The Return of March Madness
By Colin Lawless, Staff Writer
Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic last March, just about every major sports season and event was canceled. March Madness, the NCAA’s favorite child, was one of them, and the many college athletes who had dreamed of playing in the tournament missed out on their first and potentially only chance to participate.
As the world dealt with and figured out how to resume sports during the pandemic, the NCAA was more than happy to get basketball going again, with their sights firmly planted on March.
The 2021 NCAA tournament, for both men and women, came off masterfully. It was played in several locations in Indiana for the men’s side, and in several locations in Texas for the women. Each time would enter a “bubble” of sorts similar to what the NBA did in last summer’s trip to Disney World. Every student was given a contact tracing device that made sure that they stayed put in their hotel when not playing basketball, and these precautions are what allowed for the tournament to go off without a hitch.
To help them from going stir crazy, each hotel had a makeshift weight room, which led to major controversy at the beginning of the tournament. The men’s hotels were decked out with full gyms with barbells, racks, dumbbells, and just about everything else one would need.
The women, however, weren’t originally given the same facilities. After originally being provided with just some dumbbells and a few mats, protests took over the world’s social media feeds as the women of the tournament felt they deserved the same equipment that the men had. The NCAA did correct their mistake, but their obvious lack of thought and care from the start certainly raises questions of where their values lie.
As for the two tournaments themselves, both were a treat for college basketball fans everywhere after a year off. The men’s tournament had some fresh #1 seeds and was missing a few familiar faces.
The likes of Duke and Kentucky didn’t make the tournament for the first time in decades, and teams like North Carolina and Michigan State were very early exits.
As always, there were plenty of great underdog stories. #15 seed Oral Roberts knocked off #2 seed Ohio State in the first round en route to a sweet sixteen exit. #14 seed Abilene Christian knocked off #3 seed Texas in the first round, and #8 seed Loyola Chicago knocked off #1 seed and favorite Illinois in the second round.
My personal favorite was #11 seed UCLA, who went all the way from the First Four to the Final Four before losing a heartbreaker to Gonzaga at the buzzer. The Final Four consisted of two #1 seeds in Gonzaga and Baylor, a #2 seed in Houston, and #11 seed UCLA. Baylor and Gonzaga met in the championship, and Baylor’s defense and hot start from the field led them to a first NCAA championship win against the previously undefeated Gonzaga.
The women’s tournament was home to a lot of familiar teams with fresh faces. The always dominant UConn came in as a #1 seed led by freshman phenom Paige Bueckers. She led the Huskies to a heartbreaking Final Four loss to end her first season. On the other side of things was #1 seed and perennial favorite South Carolina. Slightly lower seeds like Baylor, Texas, and Louisville all had inspired tournaments, but all fell to respective #1 seeds UConn, South Carolina, and Stanford.
The Final Four had UConn face off against #3 seed Arizona, and South Carolina face off against Stanford. Arizona handed UConn a rare loss while Stanford left South Carolina heartbroken after a one point win, and the championship was set. Stanford won an incredible game 54-53, and a women’s tournament filled with initial controversy ended on an awesome note.
