2021 NCAA Tournament Preview
It’s finally here. After unfortunately being cancelled last year due to COVID-19, the bracket to the NCAA Tournament has been released following a turbulent and unorthodox college basketball season, both for those watching at home and the players and coaches on the court. It was an interesting season to say the least, with many traditional blue-blood programs having uncharacteristically down seasons and others catching fire late in the season to punch their tickets into the Big Dance. We saw some unlikely teams pull through and steal bids (Georgetown, Oregon State) as well as other emerging programs cap off their seasons cutting down the nets (Alabama, Illinois, Georgia Tech). It truly was a remarkable achievement for the NCAA, along with everyone else involved, to get through this season despite the uncontrollable obstacles thrown in many programs’ ways throughout. With that being said, let’s get into what we can expect from this year’s NCAA Tournament and some pieces of advice in filling out your bracket.
Teams to Get Behind
Gonzaga goes into the tournament as the number one overall seed, and rightfully so. The Zags were downright dominant this season as their combination of size, athleticism, experience, talent, and coaching was too much for every team in their way. Senior forward Corey Kispert and freshman sensation Jalen Suggs lead the way for this team, while Drew Timme and Florida transfer Andrew Nembhard also are huge contributors. If you’re looking for a team with a better chance than any to at least get to the Final Four, Gonzaga is your team. They match up well with both of their possible opponents in the Round of 32 (Oklahoma, Missouri), so you likely don’t need to worry about them busting your bracket. They’re also in the same region as 2-seed Iowa, a team they already beat earlier this season. If you choose to ride the Zags deep into your tournament bracket, its likely they won’t let you down.
Illinois and Baylor are two other one seeds that I feel will likely make deep runs in this year’s tournament. The Fighting Illini, led by junior guard Ayo Dosunmu and big man Kofi Cockburn, are an extremely talented squad with a great mix of shooting, inside scoring, defense, and overall toughness. They also just so happen to be playing their best ball of the season right now. Give me Illinois to make it deep into March. Baylor, on the other hand, is not necessarily playing their best basketball of the year at the moment. The Bears bowed out of their conference tournament after losing to Cade Cunningham and the red-hot Oklahoma State Cowboys. However, this Baylor team is too talented and too experienced to not win a handful of games in the tournament. Upperclassmen Jared Butler and MaCio Teague are one of the best guard-duos in the country, and if you’ve watched the tournament over the last few years, you’d know that star guards can steal the show in March. I like Baylor to also be a Final Four team this year.
Texas is the last high-profile team I’ll mention that I believe is very capable of getting to the last weekend of the season. This Longhorns team is talented as usual, however their toughness and versatility is what really separates them from Texas teams in the past. Guards Andrew Jones and senior Matt Coleman III are flat-out ball players who can defend and score, and the recent emergence of forward Jericho Sims adds another dimension into Texas’ offensive and defensive ability. Texas seems to be hitting their stride at the right time and appears primed to be a tough out in the tournament this year.
Higher Profile Teams to be Wary Of
In no way am I saying that these teams I’m about to mention aren’t capable of going far and even potentially winning the tournament, however I do think there are some concerns to keep in mind when filling out your bracket. First off is Alabama, fresh off a conference championship in which they defeated the LSU Tigers in a nail-biter (We’ll get to LSU later). Alabama’s success as a team is very much predicated on offensive rebounding and the 3-ball. While these factors could definitely lead one to believe that Alabama is well-suited for a tourney run, an off-night in either one of those departments could also ultimately be the nail in their coffin. It is for this reason that I am also mentioning Iowa as a team that could potentially experience an earlier than expected exit. Iowa when hot can shoot the lights out and also have National Player of the Year Candidate in Luka Garza dominating down low. However, we saw Iowa this year look very pedestrian at times this year in losses when they couldn’t get shots to fall. If these two teams are able to shoot the ball well from behind the arc in this year’s tournament, expect them to advance far. If not, they could be heading home early.
Michigan has had an incredible season this year and have looked like the best team in the country at times. However, the loss of forward Isaiah Livers for the Wolverines cannot be understated, as his availability at any point in this tournament is seriously under question. Combine that with some potential land mines on their side of the bracket, and Michigan just isn’t a team I’m buying a lot of stock in going into the tournament. Oklahoma State is another team that I’m a little worried about heading into the tournament. Sure, they’re red-hot heading into the tournament and have arguably the best player in the country manning their team in Cade Cunningham. However, there’s something to be said about possibly peaking too early in the season and having some of these close games down the stretch catch up with you. The Cowboys have had arguably the toughest slate of games in the country over the last five weeks, and while they faired remarkably well during that period, it’s fair to question whether this will catch up to them and lead to an unexpected slip-up in the tournament.
Sleeper Teams to Watch
For the purpose of this section, I am considering any team as a 7-seed or lower a possible sleeper in potentially making it to the Final Four. The first team I’ll talk about is LSU, who lost in their conference championship earlier today. The Tigers are a team who have been really solid down the stretch of the season and have a lot of talent at all positions. They can shoot with the best of them and can also bang down low with the more physical teams as well. If LSU is able to get by St. Bonaventure’s in their first round matchup, I like their chances to beat Michigan in the round of 32. Michigan is smaller at guard and could have a lot of problems with LSU’s duo of Javonte Smart and Cam Thomas, especially if they’re shooting the ball confidently. And that’s not even mentioning Trendon Watford, who just had a monster performance in the SEC Tournament and is capable of taking over any game. If LSU is in fact able to get by Michigan, their side of the bracket opens up and allows them to make a deep run.
The other two teams I’ll mention in this section are UConn and Rutgers. UConn is led by elite guard James Bouknight, whom they lost for a good portion of the season due to injury but is now playing great basketball for the team. This team would likely be higher if Bouknight doesn’t get hurt and plays the full season for the Huskies, but that doesn’t matter now. Look for UConn to potentially upset Alabama and make some waves in the tournament, as the program certainly has a history of saving their best basketball for the Big Dance. Rutgers is a team that I don’t necessarily get. They have some outstanding players in Jacob Young, Ron Harper Jr., and Geo Baker, among others. However, it seems like they’ve underachieved at times this year despite making the tournament for the first time since 1991. Experience matters in March, and the three players listed above are all upperclassmen and hungry to leave their mark in this year’s tournament. Given that they get to play a floundering Clemson team in the first round and potentially the weakest two seed in Houston in the second round, Rutgers is a squad that could definitely surprise some people this year and win a few games.
Conclusion
March Madness is finally back and we couldn’t be happier. Whatever happens in this year’s tournament, it is sure to bring some excitement and will try to fill the empty void that we all felt last March when it was taken away from us. Good luck to your team if you’re lucky enough to be a fan of one who had their name called on Sunday, and choose wisely when filling out your brackets. Let the madness begin.
