Gonzaga, Illinois among No. 1 seeds
Despite recent virus issues, Kansas, Virginia part of tourney
The biggest unknown leading into a March Madness bracket reveal more than a year in the making had little to do with bubble teams or top seeds. Instead, it was the notsosimple matter of which programs would be healthy enough to play.
Kansas and Virginia, two programs hit with coronavirus breakouts over the past week, made it into the bracket released Sunday by the NCAA selection committee, signaling both teams believe they’ll have enough healthy players to be ready for their tipoffs next weekend.
That there was any doubt about the Jayhawks and defending champion Cavaliers securing spots in the 68team tournament was the most jarring reminder that the 2021 tournament itself is no sure thing.
“The one thing I’ve found out through this, probably as much as anybody, is expect the unexpected,” Kansas head coach Bill Self said.
Selection committee chair Mitch Barnhart said the committee was in frequent contact with leaders at Kansas and Virginia to ensure “the protocols were being met that would allow them to come to Indianapolis and participate.”
“We’re confident at this point that we’re moving forward to tipoff Thursday with a full field of 68,” Barnhart said.
Virginia head coach Tony Bennett said most of his team remained in quarantine Sunday night but expects to be in Indianapolis this week.
There were no surprises among the four No. 1 seeds. Gonzaga, Baylor, Illinois and Michigan earned those slots — with the Zags the favorite to win it all and become the first team since the 197576 Indiana Hoosiers to finish a season undefeated.
The last teams to earn the 37 atlarge bids — one more than usual because the Ivy League canceled play this year — were Drake and Wichita State, which play Thursday in a First Four game, and UCLA and Michigan State, two decorated programs that meet in another playin game.
“Heck of a game to start the tournament,” Barnhart said, tongue in cheek.
Four teams that didn’t make it — Louisville, Colorado State, Saint Louis and Mississippi — have been put on standby. They could find their way into the bracket if a team in the field notifies the NCAA by Tuesday night that it must withdraw because of health concerns. After that, if a team pulls out, its opponent will advance via what is essentially a forfeit.
Fittingly for such an unpredictable season, some teams hoping to sneak in off the bubble were denied when Oregon State and Georgetown — coached by its former AllAmerica center, Patrick Ewing — won their conference tourneys to grab bids they wouldn’t have received.
“It’s a different year. Different world,” Ewing said. “The pandemic has definitely changed everything. I’m here quarantining in a room for 24 to 48 hours before we can get out and do things.”
Another unexpected entry is a familiar face: Rick Pitino. The head coach, ousted at Louisville after a recruiting scandal that enveloped the program for years, led his new team, Iona, from the ninth seed in the MAAC all the way to the league title and the automatic bid that comes with it. Iona played only 13 regularseason games because of coronavirus concerns.
And if fans needed more evidence of how unfamiliar this tournament will feel, try this: For the first time since 1976, Duke and Kentucky both won’t be in the field.
Like Virginia and Kansas, Duke pulled out of its conference tournament because of a positive coronavirus test. The Blue Devils announced that marked the end of their season, before telling the NCAA that they’d be available if asked. They weren’t.