Selection Sunday 2021 Results: Printable NCAA Bracket, Seeds, Twitter Reaction
March 14, 2021
Let the Madness begin.
The field for the 2021 NCAA men's tournament was announced during Sunday's CBS broadcast, and the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Baylor Bears, Michigan Wolverines and Illinois Fighting Illini are the four No. 1 seeds.
A printable bracket can be found on NCAA.com.
Here is a look at the 68-team field in its entirety:
As is always the case on every Selection Sunday, the field drew plenty of Twitter reaction:
The initial reaction here is that Illinois caught a rough break with this field.
All Illinois did was win the Big Ten tournament with a thrilling overtime victory over Ohio State and put together an incredible season in the country's best conference. And it was rewarded with arguably the most difficult bracket that will put it to the test as soon as the second round.
The Fighting Illini very well may have to face in-state Loyola Chicago in the round of 32 assuming both teams advance. If that isn't the case, they may have to face ACC tournament champion Georgia Tech.
Loyola is No. 9 in the country in Ken Pomeroy's pace-adjusted rankings, meaning Illinois could be in trouble before the Sweet 16. A big-man showdown between Kofi Cockburn and Cameron Krutwig is as intriguing as an individual matchup can be so early in the tournament, and another trip to the Final Four is not out of the question for the Ramblers.
If the Big Ten tournament champions get past them, they might have to face Cade Cunningham and the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Sweet 16.
Cunningham is the No. 1 pick in the latest mock draft from Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman and could propel his team to a Final Four run. He will put plenty of pressure on Illinois defenders such as Ayo Dosunmu and Trent Frazier.
If the Fighting Illini survive all of that, Houston or West Virginia could be waiting in the Elite Eight.
The Cougars are No. 6 in Pomeroy's rankings, and the Mountaineers lost by just five points to Gonzaga and took Baylor to overtime. West Virginia nearly beat two of the No. 1 seeds this season and may get a chance at a third in the Elite Eight.