Special Event: NCAA basketball tournament 2021

March 18, 2021 8:53 AM

The schedules are a little unusual this year, with all the games in central locations and being played later in the week. Schedule is subject to change if needed. Teams need 5 healthy players to be able to play in the tournament. (They don't even need coaches.) In case you've forgotten, Virginia (men) and Baylor (women) are your defending national champions.

Men's tournament (all games held in Indiana, mostly in Indianapolis):
First Four (play-in games): Thursday, March 18
First round (64): Friday/Saturday, March 19-20
Second round (32): Sunday/Monday, March 21-22
Sweet 16: Saturday/Sunday, March 27-28
Elite 8: Monday/Tuesday, March 29-30
Final Four: Saturday, April 3
National championship game: Monday, April 5

Bracket challenge group link: https://fantasy.espn.com/tournament-challenge-bracket/2021/en/group?groupID=3713289

(group name is MetaFilter 2021, password is blue)

The women's tournament first round is being held in San Antonio, San Marcos, and Austin; subsequent rounds are in San Antonio.
First round (64): Sunday/Monday, March 21-22
Second round (32): Tuesday/Wednesday, March 23-24
Sweet 16: Saturday/Sunday, March 27-28
Elite 8: Monday/Tuesday, March 29-30
Final Four: Friday, April 2
National championship game: Sunday, April 4

Bracket challenge group link: https://fantasy.espn.com/tournament-challenge-bracket-women/2021/en/group?groupID=42413

(group name is MetaFilter 2021, password is blue)

posted by cortex (25 comments total)

Today’s the day! Looks like the first First Four game starts at like 4:00 Central time. The big tournament starts tomorrow morning at about 11:00.

(Get your brackets in before tomorrow morning!)
posted by Huffy Puffy at 9:34 AM on March 18, 2021

Eight confirmed COVID cases among NCAA officials.
posted by Thorzdad at 11:25 AM on March 18, 2021

We had to give up on the App State game at halftime (my wife is having a hip replacement in a month and she's just beat, most of the time), but that first half - YEOUCH. Every time they went for a three, we were like "will y'all just stop already?" We would have been happy with either App or Norfolk State taking that game, and we're mad that Norfolk State has to play Zag for their troubles (we know, we know, someone has to do it, but does anyone else feel like this men's bracket was made in a blender? We're big mad that Loyola Chicago and GA Tech are up against each other in the first round, because we wanted to see them both make a run for it.)

We were happy to see Texas Southern win. That was a nice game - just good, solid, well paced basketball.

We're going to *try* to stay up for the Winthrop game tonight (a good buddy of ours was their mascot in undergrad and loves his school, so today, we are all Eagles), but I offer no guarantees.

Our Spartans play Florida State tomorrow, and... we might actually win that? It's hard to say, especially this year.
posted by joycehealy at 8:24 AM on March 19, 2021 [1 favorite]

Gators having trouble with Virginia Tech; meanwhile, after a slow start it looks like Arkansas will probably brush off a strong Colgate challenge.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 10:42 AM on March 19, 2021

Colgate was looking soooooo good in that first half. Sigh.

March is such a strange time. My wife and I, mcqueery queer that we are, are rooting for Oral Roberts because we do love a good upset.
posted by joycehealy at 1:25 PM on March 19, 2021

Just going to post Sedona Prince's reaction vid to the ridiculous disparity between the men's and women's workout facilities here because it needs to be posted.
posted by longdaysjourney at 2:08 PM on March 19, 2021 [1 favorite]

I haven't been following basketball for a couple years now but I'm enjoying seeing Oho State down 6 with 2 left in OT.
posted by fleacircus at 2:12 PM on March 19, 2021

Wow! ORU had a blessed day!
posted by Huffy Puffy at 2:19 PM on March 19, 2021 [1 favorite]

Oral Roberts and Loyola-Chicago win, in an ecumenical first round so far. We'll see how Abilene Christian does against Texas, BYU vs. UCLA, and St. Bonaventure vs. LSU, and of course the best possible religiously-oriented result would be for Oklahoma State to smite Liberty into oblivion.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 3:17 PM on March 19, 2021 [3 favorites]

Well, Oral Roberts busted my bracket, but Loyola-Chicago broke my heart. Tech's tremendous comeback in the ACC tournament against an NBA-sized FSU squad had me believing they had the heart to go all the way. Today wasn't their day, I guess.
posted by ob1quixote at 3:22 PM on March 19, 2021 [1 favorite]

The first round of the tournament is SOOOO good. I love all the drama, a lot of the games are good; I love being able to just go from second half to second half.
posted by fleacircus at 5:02 PM on March 19, 2021 [1 favorite]

Wow a directional Texas knocking off Purdue.
posted by fleacircus at 6:53 PM on March 19, 2021 [1 favorite]

The "Jesus take the wheel" jokes were flying; apologies to ORU.

Oregon State, UNT, Wisconsin (THANK YOU for sending Chapel Hill home!), Oral Roberts. My underseeds bracket is having a good, good day. Let's goooooooo Winthrop and Morehead State!
posted by joycehealy at 7:11 PM on March 19, 2021

From Twitter:
Liberty gave up 69 in a losing effort and all Jerry Falwell Jr. could do was watch.
posted by fleacircus at 7:49 PM on March 19, 2021 [3 favorites]

We just got home (I want to watch basketball all weekend, but we have crap to get done), and ... St Bont and LSU are 4-4 at 8 minutes in?!
posted by joycehealy at 11:03 AM on March 20, 2021

Reminder: the women’s tournament starts tomorrow. Get your bracket in! (password is blue)
posted by Huffy Puffy at 2:10 PM on March 20, 2021 [1 favorite]

THE Ohio University!!
posted by Huffy Puffy at 6:13 PM on March 20, 2021 [3 favorites]

I swear I heard an announcer deadpan "the Oral Roberts University" after that game but it could have been my wishful ears.
posted by fleacircus at 8:17 PM on March 20, 2021

Maryland took out the last three perfect men's brackets last night.
posted by joycehealy at 12:54 PM on March 21, 2021

Also, SFA got robbed; that ball left her hands before the buzzer.
posted by joycehealy at 4:06 PM on March 21, 2021

I guess I feel a little better that Loyola-Chicago went on to bust millions of peoples brackets.

And hats off to Oregon I guess for being better sports than I am, because I would not have resisted the temptation to drop a hundo on Iowa.
posted by ob1quixote at 11:20 AM on March 22, 2021

In honor of the Pac-12 ("Conference of Champions") having 3 teams in the Men's Elite Eight and 2 teams in the Women's Elite Eight, here is a mural of Bill Walton on a Jackalope.
posted by eckeric at 1:04 PM on March 29, 2021 [1 favorite]

The NCSU women broke my heart and my bracket.

Men's side, I can't decide if the chaos meter is better served with a Zag win or UCLA. But Zag's been bucking for it for years, so this would be a good year for it.
posted by joycehealy at 7:11 AM on April 2, 2021

Never mind. Zag looks like an NBA team and UCLA looks like someone raided a Village People music video and I am here for it. Go Bruins!
posted by joycehealy at 6:19 PM on April 3, 2021 [1 favorite]

I correctly predicted the final game for the first time in ever, and I can't even be happy about it. Grump. We were almost crying at the end of that game, y'all.

I'll stop spamming the thread now.
posted by joycehealy at 9:43 PM on April 3, 2021