By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
March Madness returns on Thursday. The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament returns for the first time in two years.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the tournament was canceled in 2020. The NCAA lost millions — if not billions — of dollars when the tournament was stopped.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs come into the tournament with an undefeated record. They have a 26-0 record.
They are the first team since the 2015 Kentucky Wildcats, who entered the tournament with an undefeated record. The Wildcats — who were the favorite — were eliminated in the Final Four by the Wisconsin Badgers.
According to SportsBettingDime.com, the four #1 seeds, Gonzaga (+205), Baylor (+467), Michigan (+633), and Illinois (+667), have the shortest odds. The Bulldogs — who has a very talented team — are considered the favorites to win the tournament.
However, the tournament has shown over the years that the favorite team does not necessarily always win.
One thing that we know from March Madness is to expect the unexpected. There will be upsets. Yes. Who? We cannot expect that.
In the 2019 tournament, the Virginia Cavaliers defeated the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the championship game. The Cavaliers won 85-77 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The 2021 tournament begins on Thursday night with the First Four tip-off games. No. 16 seeds Texas Southern and Mount St. Mary’s will tip off the tournament at 5:10 pm at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
Then, at 6:27 pm, No. 11 seeds Drake and Wichita State will do battle at Mackey Arena.
In the second two games, the No. 16 seeds will feature Appalachian State Mountaineers and the Norfolk State Spartans. The game will be played at 8:40 pm EST at Assembly Hall.
The final tip-off game will feature No. 11 seeds UCLA Bruins and the Michigan State Spartans. The game will start at 9:57 pm EST at Mackey Arena.
The first round of the tournament will then begin on Friday, March 19th at 1:15 pm EST. The tournament then will continue through the weekend and on Monday, March 22nd.
After the first and second-round games, the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight will take place on Saturday, March 27th through Tuesday, March 30th. The Final Four will take place on Saturday, April 3rd at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Championship will be handed out on Monday, April 5th.
