Which team will spring a March Madness upset Monday?
The 2021 NCAA Tournament has already been one of the most topsy-turvy in the event's history, as at least one of every seed (except No. 16) advanced past the first round.
The trend continued Sunday, when No. 15 seed Oral Roberts stunned Florida, No. 8 Loyola-Chicago took down No. 1 Illinois, No. 12 Oregon State ousted Oklahoma State, and No. 11 Syracuse bested West Virginia to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
Will the upsets continue Monday, as the rest of the Sweet Sixteen is filled in? We'll find out soon enough.
#7 Oregon vs. #2 Iowa
Iowa looked OK in a first-round win over Grand Canyon, but certainly didn't blow the doors off the No. 15 seed, while Oregon advanced without even taking the floor, as VCU was eliminated from the tournament because of COVID-19 measures.
Can the fresh Ducks continue the Pac-12's dominant run? Or will Luka Garza lead the Hawkeyes to the Sweet Sixteen?
#8 Oklahoma vs. #1 Gonzaga
Gonzaga shrugged off Norfolk State with ease in the first round, and the Zags are again commanding favorites against the Sooners.
Gonzaga's 43-point win is the largest in the NCAA Tournament since Villanova beat Oklahoma by 44 in the 2016 National Semifinals. pic.twitter.com/zo0WLtxZkN
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 21, 2021
Oklahoma just got past Missouri in the first round and didn't exactly surge into the tournament, with just one win from six games before the Missouri matchup.
#14 Abilene Christian vs. #11 UCLA
It doesn't matter who wins this matchup. Either team's presence in the Sweet Sixteen will be a surprise.
FIRST NCAA TOURNAMENT WIN MOOD pic.twitter.com/7qAf6iBl0V
— ACU Sports (@ACUsports) March 21, 2021
UCLA has shown tremendous toughness to get out of the play-in round and upset No. 6 BYU in the first round, while Abilene Christian stunned in-state rival Texas.
After such an emotional win, do the Wildcats have enough to make an extended run over a legacy opponent like UCLA?
#13 Ohio vs. #5 Creighton
Ohio was a trendy upset pick in the first round and it lived up to the hype, with an upset of Virginia, while Creighton barely escaped against No. 12 UC Santa Barbara in the first round.
The point spread certainly doesn't indicate this Big East vs. MAC contest is a mismatch.
#8 LSU vs. #1 Michigan
Does Michigan have what it takes to salvage a disastrous tournament for the Big Ten?
The Wolverines never had to sweat in a first-round win over Texas Southern, but LSU is no pushover.
The Tigers' first-round victory over St. Bonaventure was never in doubt, and their only loss in six March games was a one-point defeat to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.
#5 Colorado vs. #4 Florida State
A No. 5 vs. a No. 4? How dare this bracket be conventional in this tournament!
Georgetown seeing the Colorado Buffaloes today 😅 pic.twitter.com/bM932RZSSB
— ESPN (@espn) March 20, 2021
This game may be the most likely chance for an upset — albeit a tiny one — on Monday, as Colorado put in one of the best first-round performances when it dismantled Big East champ Georgetown.
Florida State got a challenge from UNC Greensboro in the first round, but won relatively comfortably in the end.
#10 Maryland vs. #2 Alabama
They say to fear the turtle, and Alabama should be at least a bit concerned.
Maryland guard Eric Ayala dropped 23 points in a first-round upset of Connecticut and will likely need to fill up the stat sheet again to spring another surprise.
Alabama has won seven straight games, and although the Tide let Iona hang around in the first round, it pulled away late.
#6 USC vs. #3 Kansas
The Pac-12 has a huge opportunity to really put its stamp on the tournament today, and the point spread in this game is a bit surprising.
USC and Kansas is a coin flip? In basketball? What is going on here?
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