NCAA bracket predictions: Model reveals surprising March Madness 2021 tournament picks

Author: CBS Sports
Published:
NCAA March Madness. (Credit: CBS News)
NCAA March Madness. (Credit: CBS News)

The 2021 NCAA Tournament bracket is set, with 68 men’s basketball teams headed to March Madness 2021 with an eye on cutting down the nets and hoisting the trophy. Only once in history has a No. 1 seed lost to a No. 16 team in the first round, as the UMBC Retrievers shocked the No. 1 seeded Virginia Cavaliers in 2018. Can a 16-over-1 upset happen again in the NCAA Tournament 2021?

With the March Madness bracket finally unveiled, choosing winners in the first round could be a challenge. Whether it’s nailing winners in No. 2 vs. No. 15 games, searching for that 5-12 upset, or deciding an 8-9 coin flip, getting your NCAA bracket predictions right is critical in March Madness 2021. Before making any 2021 March Madness bracket predictions, be sure to check out the 2021 NCAA Tournament bracket picks from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

Their proven projection model has simulated every game in the tournament 10,000 times. It absolutely crushed its March Madness picks last tournament, beating nearly 90 percent of all CBS Sports brackets one year after finishing in the top five percent. The model also nailed 14 teams in the Sweet 16 last time.

It knows how to spot an upset as well. The same model has produced brackets that have nailed 15 of the 26 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds the last four tournaments. It also nailed massive upsets last time, including huge wins by No. 13 seed UC-Irvine over No. 4 seed Kansas State, No. 10 seed Florida over No. 7 seed Nevada, and No. 12 seed Oregon over No. 5 seed Wisconsin.

Three 2021 March Madness bracket games to watch

One 2021 March Madness matchup to keep an eye on: No. 8 Oklahoma takes on No. 9 Missouri in the West Regional on Saturday. At 15-10, the Sooners lost five of their last six games, including to Kansas in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. Austin Reaves leads Oklahoma in scoring at 17.7 points per game, rebounds with 5.7 boards per game, and assists with 4.7 per contest. Missouri fell short against Arkansas in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. Dru Smith scores 16.9 points per game for the Tigers (16-9).

Also in the West Regional, No. 5 Creighton (20-8) meets up with No. 12 UC Santa Barbara in the Round of 64. The Blue Jays made it to the Big East Tournament finals before being steamrolled by Georgetown om Saturday night. Marcus Zegarowski leads Creighton with 15.5 points per game. The Gouchos are 22-4 and captured the Big West Tournament to earn an automatic berth, downing UC Irvine on Saturday night. JaQuouri McLaughlin leads UC Santa Barbara with 16.2 points per game.

The third matchup the model is watching is also in the West Regional, as No. 4 Virginia takes on No. 13 Ohio. The Cavaliers are 18-6 after being unable to play in the ACC Tournament semifinals due to COVID-19. Sam Hauser leads Virginia with 16.0 points per game. Ohio (16-7) won the MAC Tournament to earn an automatic bid, beating Buffalo, 84-69. Jason Preston leads Ohio in scoring with 16.6 points per game. You can see the model’s picks for these games and every other here.

How to make 2021 NCAA bracket predictions

Who wins those three tournament-defining matchups? And which teams will make surprising runs through the 2021 NCAA Tournament bracket? With the model’s track record of calling bracket-busting upsets, you’ll want to see which stunners it is calling this year before locking in any NCAA bracket picks.

So what’s the optimal NCAA Tournament 2021 bracket? And which underdogs will shock college basketball? Visit SportsLine now to see which double-digit seeds you can back with confidence, all from the model that’s nailed 15 of the 26 double-digit seed upsets the past four years.

The 2021 NCAA Tournament bracket is set, with 68 men’s basketball teams headed to March Madness 2021 with an eye on cutting down the nets and hoisting the trophy. Only once in history has a No. 1 seed lost to a No. 16 team in the first round, as the UMBC Retrievers shocked the No. 1 seeded Virginia Cavaliers in 2018. Can a 16-over-1 upset happen again in the NCAA Tournament 2021?

With the March Madness bracket finally unveiled, choosing winners in the first round could be a challenge. Whether it’s nailing winners in No. 2 vs. No. 15 games, searching for that 5-12 upset, or deciding an 8-9 coin flip, getting your NCAA bracket predictions right is critical in March Madness 2021. Before making any 2021 March Madness bracket predictions, be sure to check out the 2021 NCAA Tournament bracket picks from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

Their proven projection model has simulated every game in the tournament 10,000 times. It absolutely crushed its March Madness picks last tournament, beating nearly 90 percent of all CBS Sports brackets one year after finishing in the top five percent. The model also nailed 14 teams in the Sweet 16 last time.

It knows how to spot an upset as well. The same model has produced brackets that have nailed 15 of the 26 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds the last four tournaments. It also nailed massive upsets last time, including huge wins by No. 13 seed UC-Irvine over No. 4 seed Kansas State, No. 10 seed Florida over No. 7 seed Nevada, and No. 12 seed Oregon over No. 5 seed Wisconsin.

Three 2021 March Madness bracket games to watch

One 2021 March Madness matchup to keep an eye on: No. 8 Oklahoma takes on No. 9 Missouri in the West Regional on Saturday. At 15-10, the Sooners lost five of their last six games, including to Kansas in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. Austin Reaves leads Oklahoma in scoring at 17.7 points per game, rebounds with 5.7 boards per game, and assists with 4.7 per contest. Missouri fell short against Arkansas in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. Dru Smith scores 16.9 points per game for the Tigers (16-9).

Also in the West Regional, No. 5 Creighton (20-8) meets up with No. 12 UC Santa Barbara in the Round of 64. The Blue Jays made it to the Big East Tournament finals before being steamrolled by Georgetown om Saturday night. Marcus Zegarowski leads Creighton with 15.5 points per game. The Gouchos are 22-4 and captured the Big West Tournament to earn an automatic berth, downing UC Irvine on Saturday night. JaQuouri McLaughlin leads UC Santa Barbara with 16.2 points per game.

The third matchup the model is watching is also in the West Regional, as No. 4 Virginia takes on No. 13 Ohio. The Cavaliers are 18-6 after being unable to play in the ACC Tournament semifinals due to COVID-19. Sam Hauser leads Virginia with 16.0 points per game. Ohio (16-7) won the MAC Tournament to earn an automatic bid, beating Buffalo, 84-69. Jason Preston leads Ohio in scoring with 16.6 points per game. You can see the model’s picks for these games and every other here.

How to make 2021 NCAA bracket predictions

Who wins those three tournament-defining matchups? And which teams will make surprising runs through the 2021 NCAA Tournament bracket? With the model’s track record of calling bracket-busting upsets, you’ll want to see which stunners it is calling this year before locking in any NCAA bracket picks.

So what’s the optimal NCAA Tournament 2021 bracket? And which underdogs will shock college basketball? Visit SportsLine now to see which double-digit seeds you can back with confidence, all from the model that’s nailed 15 of the 26 double-digit seed upsets the past four years.

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