NCAA Tournament 2021: Biggest winners and losers through first 2 rounds

Winner – Arkansas Razorbacks

There were lots of disappointing teams in the NCAA Tournament but Arkansas sure wasn’t one of them. They’ve been a bit in the shadow of Alabama this season in the SEC but have been stellar in their own right. And after wins over Colgate and Texas Tech, the Razorbacks are in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1997.

Coach Eric Musselman has already had a big impact on the program and a big reason why has been his use of transfers. Top-30 freshman and leading scorer Moses Moody has been great but so has the other three double-digit scorers (JD Notae, Justin Smith, and Jalen Tate), all of whom arrived via transfer. Smith has produced a combined 49 points and 19 rebounds to lead the way in these wins.

Considering that we’re likely to have nearly 2,000 entrants into the transfer portal this offseason, don’t be surprised if some of the top names have Arkansas as a final potential option. If Sweet 16 appearances and beyond is in the cards, you can’t blame those free agents.

Loser – BYU Cougars

Last year’s team had the greatest chance as any in BYU history to make a potential Final Four run before the canceled tournament. But this season had the Cougars back to being a seed six, thanks to impact senior transfers Matt Haarms and Brandon Averette. Unfortunately for them, it was another one and done postseason run, falling to UCLA.

The loss itself isn’t bad at all but it’s a tough pill to swallow considering that 3 seed Texas lost to 14 seed Abilene Christian next to them in the bracket. Had BYU won against the Bruins, they’ve would’ve had an easy path to get just their third Sweet 16 appearance since 1972. It’s a missed opportunity and it may be a while before they’re as high as a 6 seed again.