After the most unusual NCAA tournament in history, a return to the version of March Madness fans have known and loved is back on the schedule for 2021-22. A standard selection process, a multiple-city event, and the return of fans, bands and cheerleaders are among the elements college basketball worshippers will welcome back in March. ESPN will have you covered up through Selection Sunday with the most recent men’s NCAA tournament bracket projections, including the teams on the bubble and those best positioned to cut down the nets in New Orleans on April 4.
Bracket Watch
Only one new at-large team this time around: Creighton, a major player in the transfer market, joins the field in place of Big East compatriot Seton Hall. New automatic qualifiers include UC Santa Barbara (Big West), Furman (Southern Conference), Louisiana (Sun Belt) and Jackson State (SWAC). Conspiracy theorists will note the “Last Team In” status for Syracuse and perhaps the placement of Duke and retiring coach Mike Krzyzewski in Buffalo, N.Y., where the Blue Devils suffered a first-round upset at the hands of VCU in 2007.
On the Bubble
Last Four Byes
Last Four In
First Four Out
Next Four Out
68-Team Bracket
WEST (SAN FRANCISCO)
EAST (PHILADELPHIA)
MIDWEST (CHICAGO)
SOUTH (SAN ANTONIO)
