NCAA Tournament 2021 scores, takeaways: Ohio's upset of Virginia ensures there's no repeat champion this year

Live coverage of the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament as play continues Saturday

Virginia's 2019 national title is now sandwiched between first-round exits from the NCAA Tournament after the No. 4 seed Cavaliers were upset 62-58 on Saturday by No. 13 seed Ohio. The Bobcats will advance to play No. 5 seed Creighton in the second round on Monday while Virginia will head back home as just the latest ACC team to meet a bleak fate in the Big Dance.

No. 4 seed Florida State and No. 11 seed Syracuse are the only ACC teams left still standing for the second round after Clemson, North Carolina, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech all joined Virginia in the loss column during the first round.

VCU is sent home and history was made in the first round. The latest episode of Eye on College Basketball covers it all. Listen now and subscribe.

Unlike in 2018, when Virginia became the first No. 1 seed ever to lose to a No. 16 seed, Saturday's result wasn't totally unpredictable. Ohio entered having won nine of its last 10 games, including three straight during the MAC Tournament last week. With an NBA prospect in Jason Preston leading the charge, the Bobcats hit 50% of their shots from the floor and all 10 of their free-throw attempts in the second half. 

Virginia had also been dealing with COVID-19 issues which kept the team from arriving in Indiana until Friday. But the result was still an upset that will be challenging for the Cavaliers to cope with. In a season that's been rife with challenges due to the pandemic, the NCAA Tournament was supposed to be a reward. For the Cavaliers, though, it just brought frustration.

Here are some other Takeaways from Saturday's action:

Maryland reps the Big Ten

Figuring out what to make of Maryland has been a challenge this season. While the Terrapins boast some solid victories from the Big Ten season, they've also been inconsistent. Maryland had dropped three of four entering Saturday's game against No. 7 seed UConn. The Huskies, on the other hand, had been playing well over the past five weeks. But this is March, and the results don't always make sense.

Not only did Maryland beat UConn on Saturday, but the Terrapins did it in fairly convincing fashion with a final score of 63-54. UConn made it interesting late, but Maryland looked like the better team for much of the game. The Terrapins will face No. 2 seed Alabama on Monday in a game that could get interesting.

With No. 1 seed Michigan and No. 2 seed Iowa also handling business Saturday, it was a good day for the Big Ten after the league struggled a bit on Friday.

Gonzaga looks good

The Bulldogs had no trouble with No. 16 seed Norfolk State as they won 98-55 and advanced to play No. 9 seed Missouri on Monday. Gonzaga is now 27-0 and just five wins away from an undefeated season. 

A moment of truth is coming, though. After a couple months spent playing mostly inferior competition aside from BYU, can the Zags immediately channel the elite play that carried them to nonconference victories over the likes of Iowa, West Virginia, Kansas and Virginia? Oklahoma may not be a national title contender, but the Sooners will pose one of the toughest challenges this team has faced in a long time.

Big man battle coming

Kansas center David McCormack scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half while demonstrating just how much better the Jayhawks are when he is dialed in. KU needed every bit of McCormack's production to stave off Eastern Washington for a 93-84 victory. When McCormack is playing well, he looks like one of the best big men in the country.

Now, he'll get to show that he is truly one of the best. A meeting with USC and likely lottery pick Evan Mobley on Monday will be a clash of the titans in the post. Mobley led the Trojans with 17 points and 11 rebounds in a win over No. 11 seed Drake on Saturday. Seeing him clash with McCormack will be interesting, and that battle may decide the winner of the game.

• Saturday's scores | NCAA Tournament schedule | Live bracket

[Mar 20, 2021 at 10:59 pm ET · David Cobb]

Well Gonzaga is in cruise control, but the other two games are interesting. BYU is trying to claw back into it vs. UCLA in the second half, and Texas is clinging to just a five-point lead over Abilene Christian at halftime.

[Mar 20, 2021 at 9:32 pm ET · David Cobb]

If you were wondering, Johnny Juzang is in the lineup for UCLA tonight after suffering an ankle injury late in the First Four game. He was huge for the Bruins in the win over Michigan State.