This. Is. March.

It may not feel the same without Kentucky in the field, but March Madness is officially upon us with the 2021 NCAA Tournament Bracket now being set. Coronavirus cost us the 2020 NCAA Tournament so Virginia is still technically your reigning national champion. Between now and April 5th we will go from a field of 68 down to one team that will celebrate their one shining moment at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Will Gonzaga finish off the first undefeated season since Indiana did it in 1976? Can a Big 10 team deliver the first national title to the conference since Michigan State in 2000? Will there be more upsets than normal this year or will it be mostly chalk?

Will Louisville end up in the tournament? Will all of the games even get played? There are plenty of questions that will get answered over the next few weeks. Let’s dive into some of the top storylines.

Can Everyone Stay Healthy?

Unfortunately, this is still the biggest question looming over March Madness. There are four replacement teams, led by the Louisville Cardinals, that will be ready to hop into the tournament if a team is forced to pull out by 6:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday evening. After that point, the bracket will remain intact and teams will simply advance to the next round if their opponent is unable to play. So, will Louisville end up in the field?

Most Interesting First Round Games

#11 Michigan State vs. #11 UCLA. A play-in game on Thursday evening may be the most intriguing matchup of the entire first weekend. Perennial powerhouses Michigan State and UCLA will battle it out for the right to take on 6 seed BYU.

#4 Oklahoma State vs. #13 Liberty. Cade Cunningham has lived up to, or even surpassed, the hype that surrounded him coming into the season. The Cowboys are 8-2 in their last 10 games. They will be taking on a Liberty Flames team that has won 12 straight and is coming off an ASUN Championship. That is going to be a great game.

#5 Villanova vs. #12 Winthrop. Villanova lost Collin Gillespie for the rest of the season to a torn MCL and fell to eventual Big East champion Georgetown in their first game of the conference tournament. Winthrop, the Big South champion, is 23-1 on the season and will be trendy 12 seed over 5 seed upset pick.

First Round Upset Picks

#11 Syracuse over #6 San Diego State. The NCAA Selection committee certainly wasn’t too kind to the ACC with no conference member earning a seed better than a #4. Syracuse found themselves on the right side of the bubble but will be going against a San Diego State squad that has won 14 straight games. That being said, the Mountain West doesn’t compare to playing in the ACC. Look for the Orange to get it done.

#12 UC Santa Barbara over #5 Creighton. The Gauchos lost three games in December and have only dropped one game since. This is an excellent defensive team that will slow down the Blue Jays and dominate on the glass.

#13 Ohio over #4 Virginia. Virginia is no stranger to a first-round upset in the NCAA Tournament. Their style of play causes them to play a ton of close games and in March those types of tossups can send you home early. The Bobcats won the MAC and nearly knocked off Illinois earlier this season. They are excellent offensively led by Jason Preston that will challenge the pack-line defense of Virginia.

Potential Second Round Matchups to Watch

#1 Michigan vs. #8 LSU. Losing Isaiah Livers really hurts the Wolverines. They still have enough talent to make it to the Final Four, but don’t sleep on LSU. They are so good offensively and appear to be playing their best basketball of the season based on their SEC Tournament performance. This would be a really fun game to watch.

#4 Oklahoma State vs. #5 Tennessee. Both of these teams will have tough tests in the first round, but this would be a heck of a battle on Sunday. Tennessee has been a bit of a disappointment this season, but they are very good defensively and freshman guards Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer are playing great. You will also want to watch Cade Cunningham in his only March Madness run before becoming the #1 pick in the NBA Draft.

#1 Baylor vs. #8 North Carolina. The Tar Heels being an #8 seed can’t make Coach Scott Drew at Baylor feel great about his path to the Final Four. North Carolina’s interior presence could trip up the Bears in the first weekend of the tournament.

Print Your Brackets and Enjoy

Man, it feels good to hold a bracket again after missing out on it in 2020. You can print yours HERE.