College basketball once again has a national champion. The Baylor Bears have claimed the crown for the first time in school history after throttling Gonzaga in the title game on Monday night in Indianapolis. The Bears, who started the year as preseason No. 2, were hardly challenged throughout this tournament run, winning every game but one by double digits.
They dropped just two games all year and had to deal with a lengthy COVID-19 pause. But through all of the hardships, Baylor persevered and earned the right to be called champions.
Below you can relive all the action over the last three weeks with game-by-game recaps and the full schedule of how the tournament took place. Thanks for staying with us throughout for continuing coverage of the 2021 NCAA Tournament and we'll see you next year.
2021 NCAA Tournament schedule, results
National Championship
Monday, April 5
Lucas Oil Stadium
| Time (ET) | Matchup | Result |
|---|---|---|
9:20 p.m. | (1) Baylor 86, (1) Gonzaga 70 |
Final Four
Saturday, April 3
Lucas Oil Stadium
| Time (ET) | Matchup | TV/Results |
|---|---|---|
| 5:14 p.m. | (2) Houston 59, (1) Baylor 78 | Recap |
| 8:34 p.m. | (1) Gonzaga 93, (11) UCLA 90 (OT) | Recap |
First Four
Thursday, March 18 -- Mackey Arena, Assembly Hall
| Time (ET) | Matchup/Results |
|---|---|
| 5:10 p.m. | (16) Texas Southern 60, (16) Mount St. Mary's 52 -- Recap |
| 6:27 p.m. | (11) Drake 53, (11) Wichita St. 52 -- Recap |
| 8:40 p.m. | (16) Norfolk State 54, (16) Appalachian State 53 -- Recap |
| 9:57 p.m. | (11) UCLA 86, (11) Michigan State 80 (OT) -- Recap |
First round
Friday, March 19, 2021 -- Mackey Arena, Assembly Hall, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Lucas Oil Stadium
| Time (ET) | Matchup | Results |
|---|---|---|
| 12:15 p.m. | (7) Florida 75, (10) Virginia Tech 70 (OT) | Recap |
| 12:45 p.m. | (3) Arkansas 85, (14) Colgate 68 | Recap |
| 1:15 p.m. | (1) Illinois 78, (16) Drexel 49 | Recap |
| 1:45 p.m. | (6) Texas Tech 65, (11) Utah State 53 | Recap |
| 3 p.m. | (15) Oral Roberts 75, (2) Ohio State 72 (OT) | Recap |
| 3:30 p.m. | (1) Baylor 79, (16) Hartford 55 | Recap |
| 4 p.m. | (8) Loyola Chicago 71, (9) Georgia Tech 60 | Recap |
| 4:30 p.m. | (12) Oregon State 70, (5) Tennessee 56 | Recap |
| 6:25 p.m. | (4) Oklahoma State 69, (13) Liberty 60 | Recap |
| 7:10 p.m. | (9) Wisconsin 85, (8) North Carolina 62 | Recap |
| 7:15 p.m. | (2) Houston 87, (15) Cleveland State 56 | Recap |
| 7:25 p.m. | (13) North Texas 78, (4) Purdue 69 | Recap |
| 9:20 p.m. | (10) Rutgers 60, (7) Clemson 56 | Recap |
| 9:40 p.m. | (11) Syracuse 78, (6) San Diego State 62 | Recap |
| 9:50 p.m. | (3) West Virginia 84, (14) Morehead State 67 | Recap |
| 9:57 p.m. | (5) Villanova 73, (12) Winthrop 63 | Recap |
Saturday, March 20 -- Mackey Arena, Assembly Hall, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Lucas Oil Stadium
| Time (ET) | Matchup | Results |
|---|---|---|
| 12:15 p.m. | (5) Colorado 96, (12) Georgetown 73 | Recap |
| 12:45 p.m. | (4) Florida State 64, (13) UNC Greensboro 54 | Recap |
| 1:15 p.m. | (3) Kansas 93, (14) Eastern Washington 84 | Recap |
| 1:45 p.m. | (8) LSU 76, (9) St. Bonaventure 61 | Recap |
| 3 p.m. | (1) Michigan 82, (16) Texas Southern 66 | Recap |
| 3:30 p.m. | (5) Creighton 63, (12) UC Santa Barbara 62 | Recap |
| 4 p.m. | (2) Alabama 68, (15) Iona 55 | Recap |
| 4:30 p.m. | (6) USC 72, (11) Drake 56 | Recap |
| 6:25 p.m. | (2) Iowa 86, (15) Grand Canyon 74 | Recap |
| 7:10 p.m. | (10) Maryland 63, (7) UConn 54 | Recap |
| 7:15 p.m. | (13) Ohio 62, (4) Virginia 58 | Recap |
| 7:25 p.m. | (8) Oklahoma 72, (9) Missouri 68 | Recap |
| 9:20 p.m. | (1) Gonzaga 98, (16) Norfolk State 55 | Recap |
| 9:40 p.m. | (11) UCLA 73, (6) BYU 62 | Recap |
| 9:50 p.m. | (14) Abilene Christian 53, (3) Texas 52 | Recap |
| 9:57 p.m. | (7) Oregon "no-contest" over (7) VCU | Story |
Second Round
Sunday, March 21 -- Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Lucas Oil Stadium
| Time (ET) | Matchup | Results |
|---|---|---|
| 12:10 p.m. | (8) Loyola Chicago 71, (1) Illinois 58 | Recap |
| 2:40 p.m. | (1) Baylor 76, (9) Wisconsin 63 | Recap |
| 5:15 p.m. | (11) Syracuse 75, (3) West Virginia 72 | Recap |
| 6:10 p.m. | (3) Arkansas 68, (6) Texas Tech 66 | Recap |
| 7:10 p.m. | (2) Houston 63, (10) Rutgers 60 | Recap |
| 7:45 p.m. | (15) Oral Roberts 81, (7) Florida 78 | Recap |
| 8:45 p.m. | (5) Villanova 84, (13) North Texas 61 | Recap |
| 9:40 p.m. | (4) Oklahoma State vs. (12) Oregon State | Recap |
Monday, March 22 -- Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Lucas Oil Stadium
| Time (ET) | Matchup | Results |
|---|---|---|
| 12:10 p.m. | (7) Oregon 95, (2) Iowa 80 | Recap |
| 2:40 p.m. | (1) Gonzaga 87, (8) Oklahoma 81 | Recap |
| 5:15 p.m. | (11) UCLA 67, (14) Abilene Christian 47 | Recap |
| 6:10 p.m. | (5) Creighton 72, (13) Ohio 58 | Recap |
| 7:10 p.m. | (1) Michigan 86, (8) LSU 78 | Recap |
| 7:45 p.m. | (4) Florida State 71, (5) Colorado 53 | Recap |
| 8:45 p.m. | (2) Alabama 96, (10) Maryland 77 | Recap |
| 9:40 p.m. | (6) USC 85, (3) Kansas 51 | Recap |
Sweet 16
Saturday, March 27
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse
| Time (ET) | Matchup | TV/Results |
|---|---|---|
2:40 p.m. | (12) Oregon State 65, (8) Loyola Chicago 58 | |
5:15 p.m. | (1) Baylor 62, (5) Villanova 51 | |
7:25 p.m. | (3) Arkansas 72, (15) Oral Roberts 70 | |
| 9:55 p.m. | (2) Houston 62, (11) Syracuse 46 | Recap |
Sunday, March 28
Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse
| Time (ET) | Matchup | TV |
|---|---|---|
2:10 p.m. | (1) Gonzaga 83, (5) Creighton 65 | |
5 p.m. | (1) Michigan 76, (4) Florida State 58 | |
7:15 p.m. | (11) UCLA 88, (2) Alabama 78 (OT) | |
| 9:45 p.m. | (6) USC 82, (7) Oregon 68 | Recap |
Elite Eight
Monday, March 29
Lucas Oil Stadium
| Time (ET) | Matchup | TV/Results |
|---|---|---|
| 7:15 p.m. | (2) Houston 67, (12) Oregon State 61 | Recap |
| 9:57 p.m. | (1) Baylor 81, (3) Arkansas 72 | Recap |
Tuesday, March 30
Lucas Oil Stadium
| Time (ET) | Matchup | TV/Results |
|---|---|---|
| 7:15 p.m. | (1) Gonzaga 85, (6) USC 66 | Recap |
| 9:57 p.m. | (11) UCLA 51, (1) Michigan 49 | Recap |
All-time NCAA Tournament champions
| YEAR | CHAMPION (RECORD) | COACH | MOP |
| 1939 | Oregon (29-5) | Howard Hobson | Jimmy Hull, Ohio State* |
| 1940 | Indiana (20-3) | Branch McCracken | Marvin Huffman, Indiana |
| 1941 | Wisconsin (20-3) | Bud Foster | John Kotz, Wisconsin |
| 1942 | Stanford (28-4) | Everett Dean | Howie Dallmar, Stanford |
| 1943 | Wyoming (31-2) | Everett Shelton | Ken Sailors, Wyoming |
| 1944 | Utah (21-4) | Vadal Peterson | Arnie Ferrin, Utah |
| 1945 | Oklahoma State (27-4) | Henry Iba | Bob Kurland, Oklahoma A&M |
| 1946 | Oklahoma State (31-2) | Henry Iba | Bob Kurland, Oklahoma A&M |
| 1947 | Holy Cross (27-3) | Doggie Julian | George Kaftan, Holy Cross |
| 1948 | Kentucky (36-3) | Adolph Rupp | Alex Groza, Kentucky |
| 1949 | Kentucky (32-2) | Adolph Rupp | Alex Groza, Kentucky |
| 1950 | CCNY (24-5) | Nat Holman | Irwin Dambrot, CCNY |
| 1951 | Kentucky (32-2) | Adolph Rupp | Bill Spivey, Kentucky |
| 1952 | Kansas (28-3) | Phog Allen | Clyde Lovellette, Kansas |
| 1953 | Indiana (23-3) | Branch McCracken | B. H. Born, Kansas* |
| 1954 | La Salle (26-4) | Ken Loeffler | Tom Gola, La Salle |
| 1955 | San Francisco (28-1) | Phil Woolpert | Bill Russell, San Francisco |
| 1956 | San Francisco (29-0) | Phil Woolpert | Hal Lear, Temple* |
| 1957 | North Carolina (32-0) | Frank McGuire | Wilt Chamberlain, Kansas* |
| 1958 | Kentucky (23-6) | Adolph Rupp | Elgin Baylor, Seattle* |
| 1959 | California (25-4) | Pete Newell | Jerry West, West Virginia* |
| 1960 | Ohio State (25-3) | Fred Taylor | Jerry Lucas, Ohio State |
| 1961 | Cincinnati (27-3) | Ed Jucker | Jerry Lucas, Ohio State* |
| 1962 | Cincinnati (29-2) | Ed Jucker | Paul Hogue, Cincinnati |
| 1963 | Loyola (Ill.) (29-2) | George Ireland | Art Heyman, Duke* |
| 1964 | UCLA (30-0) | John Wooden | Walt Hazzard, UCLA |
| 1965 | UCLA (28-2) | John Wooden | Bill Bradley, Princeton* |
| 1966 | UTEP (28-1) | Don Haskins | Jerry Chambers, Utah* |
| 1967 | UCLA (30-0) | John Wooden | Lew Alcindor, UCLA |
| 1968 | UCLA (29-1) | John Wooden | Lew Alcindor, UCLA |
| 1969 | UCLA (29-1) | John Wooden | Lew Alcindor, UCLA |
| 1970 | UCLA (28-2) | John Wooden | Sidney Wicks, UCLA |
| 1971 | UCLA (29-1) | John Wooden | Howard Porter, Villanova |
| 1972 | UCLA (30-0) | John Wooden | Bill Walton, UCLA |
| 1973 | UCLA (30-0) | John Wooden | Bill Walton, UCLA |
| 1974 | North Carolina State (30-1) | Norm Sloan | David Thompson, NC State |
| 1975 | UCLA (28-3) | John Wooden | Richard Washington, UCLA |
| 1976 | Indiana (32-0) | Bob Knight | Kent Benson, Indiana |
| 1977 | Marquette (25-7) | Al McGuire | Butch Lee, Marquette |
| 1978 | Kentucky (30-2) | Joe B. Hall | Jack Givens, Kentucky |
| 1979 | Michigan State (26-6) | Jud Heathcote | Earvin Johnson, Michigan State |
| 1980 | Louisville (33-3) | Denny Crum | Darrell Griffith, Louisville |
| 1981 | Indiana (26-9) | Bob Knight | Isiah Thomas, Indiana |
| 1982 | North Carolina (32-2) | Dean Smith | James Worthy, North Carolina |
| 1983 | North Carolina State (26-10) | Jim Valvano | Akeem Olajuwon, Houston* |
| 1984 | Georgetown (34-3) | John Thompson | Patrick Ewing, Georgetown |
| 1985 | Villanova (25-10) | Rollie Massimino | Ed Pinckney, Villanova |
| 1986 | Louisville (32-7) | Denny Crum | Pervis Ellison, Louisville |
| 1987 | Indiana (30-4) | Bob Knight | Keith Smart, Indiana |
| 1988 | Kansas (27-11) | Larry Brown | Danny Manning, Kansas |
| 1989 | Michigan (30-7) | Steve Fisher | Glen Rice, Michigan |
| 1990 | UNLV (35-5) | Jerry Tarkanian | Anderson Hunt, UNLV |
| 1991 | Duke (32-7) | Mike Krzyzewski | Christian Laettner, Duke |
| 1992 | Duke (34-2) | Mike Krzyzewski | Bobby Hurley, Duke |
| 1993 | North Carolina (34-4) | Dean Smith | Donald Williams, North Carolina |
| 1994 | Arkansas (31-3) | Nolan Richardson | Corliss Williamson, Arkansas |
| 1995 | UCLA (31-2) | Jim Harrick | Ed O'Bannon, UCLA |
| 1996 | Kentucky (34-2) | Rick Pitino | Tony Delk, Kentucky |
| 1997 | Arizona (25-9) | Lute Olson | Miles Simon, Arizona |
| 1998 | Kentucky (35-4) | Tubby Smith | Jeff Sheppard, Kentucky |
| 1999 | Connecticut (34-2) | Jim Calhoun | Richard Hamilton, Connecticut |
| 2000 | Michigan State (32-7) | Tom Izzo | Mateen Cleaves, Michigan State |
| 2001 | Duke (35-4) | Mike Krzyzewski | Shane Battier, Duke |
| 2002 | Maryland (32-4) | Gary Williams | Juan Dixon, Maryland |
| 2003 | Syracuse (30-5) | Jim Boeheim | Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse |
| 2004 | Connecticut (33-6) | Jim Calhoun | Emeka Okafor, Connecticut |
| 2005 | North Carolina (33-4) | Roy Williams | Sean May, North Carolina |
| 2006 | Florida (33-6) | Billy Donovan | Joakim Noah, Florida |
| 2007 | Florida (35-5) | Billy Donovan | Corey Brewer, Florida |
| 2008 | Kansas (37-3) | Bill Self | Mario Chalmers, Kansas |
| 2009 | North Carolina (34-4) | Roy Williams | Wayne Ellington, North Carolina |
| 2010 | Duke (35-5) | Mike Krzyzewski | Kyle Singler, Duke |
| 2011 | Connecticut (32-9) | Jim Calhoun | Kemba Walker, Connecticut |
| 2012 | Kentucky (38-2) | John Calipari | Anthony Davis, Kentucky |
| 2013 | Louisville (35-5)* | Rick Pitino | Luke Hancock, Louisville* |
| 2014 | Connecticut (32-8) | Kevin Ollie | Shabazz Napier, Connecticut |
| 2015 | Duke (35-4) | Mike Krzyzewski | Tyus Jones, Duke |
| 2016 | Villanova (35-5) | Jay Wright | Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova |
| 2017 | North Carolina (33-7) | Roy Williams | Joel Berry II, North Carolina |
| 2018 | Villanova (36-4) | Jay Wright | Donte DiVincenzo, Villanova |
| 2019 | Virginia (35-3) | Tony Bennett | Kyle Guy, Virginia |
| 2020 | Tournament canceled due to the Coranavirus | ||
| 2021 | Baylor (28-2) | Scott Drew | Jared Butler, Baylor |
