2021 Men’s NCAA Tournament printable bracket, field: Every game, all 68 teams revealed for March Madness

By Caroline PinedaMar 19, 2021, 10:27 AM EDT

The field is set, and 68 teams are heading to Indiana for the first NCAA tournament since 2019.

Gonzaga leads the pack as the top overall seed, with Baylor, Illinois and Michigan rounding out the No. 1 teams. Bluebloods Duke and Kentucky headline the notable absences from this year’s field, while storied programs Michigan State and UCLA will meet in a First Four matchup.

Men’s 2021 NCAA Tournament bracket

Click here for the full, printable PDF version of the 2021 men’s March Madness bracket.

Complete men’s 2021 NCAA tournament first round schedule, field

WEST REGION

(1) Gonzaga vs. (16) Norfolk State/Appalachian State

The dominant Bulldogs (26-0) enter the tournament undefeated after their best regular season in program history and are the favorites to cut down the nets in April. With three players — Corey Kispert, Jalen Suggs and Drew Timme — on the 2021 Wooden Award National Ballot, Gonzaga will be extremely difficult to beat. The Bulldogs are averaging 92.1 points per game and shooting a staggering 55.1% from the field.

(8) Oklahoma vs. (9) Missouri
(5) Creighton vs. (12) UC Santa Barbara

Coming off a Big West championship and a hot streak that has seen them win 20 of their last 21 games, the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (22-4) are primed for an upset bid. Led by standout guard JaQuori McLaughlin, the Gauchos roster contains 10 players averaging over 10 minutes per game. That depth adds to the likelihood the Gauchos can knock off a Creighton team (20-8) that struggled in a 73-48 loss to Georgetown in the Big East championship.

(4) Virginia vs. (13) Ohio
(6) USC vs. (11) Wichita State/Drake
(3) Kansas vs. (14) Eastern Washington
(7) Oregon vs. (10) VCU
(2) Iowa vs. (15) Grand Canyon

This talented Iowa team (21-8) might have had a good chance to advance to the Final Four — if it hadn’t been seeded in the same region as top overall seed Gonzaga. Behind 23.7 points and 8.8 rebounds a game from Luka Garza, the Hawkeyes have bested strong opponents and matched up well against even stronger ones. But Gonzaga already beat Iowa once this season — a 99-88 win that didn’t feel that close — and could almost surely do it again should the Hawkeyes advance that far.

SOUTH REGION

(1) Baylor vs. (16) Hartford

Baylor (22-2) stumbled against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 tournament semifinals, falling 83-74 in the Bears’ second loss of the year. Baylor shot just 21.4% from behind the arc, an uncharacteristic performance well below the Bears’ average three-point shooting mark of 41.8%. It’s difficult to picture a Final Four without Baylor in it, but a strong defensive performance by Oklahoma State provided a blueprint to make that possible.

(8) UNC vs. (9) Wisconsin
(5) Villanova vs. (12) Winthrop
(4) Purdue vs. (13) North Texas
(6) Texas Tech vs. (11) Utah State

Texas Tech (17-10), the 2019 NCAA tournament runner-up, has lost five of its last eight games entering the tournament. The Red Raiders likely won’t advance past the second round but should be able to beat a Utah State team (20-8) that turned the ball over 16 times against San Diego State in the Mountain West championship.

(3) Arkansas vs. (14) Colgate
(7) Florida vs. (10) Virginia Tech
(2) Ohio State vs. (15) Oral Roberts

MIDWEST REGION

(1) Illinois vs. (16) Drexel

Illinois (23-6) ran through the Big Ten tournament, finishing off its championship run with a 91-88 overtime win over Ohio State. Led by Ayo Dosunmu and his 20.9 points per game, the sharpshooting Fighting Illini are likely to emerge from the Midwest region — if they can avoid a Sweet 16 upset from an Oklahoma State team talented enough to deliver one.

(8) Loyola Chicago vs. (9) Georgia Tech
(5) Tennessee vs. (12) Oregon State
(4) Oklahoma State vs. (13) Liberty

Oklahoma State (20-8) showcased its full-strength capabilities in an 83-74 upset of Baylor in the Big 12 tournament semifinals before falling to Texas 91-86 in the championship. Oklahoma State freshman Cade Cunningham, who was out when the Cowboys first met Baylor in January, posted 25 points and eight rebounds in the latest matchup with the Bears. Led by Cunningham, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft, Oklahoma State could have the makings of a Final Four team.

(6) San Diego State vs. (11) Syracuse
(3) West Virginia vs. (14) Morehead State

West Virginia (18-9) has lost three of its last four games but might be better than its resume suggests. The Mountaineers have played a number of top teams close, falling 87-82 to Gonzaga and 94-89 to Baylor. Late in the season, though, West Virginia struggled against Oklahoma State, dropping back-to-back games to the Cowboys.

(7) Clemson vs. (10) Rutgers
(2) Houston vs. (15) Cleveland State

EAST REGION

(1) Michigan vs. (16) Mount St. Mary’s/Texas Southern
(8) LSU vs. (9) St. Bonaventure
(5) Colorado vs. (12) Georgetown

Patrick Ewing’s revival of his alma mater reached new heights when the Hoyas (13-12) knocked off Creighton in the Big East championship to secure their spot in this year’s NCAA tournament field of 68. Back in the Big Dance for the first time since 2015, Georgetown will seek its first tournament win under Ewing in the form of a first-round upset. Colorado (22-8) hit its stride late in the season and was on a six-game win streak before falling to Oregon State 70-68 in the Pac-12 championship game.

(4) Florida State vs. (13) UNC Greensboro
(6) BYU vs. (11) Michigan State/UCLA

This 11-seed First Four game features two teams that aren’t accustomed to play-in games, but BYU (20-6) is well-equipped to face either college basketball stalwart after giving Gonzaga trouble for the first half of the WCC championship game. Since early December, the Cougars have only lost to one team that wasn’t Gonzaga, which has handed the Cougars three of their six losses. Mark Pope’s BYU team will likely be able to handle whichever First Four opponent emerges from the play-in contest.

(3) Texas vs. (14) Abilene Christian
(7) UConn vs. 10 Maryland
(2) Alabama vs. (15) Iona

On the heels of a football national championship, Alabama’s basketball program (24-6) is making a strong case for itself as a title contender. The Crimson Tide haven’t lost to an unranked team since December and enter the tournament coming off an exhilarating 80-79 SEC championship victory over LSU. Don’t be surprised if Nate Oats’ balanced Alabama team finds itself in Lucas Oil Stadium for the Final Four. Meanwhile, Rick Pitino is back in the NCAA tournament field, this time as Iona’s (12-5) first-year coach.

Follow NBC Sports Edge for more on the 2021 Men’s NCAA Tournament as well as game previews, betting, news, odds and more. If you need help filling out your bracket, check out their predictions here.

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2023 March Madness: When is Selection Sunday?

By Mary OmatigaMar 12, 2023, 1:00 PM EDT

The 2023 March Madness action tips off on Tuesday, March 14 through Monday, April 3 for the men, while the Women’s Tournament begins on Wednesday, March 15 and runs through Tuesday, April 2. 68 teams will go head-to-head for a chance to be crowned national champions. It all starts off with Selection Sunday where seeds and matchups for the men’s and women’s events will be revealed. See below for additional information on how to watch the event.

When is Selection Sunday?

Selection Sunday takes place this Sunday, March 12. Teams and seeds for the Men’s Tournament will be revealed at 6 PM ET (CBS). The women’s full tournament bracket will be revealed at 8 PM ET (ESPN).

How can I watch the Men’s 2023 March Madness Tournament?

Games for the Men’s Tournament will be available on the networks of TBS, TNT, TruTV, and CBS. Viewers can also live stream the 2023 March Madness tournament on the NCAA’s website.

How can I watch the Women’s Tournament?

The Women’s Tournament will be available on ESPN. See below for the full schedule of events.

2023 March Madness Schedule:

Men’s Tournament:

Selection Sunday: Sunday, March 12
First Four: March 14-15
First Round: March 16-17
Second Round: March 18-19
Sweet 16: March 23-24
Elite Eight: March 25-26
Final Four: April 1
NCAA Championship Game: April 3

Women’s Tournament:

First Four: March 15-16
First Round: March 17-18
Second Round: March 19-20
Sweet 16: March 24-25
Elite Eight: March 26-27
Final Four: Friday, March 31 (7 PM and 9:30 PM ET/ ESPN)
Women’s NCAA Championship Game: Sunday, April 2 (3 PM ET/ ABC)

With Boeheim’s Departure, A College Basketball Coaching Era Nears its End

By Tim LaydenMar 10, 2023, 11:00 AM EST

Late Wednesday afternoon in Greensboro, North Carolina, Jim Boeheim’s tenure as head coach of basketball at Syracuse came to a befuddling and resoundingly ignominious finish. Or it came to the most appropriate end imaginable, depending on your perspective and home address. Confusing, because it remains uncertain whether Boeheim retired, was retired or forced out, parted ways or was effectively fired. (This may remain a mystery). Fitting, because his last public appearance, in the postgame press conference after a 77-74 loss to Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament, was prickly and cryptic in a way that many will see as classically Boeheimian – giving no quarter and revealing little, stubborn and borderline immature (no small feat at the age of 78), almost funny, but not quite. (It was appropriate that all of this happened in Greensboro, a place where neither Syracuse nor Boeheim ever belonged, in a conference with which he won’t be enduringly associated).

Also: The passage of time will render all of these details insignificant, likely sooner than later. They will be replaced by more enduring ones: Boeheim arrived as a walk-on player in Syracuse in 1962, and eventually coached his alma mater for 47 years and 1,557 games. These are preposterous numbers. His teams went to the NCAA Tournament 35 times, reached five Final Fours, won the national championship in 2003 and on two other occasions lost in the championship game. It’s a fool’s errand to rank coaches across eras, but Boeheim is on whatever short list you might construct. He was deservedly elected to the Hall of Fame 18 years ago.

It is worth noting the moment of Boeheim’s departure, not just as a passage of great and unmistakable importance in Syracuse, but as another milepost of broader (and perhaps less obvious) significance in the college game writ large – the passing of a certain type of celebrity coach.

Drawing a timeline of a sport’s relevance is a slippery operation at best, educated guesswork at the vagaries of cultural preferences. There are absolutes in this discussion: The NFL is now king, boxing and horse racing are relics of a distant past, hockey has a ceiling, college football’s religiosity is so intense that it turns a regional game into a national one. After that: You’re on your own to a large degree.

But there are fuzzy truths: College basketball’s modern-era popularity (I’m leaving the UCLA Wooden era just prior) was built on a few things: The explosion of the NCAA Tournament that began in earnest with Bird vs. Magic in 1979 and began evolving into the brackets/buzzer-beaters/upsets extravaganza of today, two years later on the second Saturday in March, when NBC introduced the country en masse to the cutaway moment, three times. (I wrote about this afternoon for Sports Illustrated a decade ago and stand by its relevance, the shoulders upon which everything March Madness-related stands today).

And in that same era, something else: The Cult of the Coach. Maybe it’s fair to argue that it began with Wooden, but his career unfolded in the pre-cable age, with no more than a few regular season UCLA games available for a wide audience (and seemingly most of those against Notre Dame). Wooden’s run – 10 titles in 12 years and seven straight from 1967-’73 – unfolded in the print journalism era. When he appeared on television in horn-rimmed glasses, with a program rolled up in his hand, never calling timeouts, it was akin to seeing Nixon at the supermarket – a figure from the newspaper come to life.

And it’s equally fair to argue that first manifestly famous coach of the television era was Marquette’s Al McGuire, who won his only national title on a Monday night in 1977, cried on the bench, promptly retired and became the sport’s first celebrity announcer, Madden before Madden. (If I have to tell you what an aircraft carrier is, or French pastry, well, we can’t be friends).

The real and true rise of the coach as architect of an unspoken college basketball business and media strategy coincided with the birth of the Big East Conference, a story oft-told and by now enmeshed in cobwebs, but a valuable one nevertheless. The league played on Monday nights on ESPN and despite a deep roster of talent – Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin, Ed Pinckney, Pearl Washington, Ray Allen, and so many others – the coaches were made the stars. In the first generation there were John Thompson at Georgetown, Lou Carnesecca at St. John’s, Rollie Massimino at Villanova, and of course, Boeheim. They battled each other for recruits, referees’ whistles, and, subtly, TV time. They were the central characters in a recurring drama.

Generations followed: Rick Pitino at Providence and Jim Calhoun at Connecticut, who ultimately won more NCAA titles than anyone else from the league.

The celebrity-making was not limited to the Big East. There were Dean Smith at North Carolina, Jim Valvano at North Carolina State (whose hug-chasing run after winning the ’83 title remains a March highlight staple), and of course, Mike Krzyzewski at Duke. Elsewhere: Bobby Knight at Indiana, Jerry Tarkanian at UNLV, Roy Williams at Kansas and then at North Carolina. In the even more modern era: Billy Donovan at Florida, Tom Izzo at Michigan State, John Calipari at Kentucky, Bill Self at Kansas, and Jay Wright at Villanova, whose reaction to Kris Jenkins’s game-winning three in the 2016 national title game might be both the peak of the Power Coach Era and its last gasp. (Pat Summit, Geno Auriemma, Kim Mulkey, Tara VanDerveer, Muffet McGraw and Dawn Staley belong on this list, too).

Let’s be clear: These were – and are — all excellent coaches, deserving of praise. And their players were excellent. But on game night, they prowled the sideline as if playing Richard III on the London Stage. They commanded massive salaries, giant shoe company deals and ruled small – and not-so-small – kingdoms with impunity. (Yes, football is bigger, but that very scale is what makes the coach oddly smaller, surrounded by the barely contained chaos of a sideline, overwhelmed by cavernous stadiums. Like we don’t see a football player’s face, we don’t see a football coach’s soul, the way we saw Boeheim’s grimace all these years).

Gradually most of them have left, though a diminished Pitino remains at Iona; Calipari, Izzo, Self (with a real chance at another title this year). But inexorably, the game has been returned to the athletes. The coaches still make money (but now, in the NIL era, so do the players). In some ways the change is subtle – Mick Cronin can perform with the best of his forebears, but the evolution of the sport has made him less king, and more partner. Same with Mark Few, Kelvin Sampson and Scott Drew. The game is the thing; it no longer needs to mythologize the coach. We are in the age of athlete empowerment at the college level, a good and fair thing.

The old system both elevated Boeheim and caricatured him. It made him a star, and a foil, wincing and groaning behind his professorial spectacles, and then conducting dismissive, theatrically unrevealing and combative Belichickian pressers. Much of it he brought upon himself, but as with Belichick, a chunk of it was for show. Away from a dais, Boeheim was insightful, frank, funny. And he loves basketball. I interviewed him once as he rode an exercise bike and talked about his days hooping in the Eastern Professional League for the Scranton Miners. “Once I drove back to Syracuse from Scranton,” Boeheim told me, “And it was snowing so hard I had to open the door and follow the guardrails to see where I saw going.”

He liked good players and kept his rotation tight to keep those good players on the floor. “Dean Smith used to have his ‘blue team,’” Boeheim told me, referring to the full-five subs Smith once employed. “I loved when he put those guys in, because there’s a reason they aren’t starting.” (As an aside, a small piece of my spirit will always think of Boeheim as the one counselor at Dolph Schayes’ Basketball Camp in the 1960s who campers did not want to get sideways with, lest they wind up doing pushups on the planks of a bunk floor; but also as a hellacious competitor in pickup games that often included NBA players).

He’ll be known in perpetuity as a guy who loved a cold and cloudy place – Syracuse – that many others only tolerated, or less. He was one with it. In 2003, in what would become his national championship year, I arranged to meet him at his office for an interview; I arrived early and his assistant called Boeheim, who was still at home; 10 minutes later he walked in, tossed his jacket over a chair and sat down to talk. That is a convenient life that he embraced. He did not build Syracuse basketball from scratch, but he made it bigger, and gave it endurance. Adrian Autry has a job ahead of him to sustain it.

Boeheim, meanwhile, exits as one of the last of his kind, part of an era that is nearly gone.

Tim Layden is writer-at-large for NBC Sports. He was previously a senior writer at Sports Illustrated for 25 years.