The Big Dance

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Let’s Go Dancing!

Screenshot: NCAA.com

NCAA Selection Show Reveals 2021 NCAA Tournament Field

2021 NCAA Tournament Bracket (Printable)

It’s finally here. For the first time in 700-plus days, we can happily say that the brackets are back. March Madness is a full go, but many complications and unique circumstances remain due to COVID-19. This year’s 68-team tourney will take place entirely in Indianapolis with the Final Four held at Lucas Oil Stadium.

2021 COVID-19 Rules: Any team that has a COVID-19 outbreak could forfeit its game resulting in a walk-over. And each team must have seven consecutive days of negative tests before coming to Indianapolis. That puts 4-Seed Virginia and 3-Seed Kansas in a unique position to get healthy. Both teams had positive tests over the weekend.

Yours truly is in Indy for the next three weeks, and there are storylines galore leading up to tip-off. Let’s go dancing!

Bracketology Notes

The Top Seeds

1-Seeds: Gonzaga, Illinois, Michigan, Baylor

2-Seeds: Ohio State, Iowa, Alabama, Houston

3-Seeds: Kansas, West Virginia, Arkansas, Texas

4-Seeds: Purdue, Oklahoma State, Florida State, Virginia

Low-Seed History: Only three teams lower than a 4-seed have won the National Championship; #6 Kansas (1988), #7 UConn (2014) and #8 Villanova (1985). History says the champion is on the 4-line or higher.

1-Seed History: No. 1 seeds have won 22 of the last 35 NCAA Tournaments. The 1-seeds have also had success in recent years, winning each of the last three titles; North Carolina (2017), Villanova (2018) and Virginia (2019).

Bid Breakdown by Conference

Big Ten: 9 Teams

Big 12: 7 Teams

ACC: 7 Teams

SEC: 6 Teams

Pac-12: 5 Teams

Big East: 4 Teams

The Bubble

Last Four In: Michigan State, UCLA, Wichita State, Drake

First Four Out: Louisville, Colorado State, Saint Louis, Ole Miss

Play: The Sportsletter’s Bracket Challenge

Tournament Schedule: Opening Weekend

First Four: Thursday

1st Round: Friday-Saturday

2nd Round: Sunday-Monday

Additional Storylines

ESPN: March Madness 2021: What to Know About Every Team in the NCAA Tournament Bracket

CBS Sports: Full NCAA Tournament Dates, Locations & Tip Times

SI: Louisville Earns Top Replacement Spot if Team Has to Pull Out Due to COVID-19

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NFL

Drew Brees Hangs It Up

Photo: Chris Graythen / Getty Images

Saints Quarterback & Future Hall of Famer Retires After 20-Year Career

 

Many NFL fans expected that Drew Brees played his final game, and now it’s confirmed. The 42-year-old Hall of Fame quarterback announced his retirement on Instagram Sunday night where his children helped him celebrate the news. After 20 NFL seasons, and exactly 15 years (to the day) since joining New Orleans, the NFL’s all-time passing yardage leader is riding off into the sunset.

 

“Each day, I poured my heart and soul into being your quarterback. Til the very end, I exhausted myself to give everything I had to the Saints organization, my team, and the great city of New Orleans. We shared some amazing moments together… This is not goodbye, rather a new beginning. Now my real life’s work begins.” — Drew Brees

 

Career Accomplishments

13X Pro Bowler

7X Passing Yards Leader

Super Bowl XLIV Champion

Super Bowl XLIV MVP

 

All-Time Rankings

Passing Yards: 80,358 (1st)

Passing TDs: 571 (2nd)

Completion Percentage: 67.7% (2nd)

Passer Rating: 98.7 (5th)

 

Brees has already signed a broadcasting deal with NBC Sports, so we’ll still get to see him on Sundays. Move over, Tony Romo. There’s another quarterback in the booth.

 

Additional Storylines

USA Today: Teammates & Rival NFL Stars React to Drew Brees Announcement

CBS Sports: Saints & QB Taysom Hill Agree on Whacky Extension That Frees Up 2021 Cap Space

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J.T. Cards Sunday Comeback at TPC Sawgrass

Photo: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images

Justin Thomas (-14) Goes Birdie-Eagle-Birdie on Back-9 to Win The Players Championship

Sunday’s final round of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass was a shootout down the stretch as five players jockeyed for the top spot on the leaderboard. By day’s end, Justin Thomas (-14) fired a 4-under final round that included three perfect holes — birdie, eagle, birdie — on the back-nine to beat Lee Westwood (-13). Westwood held the lead entering Sunday, but he shot even par in the final round while Thomas led a surge of players in pursuit. Bryson DeChambeau (-12) was also knocking on the door until his Sunday collapse.

JT on the Weekend: Thomas was nowhere near the top of the leaderboard following his first two rounds on Thursday and Friday. He was just 2-under and eight strokes off the lead, but a scorching Saturday (-8) and Sunday (-4) secured his 14th PGA Tour win, and his first of the 2021 season.

Chasing History: JT’s 14 PGA Tour wins before the age of 28 ranks third all-time behind Jack Nicklaus (25) and Tiger Woods (39).

Final Leaderboard

J. Thomas (-14)

L. Westwood (-13)

B. Harman (-12)

B. DeChambeau (-12)

T. Gooch (-11)

P. Casey (-11)

Other Notable Scorecards: C. Conners (-10), S. Lowry (-9), S. Garcia (-8), J. Rahm (-8), P. Reed (-5), P. Mickelson (-3), J. Day (-3), C. Morikawa (-2), D. Johnson (-1), J. Spieth (-1)

Watch Highlights

Additional Storylines

Golf Week: Justin Thomas Holds Off Bryson DeChambeau & Lee Westwood to Win The Players

Gold Digest: How Justin Thomas Stayed Calm on a Crazy, Chaotic Sunday at TPC Sawgrass

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NCAAW

The Women’s Selection Show

Photo: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images

NCAAW Selection Show: Tonight (7:00 pm ET)

 

With all the hoopla surrounding the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, we’ll get another bracket reveal tonight for the women’s game. This year’s women’s tourney will take place in San Antonio. The same COVID-19 rules apply, and your bracket is more than likely a better bet — the women’s game is usually more top-heavy and less upset-crazed. Only five different programs have won the last 10 NCAA women’s tournaments. UConn has accounted for five of those 10, but they haven’t won it all since 2016.

 

Projected No. 1 Seeds

UConn, Stanford, Texas A&M, South Carolina

 

Conference Tournament Champions

Big 12: Baylor

Big Ten: Maryland

ACC: NC State

Big East: UConn

Pac-12: Stanford

SEC: South Carolina

 

Tonight: NCAA Women’s Selection Show (7:00 pm ET)

 

Additional Storylines

ESPN: Every Automatic Bid for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament

CBS Sports: Baylor’s Title Defense & Top Storylines Ahead of Monday’s Selection Show

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