Let the Games Begin!

March 18, 2021

Tipoff

After a grueling year of waiting for this moment, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament has returned. Today, the First Four kicks off. For some teams, though, this is a cheaper thrill than the real deal. When the NCAA expanded the field of teams beyond 64 teams to its current Field of 68 (gotta plug the network!), it did so with the intention of blunting the criticism from bubble teams that got left out of the field - all due respect to Louisville this year. It also wanted to give the little guys, the 16 seeds, an opportunity to win a game. While the goal has more or less been accomplished for the former, the latter has been given short shrift.

In the post-UMBC world in which we live, pitting two of the lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers against each other in the opening round seems like a cheap tactic. The winning team gets to claim that they won a game, but the loser fails to play in the big game against the 1 seed, the true David vs. Goliath opportunity that makes the NCAA Tournament so special. Upsets and Cinderella stories are what makes the NCAA Tournament such a unique and captivating experience. This is a single-elimination event that is defined by its chaotic energy. Compare that to the NCAA Bowl Championship Series, where the group of teams that have a realistic chance at making the cut can be counted before the season begins on fewer fingers than most people have on their two hands. 

While it is true that only one 16 seed has ever won a game in the NCAA Tournament, every team deserves the right to play in the real deal games by earning that automatic qualifying game. Let the bubble teams from major conferences, like tonight’s Michigan State/UCLA matchup, fight it out for the right to play into the tournament. Give the little guys, all of them, their chance at glory.

Tournament Tracker

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

  • # 16 Texas Southern vs. # 16 Mount St. Mary’s (5:10 p.m. EDT on TruTV)

  • #11 Drake vs. #11 Wichita State  (6:27 p.m. EDT on TBS)

  • #16 Appalachian State vs. #16 Norfolk State (8:40 p.m. on TruTV)

  • #11 UCLA vs. 11 Michigan State (9:57 p.m. EDT on TBS)

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.

  • It’s the NCAA Tournament! Sound the alarms, ring the bells, restock your fridge!!! Rob Dauster and Jeff Goodman give one final preview of the Field of 68. Can Wintrhop really upset Villanova? Can Purdue hold off North Texas? Hear what the insiders have to say before filling out your bracket.

  • On Bulldog Broadcast with Dan Dickau, special guest Richard Fox, former player and current TV analyst for the Zags, joins the podcast to ask the biggest question facing the #1 team in the nation: Will Gonzaga go undefeated?

  • On the Scorer’s Table podcast with Eric Devendorf, fellow Syracuse standout Ryan Blackwell joins the conversation to take a look at the Orange. Jim Boeheim’s squad is perpetually on the bubble and more often than not finds a way to sneak into the field. Is this squad like the 2016 version that has a chance to make a miracle run to the Final Four or are they ripe for upset?

Since this is Cinderella season, no one is better to discuss what it is like to make a run to the Sweet 16 than Miami of Ohio legend Wally Sczcerbiak. The former NBA player and current basketball analyst joined Jeff Goodman to relive the 1999 postseason as part of the 68 Shining Moments series from the Field of 68. This is a must-watch episode and one of the many big names that will participate in the series.