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2021 NCAA Division I
men's basketball tournament

Season	2020–21
Teams	68 (including one that did not play)
Finals site	Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, Indiana
Champions	Baylor Bears (1st title, 2nd title game, 3rd Final Four)
Runner-up	Gonzaga Bulldogs (2nd title game, 2nd Final Four)
Semifinalists	Houston Cougars (6th Final Four) UCLA Bruins (19th Final Four)
Winning coach	Scott Drew (1st title)
MOP	Jared Butler (Baylor)
Attendance	173,592
NCAA Division I men's tournaments «2020 2022»

The 2021 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 68 teams to determine the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's college basketball national champion for the 2020–21 season. The 82nd edition of the tournament began play on March 18, 2021, in sites around the state of Indiana, and concluded with the championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on April 5, with the Baylor Bears defeating the previously undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs 86–70 to earn the team's first ever title.

For logistical considerations surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (which resulted in the cancellation of the previous year's tournament), the NCAA announced in January 2021 that all tournament games would be held in Indiana rather than at sites across the country. This was the only time in the history of the tournament to date that a single state has hosted it in its entirety.

This marked the first time since 1976 that neither Duke or Kentucky qualified for the tournament. It was also the first time since 1995 that Duke failed to make the tournament, breaking a streak of 24 consecutive appearances. America East champion Hartford and WAC champion Grand Canyon made their NCAA Tournament debuts.

The tournament was marked by many upsets, with Yahoo Sports journalist Pete Thamel calling it "one of the most dizzying NCAA men's tournaments in history". With only half of the 16 second-round games having been played, there had been 11 upsets to that point, using the NCAA's definition of "upset" as a win by a team seeded five or more lines below its defeated opponent. This had already broken the record for most upsets prior to the round of 16; by the end of the second round, this number went up to 12. In addition, at least one team seeded #9 through #15 won a first-round game for the fourth time ever, and the first time since 2016. Also, a record four teams seeded 13 or lower won first-round games. Another notable mark set during the tournament was a record-breaking 14 upsets throughout the event, breaking the original record of 13 upsets from the 1985 and 2014 tournaments.

The Final Four game between UCLA and Gonzaga (the first semifinal game to go into overtime since 1998) saw a game-winning buzzer-beater by Jalen Suggs to take Gonzaga into the championship game, the first buzzer-beater in a national semifinal since 1977. By defeating Gonzaga in the championship game, the Baylor Bears became the second consecutive first-time NCAA champions, following the Virginia Cavaliers in 2019. The last time this happened was in 2002 and 2003, when the Maryland Terrapins and Syracuse Orange (then nicknamed Orangemen) won their first titles in their respective years. Baylor also joined Texas Western (now known as the University of Texas at El Paso) as the only two teams from the state of Texas to have won an NCAA Division I Basketball championship, the Miners having done so in 1966.

Tournament procedure

A total of 68 teams entered the 2021 tournament, with 31 of them (down from 32, due to the Ivy League having canceled all winter semester sports due to COVID-19) having received an automatic bid by winning their conference's tournament. The remaining 37 bids were "at-large", with selections extended by the NCAA Selection Committee. Teams met sport sponsorship requirements and were considered for NCAA championship selection if they played 13 games, which represented a 50 percent reduction of the current minimum. For NCAA championship consideration, all 13 games had to be against other Division I opponents. Teams could also play 12 regular-season games against Division I opponents and one conference tournament game to be eligible for tournament consideration.

The Selection Committee seeded the entire field from 1 to 68. The four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams played in the First Four round: for the 2021 tournament, the games were played between the overall 65th and 66th seeds, the 67th and 68th seed, and the last four at-large seeds.

The top four teams outside of the ranking (commonly known as the "first four out" in pre-tourney analyses) acted as standbys in the event a school was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to COVID-19 protocols. However, if a team withdrew within 48 hours of the tournament's commencement, they would not be replaced; the bracket was not reseeded, and the affected team's opponent would automatically advance to the next round.The replacement teams are as follows, in order:

Schedule and venues

On January 4, 2021, the NCAA announced that due to logistical considerations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic (which prompted the cancellation of the 2020 tournament), the entirety of the tournament would be conducted at sites within the Indianapolis metro area and central Indiana, rather than across the country. Players stayed at hotels near the Indiana Convention Center, which served as the main practice facility. Lucas Oil Stadium had two courts named "Unity Court" and "Equality Court" during the First Round, Second Round, and Elite Eight.

On February 19, it was announced that all venues would operate at a maximum of 25% capacity. As this capacity includes staff and players, the exact number of spectators varied by venue. Artificial crowd noise was used at all venues to augment the limited in-person attendance.

This tournament marked the first time ever that Indiana Farmers Coliseum was a tournament venue, the first time since 2017 that Bankers Life Fieldhouse was a tournament venue, the first time since 1940 that Hinkle Fieldhouse was a tournament venue, the first time since 1980 that Mackey Arena was a tournament venue, and the first time since 1981 that Assembly Hall was a tournament venue.

First Four:

• Thursday, March 18
  • Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Indiana (Host: Purdue University)
  • Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana (Host: Indiana University Bloomington)

First and Second Rounds:

• Friday, March 19 and Saturday, March 20
  • Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Indiana (Host: Purdue University)
  • Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana (Host: Indiana University Bloomington)
  • Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana (Host: Ball State University)
  • Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana (Host: Butler University)
  • Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana (Host: IUPUI)
  • Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana (Unity Court and Equality Court) (Hosts: IUPUI, Horizon League)
• Sunday, March 21 and Monday, March 22
  • Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana (Host: Ball State University)
  • Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana (Host: Butler University)
  • Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana (Host: IUPUI)
  • Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana (Unity Court and Equality Court) (Hosts: IUPUI, Horizon League)

Regional Semifinals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight):

• Saturday, March 27 and Sunday, March 28
  • Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana (Host: Ball State University)
  • Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana (Host: Butler University)
• Monday, March 29 and Tuesday, March 30
  • Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana (Unity Court and Equality Court) (Hosts: IUPUI, Horizon League)

National Semifinals and Championship (Final Four and Championship):

• Saturday, April 3 and Monday, April 5
  • Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana (Hosts: IUPUI, Horizon League)

Original 2021 NCAA Tournament schedule and venues

The following sites were originally selected to host each round of the 2021 tournament; with the exceptions of Boise and Minneapolis, all cities and venues listed are scheduled to host tournament games after 2021:

First Four

• March 16 and 17
  • University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio (Host: University of Dayton)

First and Second Rounds

• March 18 and 20
  • Dunkin' Donuts Center, Providence, Rhode Island (Host: Providence College)
  • ExtraMile Arena, Boise, Idaho (Host: Boise State University)
  • Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan (Hosts: University of Detroit Mercy, Oakland University)
  • American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas (Host: Big 12 Conference)
• March 19 and 21
  • Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, Kansas (Host: Wichita State University)
  • Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky (Host: University of Kentucky)
  • PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina (Host: North Carolina State University)
  • SAP Center, San Jose, California (Host: West Coast Conference)

Regional Semifinals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)

• March 25 and 27
  • Midwest Regional, Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota (Host: University of Minnesota, Twin Cities)
  • West Regional, Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado (Host: Mountain West Conference)
• March 26 and 28
  • South Regional, FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee (Host: University of Memphis)
  • East Regional, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York (Host: Atlantic 10 Conference)

National Semifinals and Championship (Final Four and Championship)

• April 3 and 5
  • Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana (Hosts: IUPUI, Horizon League)

Qualification and selection

Automatic qualifiers

Tournament seeds

The tournament seeds and regions were determined through the NCAA basketball tournament selection process.

In contrast to previous years, the S-Curve used to establish overall seeds will also be used as primary determinant of the tournament bracket; this was made possible by the relatively condensed locations of this year's tournament making geographic concerns irrelevant. However, rules that can modify pairings to avoid early rematches and to distribute top conference representatives to different regions will remain in effect.

*See First Four

Tournament bracket

Note: Unlike past tournaments, teams are not grouped as pods. Second round games will match teams that played at different venues in the first round.

First Four

The First Four games involved eight teams: the four overall lowest-ranked teams, and the four lowest-ranked at-large teams.

West Regional

West Regional Final

West Regional all tournament team

• Drew Timme, Gonzaga (MOP)
• Corey Kispert, Gonzaga
• Evan Mobley, USC
• Isaiah Mobley, USC
• Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga

East Regional

East Regional Final

East Regional all tournament team

• Johnny Juzang, UCLA (MOP)
• Chaundee Brown Jr., Michigan
• Tyger Campbell, UCLA
• Hunter Dickinson, Michigan
• Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA

South Regional

South Regional Final

South Regional all tournament team

• Davion Mitchell, Baylor (MOP)
• Max Abmas, Oral Roberts
• Jared Butler, Baylor
• Jalen Tate, Arkansas
• MaCio Teague, Baylor

Midwest Regional

Midwest Regional Final

Midwest Regional all tournament team

• DeJon Jarreau, Houston (MOP)
• Quentin Grimes, Houston
• Cameron Krutwig, Loyola Chicago
• Marcus Sasser, Houston
• Ethan Thompson, Oregon State

Final Four – Lucas Oil Stadium

National semifinals

National championship

Final Four all-tournament team

• Jared Butler, Baylor (MOP)
• Johnny Juzang, UCLA
• Davion Mitchell, Baylor
• Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga
• Drew Timme, Gonzaga

Source:

Game summaries and tournament notes

Upsets

Per the NCAA, "Upsets are defined as when the winner of the game was seeded five or more places lower than the team it defeated." The 2021 tournament saw a record total of 14 upsets; 7 of them were in the first round, 5 of them were in the second round, and one of them in the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight, respectively.

Record by conference

Includes a game declared no-contest due to COVID-19 protocols with VCU. Oregon of the Pac-12 conference advanced to the second round and VCU of the Atlantic 10 conference was eliminated from the tournament.

• The FF, R64, R32, S16, E8, F4, CG, and NC columns indicate how many teams from each conference were in the First Four, Round of 64 (first round), Round of 32 (second round), Regional semifinals (Sweet 16), Regional Finals (Elite Eight), National semifinals (Final Four), National Championship Game, and national champion, respectively.
• The Record column does not include wins or losses in games declared no-contest.

Media coverage

Television

CBS Sports and Turner Sports had US television rights to the tournament. As part of a cycle that began in 2016, CBS televised the 2021 Final Four and the national championship game. Because the 2020 tournament had been cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns, the last two rounds in back-to-back editions were broadcast on CBS for the first time since 2015 (TBS would have broadcast the 2020 Final Four and National Championship according to the arrangement).

Television channels

• First Four – truTV and TBS
• First and Second Rounds – CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV
• Regional semifinals and Final (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) – CBS and TBS
• National semifinals (Final Four) and championship – CBS

Studio hosts

• Greg Gumbel (New York City and Indianapolis) – First Four, first round, second round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game
• Ernie Johnson (Atlanta and Indianapolis) – First Four, first round, second round, Regionals and Final Four
• Adam Zucker (New York City) – First round and Second round
• Matt Winer (Atlanta) – First round (Game Breaks)

Studio analysts

• Charles Barkley (Atlanta and Indianapolis) – First Four, first round, second round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game
• Seth Davis (New York City and Indianapolis) – First Four, first round, second round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game
• Jim Jackson (Indianapolis) – National Championship Game
• Andy Katz (Atlanta) – First Four, first round, second round and Regionals
• Clark Kellogg (New York City and Indianapolis) – First Four, first round, second round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game
• Candace Parker (Indianapolis) – Final Four
• Kenny Smith (Atlanta and Indianapolis) – First Four, first round, second round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game
• Gene Steratore (New York City and Indianapolis) (Rules Analyst) – First Four, first round, second round, Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Game
• Wally Szczerbiak (New York City) – First Four, first round, second round and Regionals

Commentary teams

• Jim Nantz/Bill Raftery/Grant Hill/Tracy Wolfson – First round at Hinkle Fieldhouse; Second Round and Regional Semi-finals at Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Sunday); South Regional Final at Lucas Oil Stadium Unity (South); Final Four and National Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium
  • Hill joined Nantz, Raftery and Wolfson during the Regionals, Final Four and National Championship Games.
• Brian Anderson/Jim Jackson/Allie LaForce – First Four at Mackey Arena; First and Second Rounds at Bankers Life Fieldhouse; Regional Semi-finals at Hinkle Fieldhouse (Saturday); West Regional Final at Lucas Oil Stadium Unity (South)
• Ian Eagle/Grant Hill or Jim Spanarkel/Jamie Erdahl – First round at Mackey Arena; Second Round and Regional Semi-finals at Hinkle Fieldhouse (Sunday); Midwest Regional Final at Lucas Oil Stadium Equality (North)
  • Hill called the First & Second Rounds, Spanarkel did the Regionals.
• Kevin Harlan/Dan Bonner/Dana Jacobson – First round at Indiana Farmers Coliseum; Second Round at Hinkle Fieldhouse; Regional Semi-finals at Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Saturday); East Regional Final at Lucas Oil Stadium Equality (North)
• Brad Nessler/Steve Lavin/Avery Johnson (First Four only)/Evan Washburn – First Four at Assembly Hall; First and Second Rounds at Indiana Farmers Coliseum
• Spero Dedes/Brendan Haywood/Lauren Shehadi – First round at Bankers Life Fieldhouse; Second Round at Lucas Oil Stadium Unity (South)
• Andrew Catalon/Steve Lappas/AJ Ross – First and Second Rounds at Hinkle Fieldhouse
• Carter Blackburn/Debbie Antonelli/Evan Washburn (Friday)/Dana Jacobson (Saturday)/Lauren Shehadi (Monday) – First round at Assembly Hall; Second Round at Hinkle Fieldhouse
• Lisa Byington/Steve Smith/AJ Ross (Friday & Sunday)/Lauren Shehadi (Saturday) – First round at Lucas Oil Stadium Unity (South); Second Round at Indiana Farmers Coliseum
• Tom McCarthy/Avery Johnson/AJ Ross (Friday)/Lauren Shehadi (Saturday) – First round at Lucas Oil Stadium Equality (North)

ESPN International had international rights to the tournament. Coverage used CBS/Turner play-by-play teams until the Final Four.

• Sean McDonough/Jay Bilas or Dick Vitale - Final Four and National Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium
  • Bilas did UCLA vs. Gonzaga, Vitale did Houston vs. Baylor and the National Championship Game

Most-watched tournament games

All times Eastern. Tournament seedings and region are in parentheses.

Radio

Internet

FastBreak is an online-only program providing whiparound coverage of all tournament games similar to NFL RedZone during the first weekend.

• Dave Briggs, Rex Chapman, Tony Delk (New York City)

See also

• 2021 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament

Notes

1. Game declared no contest due to COVID-19 protocols with VCU. Oregon advances in the tournament.

References

1. "2021 ATTENDANCE SUMMARY~" (PDF).
2. "NCAA announces dates for preliminary March Madness rounds". ESPN.com. January 19, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
3. "NCAA announces further details for 2021 Division I men's basketball championship". Retrieved January 4, 2021.
4. "Gonzaga, Baylor, Illinois, Michigan get top seeds in NCAA men's basketball tournament". ESPN.com. March 14, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
5. Thamel, Pete (March 22, 2021). "Why this may already be the craziest NCAA men's tournament ever". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
6. "Ivy League cancels basketball season for 2020-21 as part of ban on winter sports due to COVID-19". CBSSports.com. November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
7. "DI Council approves Nov. 25 start date for men's and women's basketball". NCAA. September 16, 2020.
8. "New bracketing principles adopted for 2021 NCAA tournament". NCAA.com. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
9. Gleeson, Scott (March 14, 2021). "March Madness: Here's how Duke could play in the 2021 NCAA Tournament after all". USA Today. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
10. Gleeson, Scott; Mast, Shelby (March 14, 2021). "NCAA Tournament bracketology: Final March Madness projection on Selection Sunday". USA Today. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
11. "Memphis, Colorado State, Saint Louis, Ole Miss are top seeds in NIT bracket. Louisville did not play in the NIT". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
12. Wells, Adam (February 21, 2021). "NCAA Tournament teams won't be replaced if forced to withdraw due to COVID-19". Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
13. "NCAA men's basketball tournament to be played entirely in Indiana". ESPN.com. January 4, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
14. Benbow, Dana Hunsinger; Doyel, Gregg; Osterman, Zach. "It's official: 2021 NCAA tournament to be played entirely in Central Indiana, Indianapolis". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
15. "A limited number of fans will be allowed to attend 2021 NCAA Tournament games". CBSSports.com. February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
16. "NCAA to allow limited number of fans for Division I men's basketball tournament". ESPN.com. February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
17. Daley, Dan (March 26, 2021). "March Madness 2021: Broadcast Audio Mixes in Crowd Sound — Real and Augmented". Sports Video Group. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
18. "Future Division I Men's Basketball Championship sites". NCAA. March 22, 2019.
19. "New bracketing principles adopted for 2021 NCAA tournament". www.ncaa.com. NCAA. January 15, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
20. "The NCAA bracket S-curve, explained". www.ncaa.com. NCAA. January 15, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
21. NCAA staff (March 20, 2021). "VCU-Oregon game ruled a no-contest due to COVID-19 protocols". NCAA.com. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
22. "Official collapses, wheeled off court on stretcher from NCAA tournament game". March 30, 2021.
23. "NCAA All-Tournament Teams". Associated Press. April 6, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
24. "We're tracking upsets in the 2021 NCAA tournament". NCAA.com. March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
25. Bonesteel, Matt (April 12, 2016). "CBS and Turner Sports lock down NCAA tournament through 2032". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
26. "Turner Sports and CBS Sports Announce 2021 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Commentator Teams". Warner Media. March 11, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
27. "ESPN's College GameDay Covered by State Farm Headlines Men's College Basketball Studio Programming this Weekend". ESPN Press Room U.S. April 2, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
28. Paulsen (March 24, 2021). "NCAA Tournament off to solid start despite dip". sportsmediawatch.com. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
29. Paulsen (March 30, 2021). "Super Sweet 16: schedule change boosts regional semis". sportsmediawatch.com. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
30. Paulsen (March 31, 2021). "Steep declines for men's Elite Eight". sportsmediawatch.com. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
31. Paulsen (April 6, 2021). "Final Four ratings: Gonzaga-UCLA thriller hits post-hiatus high despite drop". sportsmediawatch.com. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
32. Paulsen (April 7, 2021). "Nearly 17 million watch Baylor bully Bulldogs". sportsmediawatch.com. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
33. "Community news: Summer concert series announced and more". Ct Insider. March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.

• 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
• NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
• Basketball in Indianapolis
• 2020s in Indianapolis
• 2021 in sports in Indiana
• March 2021 sports events in the United States
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