It’s a time honored tradition – the veritable rites of Spring. After a year off due to the covid-10 pandemic, March Madness is OFFICIALLY BACK! We’ve got brackets on brackets floating around the office, and as the 2021 NCAA Tournament approaches, we’ve got championship basketball to consume. The weather’s warming up. The days are getting longer, and it just feels like sitting-on-a-patio-with-a-pitcher-of-margaritas weather. All is right with the world in 2021 (shhhh…just go with it).
This year is a bit different, though. The tourney starts Thursday night with the First Four. The play-in games include Texas Southern vs. Mount Saint Mary’s, Drake vs. Wichita State, Appalachian State vs. Norfolk State, and a showdown between two quintessential college basketball programs Michigan State vs. UCLA. It’s odd to not get the full-blown tournament kicking off on Thursday morning, but if it means we actually get to have the tournament, then no one’s going to complain about it. The big dance tips off Friday morning at 11:15AM central time with Virginia Tech and Florida. So, let’s get to it – the SoBros Network’s guide to the 2021 NCAA Tournament!
The Favorites
Let’s start with the overall number one seed, the Gonzaga Bulldogs. They are the last undefeated team standing, and have a chance to do something that hasn’t been done since 1976 – finish a season as an undefeated National Champion. That would also only be just the 8th time that’s happened in the NCAA Tournament era. Gonzaga has never won a National Championship, and considering how America loves a good come-up and/or validation story, I imagine we’re going to really get behind Gonzaga in this tournament. They’re also far and away the favorite to win the whole thing.
Then, you have the other number one seeds, the Baylor Bears, Michigan Wolverines, and Illinois Fighting Illini. The Big Ten was absolutely stacked, but I love the momentum that Illinois is entering this tournament with. This is a really interesting field this year, and it certainly feels like anything can happen. But, you don’t have the blue bloods like Duke and Kentucky even in the tournament. Historical powerhouses like North Carolina and UCLA are lower seeds. Because of covid, they have several teams on standby in the event that one of the tournament teams fails covid protocols. Could you imagine? Michigan fails the test, so suddenly Ole Miss gets in against a #16 seed…it really feels like the 2021 NCAA Tournament is just teetering on the brink of complete chaos. Oh, and if you want some longer odds, I like the Alabama Crimson Tide and Houston Cougars as high-seed sleepers to surprise and win the whole thing, too. It’s all about that momentum.
Then, there’s the upsets. SportsLine’s model predicts that Colgate will upset Arkansas. The Virginia Tech Hokies are another team that’s predicted to pull off an upset in the first round (over the Florida Gators), and may actually be undervalued as a #10 seed. If you’re really wanting to roll the dice on some deep deep odds for the National Champs in a crazy year, you could certainly do a lot worse than the Hokies. The Villanova Wildcats have the pedigree, but don’t be surprised to see them slip up against a dominant (albeit in the Big South) Winthrop Eagles.
How to do March Madness right
I’m all for parity of the first weekend of the tournament. Give me some zany upsets – it creates some of the best sports moments of the year. That excitement makes this one of the biggest sports holidays all year, so treat it as such. This is like Christmas day for college basketball fans. Call out of work if you can. Use a sick day if you have to, but I’d use a personal day if you have ’em…that way you don’t have to keep up some facade about being sick or having to wash the dog or something (shout out Russ from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation). Don’t use that as an excuse to sleep in, though – if you have an errand list, you have to get up early to knock them all out so you’re not worrying about it once the tournament starts.
Think ahead when it comes to food and drink – you gotta have the snackies and beer on hand before the tournament starts. Again, it’s about the preparation and getting yourself to a spot where you can just sit back and enjoy that first weekend. There’s less basketball to worry about after the opening weekend, so that makes things a little more manageable as the tournament progresses. And, for what it’s worth, my go-to comfort food for the tournament has always been pizza. Yes, I will likely eat an entire pizza by myself on Friday.
Also, don’t overdo it with the brackets – sometimes, simple really is better. Fill out one bracket and roll with it. If that idea makes you cringe, I’d say just try it on this year, and if you don’t like it, you can go back to having your dozen brackets like a maniac next year.
Finally, this is officially your last call to join the SoBros Network NCAA Tournament bracket challenge – I’m only adding friends of the brand. No more trolls just trying to win prizes. So, if you’re interested in joining, hit me up via one of the contact methods below.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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