he 2021 NCAA Tournament is finally upon us. The first round of March Madness matchups will begin Thursday, which means you have just hours to submit a bracket to that person in the office who organizes the pool every year and sends a dozen e-mails about it in the process.
We have put together plenty of content to help prepare you to make relatively educated decisions when filling out your bracket — and to enjoy the tournament in general.
Who will win the NCAA Tournament in 2021?
Gonzaga, Baylor, Michigan and Illinois have the best odds to win March Madness in 2021, according to most sportsbooks. That makes sense — they’re the four No. 1 seeds — and the undefeated Bulldogs will be a popular pick in many brackets to win their first national championship.
The second tier of Iowa, Houston, Alabama and Ohio State are slightly sneakier bets to win it all but still have the high-end talent to upend the chalk.
A team seeded 3 or lower has won the NCAA Tournament only five times since 1990, but it’s always possible — especially in a season filled with as much uncertainty as this one. The lowest seed to win the NCAA Tournament was No. 8 Villanova in 1985.
March Madness odds 2021
| Team | Odds |
| Gonzaga | +200 |
| Baylor | +600 |
| Michigan | +600 |
| Illinois | +700 |
| Iowa | +1600 |
| Houston | +1800 |
| Alabama | +2100 |
| Ohio State | +2400 |
| Florida State | +3000 |
| West Virginia | +3000 |
| Virginia | +3000 |
| Oklahoma State | +3000 |
| UConn | +3200 |
| Texas | +3500 |
| Creighton | +4200 |
| Texas Tech | +4200 |
| Arkansas | +4200 |
| Kansas | +4200 |
| Wisconsin | +4200 |
| Purdue | +4200 |
| Villanova | +4400 |
| Tennessee | +4800 |
| Colorado | +4800 |
| San Diego State | +4800 |
| Loyola-Chicago | +4800 |
| USC | +4800 |
| BYU | +4800 |
| North Carolina | +5500 |
| Oklahoma | +5500 |
| Oregon | +6500 |
| LSU | +7500 |
| Clemson | +8000 |
| Georgia Tech | +8000 |
| Florida | +8000 |
| Maryland | +8000 |
| Rutgers | +8000 |
| Syracuse | +8500 |
| Missouri | +10000 |
| St. Bonaventure | +10000 |
| Utah State | +11000 |
| VCU | +11000 |
| Georgetown | +12000 |
| Virginia Tech | +12000 |
| Michigan State | +12000 |
| UCLA | +12000 |
| Drake | +18000 |
| Wichita State | +18000 |
| Oregon State | +18000 |
| Appalachian State | +20000 |
| UC-Santa Barbara | +20000 |
| Drexel | +20000 |
| Grand Canyon | +20000 |
| Morehead State | +20000 |
| Cleveland State | +20000 |
| Winthrop | +20000 |
| Hartford | +20000 |
| Abilene Christian | +24000 |
| Colgate | +24000 |
| Iona | +24000 |
| Eastern Washington | +25000 |
| Norfolk State | +24000 |
| Ohio | +25000 |
| Liberty | +25000 |
| UNC-Greensboro | +25000 |
| Mt. St. Mary’s | +25000 |
| North Texas | +25000 |
| Oral Roberts | +25000 |
| Texas Southern | +25000 |
FAVORITES:
| Team | Odds |
| Gonzaga | +200 |
| Baylor | +600 |
| Michigan | +600 |
| Illinois | +700 |
| Iowa | +1600 |
| Houston | +1800 |
| Alabama | +2100 |
| Ohio State | +2400 |
| Florida State | +3000 |
| West Virginia | +3000 |
March Madness bracket predictions 2021
It wouldn’t be enough to just have one expert tell you who they think will win it all, so we got several writers to submit their NCAA Tournament predictions to help you deflect blame when your bracket busts in the first round. Here are our experts’ picks to reach the 2021 Final Four!
Jim Powers: Gonzaga, Alabama, Purdue, Illinois
Benny Diamond: Gonzaga, Florida State, Ohio State, Illinois
Stu Randall Gonzaga, Texas, Ohio State, Oklahoma State
Ken Barnes: Gonzaga, Texas, Baylor, Illinois
Tony Russo: Gonzaga, Michigan, Ohio State, Illinois
