baylor betting preview, we went 2-0, taking Baylor
-5 and the OVER.
The guard
play for Baylor was outstanding, but it was the Bears' defense that completely
shut down opponents. Gonzaga was unable to get anything going on offense, and
it couldn't keep the Bears from scoring.
Jared
Butler was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four after leading Baylor
to a title, but he had some help. This Baylor team made it clear that it was
the best college basketball team in 2021.