Now that the 2021 NCAA Tournament is over, it’s time to take a look back at what took place. The entire 2021 tournament took place in Indiana, and limited fan attendance hurt the overall atmosphere.
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Baylor Upsets Gonzaga to Win Championship
The biggest story was the complete domination that the Baylor Bears showed during their title run. Baylor blew out the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the title game, ending the Bulldogs’ attempt at perfection with an 86-70 victory.
Gonzaga was attempting to become the first team since Indiana to complete a perfect season, but they fell one win short. Baylor was the No. 2 overall seed, but it was clear that they were the best team in the country.
Joining Gonzaga and Baylor in the Final Four were Houston and UCLA. Houston was not a big surprise, but UCLA went on a historic run to get to the semifinals.
The Bruins were an 11-seed to begin the tournament and were forced to play in the First Four games against Michigan State. UCLA took Gonzaga to the brink, suffering a loss at the buzzer in overtime.
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The Big Ten Conference was also a major story in the 2021 Tournament, and not for a good reason. There were nine teams from the league in the field, and many were expected to make a deep run.
There were no teams from the league that advanced to the Final Four, and only one (Michigan) survived the first weekend. Illinois and Ohio State both suffered embarrassing upset losses in the first weekend.
Oral Roberts became the second 15-seed ever to reach the Sweet 16, and they looked like they belonged there. Upsets dominated the first two days, but the best teams eventually rose to the top in the later rounds.
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The Gonzaga Bulldogs are the clear betting favorites to win the title next season at +700. Gonzaga is expected to lose a few players, but Mark Few has made a history of reloading his roster.
Gonzaga will once again enter the 2022 NCAA Tournament with an excellent record and should be a number one seed. It’s hard to imagine the 2022 Bulldogs being better than this year’s team that fell short.
Look for several blue-blood programs to bounce back in 2022 after struggling in 2021. This list includes schools like Duke, Kentucky, and Louisville.
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Duke and Kentucky have terrific recruiting classes coming in, and they could be a potential title threat. Other schools such as Kansas and North Carolina will be looking to make a deeper run in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
The hope is that 2022 will be a much more normal year for college basketball, and fans should be back in arenas. Getting the 2021 Tournament in was the main goal, but it just wasn’t the same as it usually is.
March Madness will always be filled with upsets every year, and that will be the case again next year. Teams will spend the next 11 months working hard in an attempt to be the next championship team.
