NCAA Tournament 2021: Early Predictions for Sweet 16 Teams Post-Selection Sunday
Nobody can make your bracket for you, but perhaps somebody—out of both the goodness of their heart and their desire to receive a paycheck—could give you one good reason why 16 teams will advance to the Sweet 16 at the 2021 NCAA tournament.
What follows is a breakdown of four teams from each region you should be picking on your bracket to advance and an argument for why those teams deserve your trust.
Spoiler alert: Things get wild out West. As for the rest of the bracket, well, don't be afraid of some chalk.
West Region
No. 1 Gonzaga: No team in the country has more natural talent, led by future NBA lottery picks Jalen Suggs and Corey Kispert.
No. 13 Ohio: Hello, Cinderella. Jason Preston is good enough to lead this team to wins over Virginia and Creighton, and don't forget that Ohio lost to Illinois by just two points in November. The Bobcats can fill it up, and they'll do that straight into the Sweet 16.
No. 7 Oregon: No Iowa? No Iowa. The Hawkeyes aren't great defensively (50th in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom.com) and Oregon has six players making 35 percent or better on threes. A healthy Oregon side shocks Iowa in the second round.
No. 6 USC: Evan Mobley is good for two wins in this tournament. The future top-five NBA draft pick leads a USC team that makes opponents work to get buckets at the rim. Kansas will be a tough out, but they don't have a good answer for Mobley.
East Region
No. 1 Michigan: The Wolverines may have lost three of its last five games, but those defeats came vs. NCAA tournament teams (Illinois, Michigan State, Ohio State). This is still one of the best teams in the country.
No. 4 Florida State: Efficient offenses tend to fare well in March. Florida State was 10th in adjusted offensive efficiency this season. You do the math.
No. 3 Texas: The Longhorns have incredible inside-outside balance, led by guards Courtney Ramey, Andrew Jones and Matt Coleman III and NBA talents in the frontcourt (Greg Brown and Kai Jones). The Longhorns won't be stopping at the Sweet 16.
No. 2 Alabama: After a zany West Region, we go chalk in the East. This Alabama team thrives under pressure and wins with both perimeter shooting and pace. A Texas vs. Alabama Sweet 16 matchup will have Final Four vibes (and don't be surprised if the game's winner gets there).
South Region
No. 1 Baylor: Jared Butler (17.1 PPG), Davion Mitchell (13.8 PPG) and MaCio Teague (15.8 PPG) are awesome. Any team with a guard trio this good has great odds to go on a deep March run. Book it.
No. 4 Purdue: This would be a tougher pick if Villanova still had Collin Gillespie. As it stands, the battle-tested Boilermakers and their two frontcourt giants (Trevion Williams and Zach Edey) are good enough to reach the Sweet 16.
No. 6 Texas Tech: After six losses by six points or fewer in Big 12 play—including two in overtime—Mac McClung and the Red Raiders are likely keen to prove what they can do outside of their loaded conference. Don't bet against them making a run to the Sweet 16.
No. 2 Ohio State: Four straight losses to close the regular season took the shine off the Buckeyes. Wins over Purdue and Michigan returned it. Beating Illinois in the conference tournament championship game would have been the cherry on top, but there was no shame in the overtime loss. This team is a threat.
Midwest Region
No. 1 Illinois: Only Gonzaga is hotter. Loyola Chicago won't be pushovers, but Illinois is too good.
No. 4 Oklahoma State: Cade Cunningham. That's it. That's the blurb. Just ask the rest of the field at the Big 12 conference tournament—well, outside of Texas—or NBA scouts if anything else needs to be said.
No. 3 West Virginia: The Mountaineers gave Gonzaga a game (87-82 loss), beat Georgetown, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech (twice), Kansas and Texas and took Baylor to overtime. West Virginia is ready for the March spotlight.
No. 2 Houston: Quentin Grimes leads one of the nation's most efficient units (No. 8 adjusted offensive efficiency, No. 16 adjusted defensive efficiency) into March.