NCAA March Madness: Final Four preview

After taking a year off, March Madness is back in a big way and we are already down to the Final Four.

The 2021 NCAA March Madness tournament has been different this year, all taking place in or around Indianapolis. The national pandemic has reared its ugly head a few times, but overall, things have gone smoothly. About any way you slice it, this has still been an incredible stretch of hoops.

One of March Madness's most exciting aspects is getting to watch underdogs go out and prove themselves against the best teams. The upsets started early and no brackets escaped unscathed.

UCLA is no stranger to March Madness, but they are playing the part of the underdog this season. Starting their tournament having to win one of the “First Four” games, UCLA (11-seed) is a talented squad that has battle the whole way.

On the other side, Houston is a more unfamiliar program than the others that remain. To the casual observer, they would be big underdogs as well. Houston is a 2-seed for a reason. Their consistency and defensive aggression have put pressure on all levels of opponents this season and have led to a 28 and 3 record.

Unfortunately for both of the above squads, for all of their success, the trials are far from over.

Awaiting Houston is Baylor (1-seed), who looks as strong now as they have all year. For most of the NCAA season, if you had to pick the two teams most likely to make the finals it would be Baylor and… the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Gonzaga (1-seed) was the overall favorite heading into March Madness and they have done absolutely nothing to cast doubt on that expectation.

Having rolled through each of their opponents to this point, Gonzaga just needs to continue to play within themselves and not get overconfident, even though it feels a bit like a Baylor-Gonzaga championship has been in the making all year.

This is still March Madness and we have seen a few wild happenings in the big dance. Nothing is set in stone and Houston’s consistency or UCLA’s underrated talent and scrappy defense could still win the day.

Houston and Baylor tip-off Saturday (4/3) at 4:14 pm CT (don’t ask us why) on CBS.

UCLA and Gonzaga go head-to-head right after at 7:34 pm CT on CBS.

Women’s Final Four

The table is set for the lady’s Final Four as well with three 1-seeds advancing and some unsurprising programs hoping to build on their already impressive histories.

UConn (1-seed) plays Arizona (3-seed) Friday (4/2) at 8:30 pm on ESPN. With a coaching staff that has been here time and time again and the AP Player of the Year, freshman Paige Bueckers, the Huskies suddenly find themselves as national title favorites once more. Arizona must find a way to rattle Bueckers or they may need to keep the bus running.

South Carolina (1-seed) and Stanford (1-seed) face off Friday (4/2) at 5:00 pm. This will be an epic showdown between teams that have been powerhouses again this year. Stanford was the team that finally put an end to Missouri State’s great season and will likely be favorited in this one. Their talent and size will be tough to overcome, though the Gamecocks defense is elite. It will be a great battle.

Stay tuned to The Basketball Movement as we follow the action and keep you up to speed. Your bracket may look ugly, but there is plenty of beautiful basketball on deck.

NCAA March Madness: First round recap

The first round of the men’s 2021 NCAA Tournament has concluded and the madness is certainly underway.

Dominant performances, upsets, Cinderella stories, drama, and hungry young hoopers; this is why we watch and this is what we are being treated to already. The men’s 2021 NCAA March Madness Tournament is underway and the first round did not disappoint.

Part of the “madness” is due to the sheer number of contests being played, especially in the early rounds. That is certainly part of the fun. The other part comes from dramatic finishes and surprising upsets - we got those too. In fact, this is the first time that four teams seeded 13th or worse are moving on to play in the Round of 32.

In 2018, Virginia became the first 1-seed to lose in the first round, dropping their game to UMBC. This year was not that bad, though the 4-seed Cavaliers did make an early exit with a loss to 13-seed Ohio.

A bigger upset came in the form of Abilene Christian (14-seed) toppling a Texas team (3-seed) that was supposed to lead the Longhorns back to basketball prominence. Instead, it will be North Texas representing the Lone Star State as a 13-seed taking down Purdue (4-seed). (Okay, Texas Tech is also moving on, but we are trying to get in on the drama as well)

The largest upset seeding-wise was 15-seed Oral Roberts knocking off 2-seed Ohio State. Oral Roberts will play Florida and Yanders Law alum, Tyree Applebee tonight at 6:45 pm central time. A few other smaller upsets were sprinkled in for good measure: Rutgers over Clemson, Syracuse over San Diego State, Oregon State over Tennessee, Wisconsin over North Carolina, and Maryland over UConn.

Mizzou lost a heartbreaker to Oklahoma by four and Creighton narrowly escaped a loss to UCSB by one point. Gonzaga remains undefeated and still has the looks of the team to beat in this year’s tourney. Really, all the 1-seeds still look very strong with Iowa (2-seed) and Kansas (3-seed) also playing nice ball.

Oregon moves on to the Round of 32 due to unfortunate circumstances, as VCU had to forfeit due to issues with COVID-19. Tough way to go out for those guys.

That should have you caught up through the first round! Don’t blink, as the Round of 32 starts today. The women’s tourney kicks off as well, so keep an eye out as we update you on both. Keep checking back here as we keep up with the movement!

NCAA: March Madness 2021

After taking a year off due to the pandemic, March Madness is back in 2021.

The 2021 tournament brackets are set for the NCAA’s big dance. March was mad last year for very different reasons than we are used to, but things are on track for a (mostly) normal NCAA tournament this season. The “First Four” games tipoff this Thursday, March 18th.

Multiple men and women’s teams have had to withdraw from conference tournaments due to health concerns including the Missouri State Lady Bears, who are all but a lock to make the tournament and want to keep it that way. Notably, Kansas and Virginia are having COVID issues in the men’s bracket.

Four teams: Louisville, Colorado State, St. Louis, and Mississippi did not make the cut but are on standby, ready to fill in and ensure the bracket starts with a full 68 teams. Any team that must miss essentially forfeits and their opponents move on.

Kansas and/or Virginia missing having to withdraw could have big implications for overall number one seeded Gonzaga, who looms in their same bracket. Gonzaga is a flawless 26-0 heading into the tournament. The other 1-seeds are; Baylor (22-2), Michigan (20-4), and Illinois (23-6).

This also marks the first year since 1976 that neither Duke nor Kentucky made the tournament. Hello, fresh faces.

Beginning March 18th and concluding on April 5th, March Madness is always one of the best stretches of the year for hoops fans and we at The Basketball Movement are excited to have it back. Games will be televised on TBS, CBS, TNT, and truTV. Click the below link to see the full, printable bracket:

Check out the 2021 NCAA March Madness bracket here

Good luck to all the athletes participating (especially those we have had the pleasure of working with)! Basketball is close to a full recovery from a tough year or so. Keep checking back with The Basketball Movement blog as we break down the action round-by-round. Remember to follow us on Twitter for updates as well. Let the games begin!