We Should Have Known All Along

Playing basketball during a pandemic was destined to be chaotic. Why would the postseason be any different?

March 22, 2021

Tipoff

Death, taxes, and recency bias are the only constants in life. It seems that every season includes headlines such as “there are no dominant teams this year.” Like clockwork, many of the same publications, websites, and talking heads proclaim that team X or Y look unstoppable heading into the tournament. My condolences go out to Illinois and their fans this year. Halfway through the second round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, we see again how crazy this event can be. This time, the craziness is ramped up an extra notch.

In stark contrast, the women’s basketball tournament tipped off on Sunday and was all chalk. Not a single lower-seeded team advanced. That was a first for the event since 2010. On the men’s side, a 15-seed - Oral Roberts - will play in the Sweet 16 for the second time ever, following in the footsteps of 2013’s Florida Gulf Coast’s “Dunk City” team. That was just the tip of the iceberg. According to David Warlock, Director of Media Coordination and Stats for the NCAA, there were more upsets through Sunday in the men’s tournament than in any other full tournament in the history of the event. The second half of the second round has yet to begin!

If there was one thing that defined this season, it was chaos. Teams went on pause for weeks at a time and came out looking totally different on the other end. Programs were scrambling to find opponents late in the season to make up games. Non-conference schedules were wrecked. During normal times, judging teams is a challenge. Figuring out which teams were contenders and pretenders this year was like Indiana Jones finding the Holy Grail. In a season marked by chaos, the signature storyline will be upsets and chaos in the postseason, at least for the men.

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Tournament Tracker

It’s The Big Dance! Let’s take a look at NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament action and what lies ahead.

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament 2nd Round 

  • #2 Iowa vs. #7 Oregon (12:10 p.m. EDT on CBS)

  • #1 Gonzaga vs. #8 Oklahoma (2:40 p.m. EDT on CBS)

  • #11 UCLA vs. #14 Abilene Christian (5:15 p.m. EDT on TBS)

  • #5 Creighton vs. #13 Ohio (6:10 p.m. EDT on TNT)

  • #1 Michigan vs. #8 LSU (7:10 p.m. EDT on CBS)

  • #4 Florida State vs. #5 Colorado (7:45 p.m. EDT on TBS)

  • #2 Alabama vs. #10 Maryland (8:45 p.m. p.m. EDT on TNT)

  • #3 Kansas vs. #6 USC (9:40 p.m. p.m. EDT on CBS)

NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament 1st Round

  • #3 Georgia vs. #14 Drexel (12:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN2)

  • #6 Rutgers vs. #11 BYU (12:00 p.m. EDT on ESPNU)

  • #7 Alabama vs. #10 North Carolina (1:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN)

  • #4 Indiana vs. #13 VCU (2:00 p.m. EDT on ESPNU)

  • #3 Arizona vs. #14 Stony Brook (2:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN2)

  • #4 Arkansas vs. #13 Wright State (2:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN)

  • #5 Gonzaga vs. #12 Belmont (4:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN2)

  • #2 Maryland vs. #15 Mount St. Mary’s (4:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN)

  • #7 Northwestern vs. #10 UCF (4:00 p.m. EDT on ESPNU)

  • #7 Iowa State vs. #10 Michigan State (5:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN)

  • #2 Texas A&M vs. #15 Troy (6:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN2)

  • #5 Missouri State vs. #12 UC Davis (7:30 p.m. EDT on ESPNU)

  • #6 Texas vs. #11 Bradley (8:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN2)

  • #2 Louisville vs. #15 Marist (8:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN)

  • #6 Oregon vs. #11 South Dakota (10:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN2)

  • #3 UCLA vs. #14 Wyoming (10:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN)

The Mixtape

The Field of 68 team puts out lots of great content each week. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights.

  • Virginia was missing a key player on Saturday during their first-round game and lost in a stunning upset. Tell me if you’ve heard that story before. The victorious Ohio Bobcats were there to take advantage. Head Coach Jeff Boals joined Rob Dauster and Jeff Goodman to discuss the win, the stellar play of Jason Preston, and what the team needs to do on Creighton tonight.

  • One of the other big developments on Saturday was the cancellation of the VCU-Oregon game due to COVID. The Rams faced multiple positive tests during the week leading up to Saturday before Marion County (Indiana) public health officials stepped in to cancel the game. The news was tough for head coach Mike Rhoades and his team. That’s a brutal way to end a promising season. Jeff Goodman shares his inside knowledge of the situation and what led to the cancellation.

  • They say that everything is on the line in the postseason. For Shaka Smart, winner of the Big 12 tournament just last weekend, does that mean the end of the road for his time at Texas? Rob Dauster and Jeff Goodman discuss the stunning upset by Abilene Christian and what that means for the Texas program. Rob gives a shoutout to head coach Joe Golding for playing tough defense for 40 minutes.