NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 67 NCAA Tournament games for 2020-21 season

42. #5 Villanova 73, #12 Winthrop 63 (Round of 64)

There may not have been a trendier upset pick in the first round than the 23-1 Eagles taking on a Collin Gillespie-less Villanova Wildcats that entered the tournament fresh off of back-to-back losses for the first time all season – but Jay Wright’s crew refused to give in to the masses.  A quick 9-point lead by Villanova was quickly erased by Winthrop, who claimed a two-point lead with a minute left in the first half before a Cole Swider bomb put the Wildcats ahead at the half – and the Eagles were unable to recover after that.

Winthrop had no answer for Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, who poured in 14 points in the second half to finish with a 22-point, 11-rebound double-double that was complemented by six assists and three blocks – and was the biggest part to keeping Villanova’s lead in double-digits for the majority of the final 10 minutes of the latter stanza.

41. #2 Iowa 86, #15 Grand Canyon 74 (Round of 64)

Few opening round games were as overlooked as this 15-2 duel, which featured a battle of towers inside in Iowa’s Luka Garza and Grand Canyon’s Asbjorn Midtgaard.  Between Midtgaard and Alessandro Lever, the Antelopes had the frontcourt capable of making the Hawkeyes uncomfortable inside – and it showed for a good portion of the opening half, where it took Iowa over 18 minutes to finally break open the game and claim a double-digit lead.

Grand Canyon was never able to cut it back down to single-digits, but the Antelopes also never let Iowa’s lead exceed 20 points.  For its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, Grand Canyon represented well, earning four double-digit performances – including 18 points from Midtgaard – but the Antelopes were ultimately unable to contain Iowa’s efficient offense, which allowed for Garza to go off for 24 points as the Hawkeyes finished with a 53.7% clip and 10-made three-pointers.

40. #6 USC 82, #7 Oregon 68 (Sweet Sixteen)

No one could have expected the offensive clinic that the Trojans would put on against an Oregon team that had just scored 95 against Iowa a week prior, but that is exactly what happened in this Pac-12 duel.  Fresh off their thumping over Kansas, USC suffered a bit of a slow start, falling behind early and by one with 11 minutes to play in the opening stanza – but the Trojans ignited immediately after on an Isaiah White three-pointer, going on a 25-9 run to take a forceful 15-point lead.

Behind asinine 28- and 21-point performances from Eugene Omoruyi and Chris Duarte, respectively, the Ducks finally broke through the Trojans’ double-digit lead with four minutes remaining – but it was too little too late, as a three, two dunks, and a handful of freebies put the game out of Oregon’s reach.  USC’s lineup of double-digit scorers – White, Tahj Eaddy, and Isaiah and Evan Mobley combined for 65 points on 25-36 (69.4%) shooting.

39. #4 Florida State 64, #13 UNC Greensboro 54 (Round of 64)

Wes Miller’s second attempt for a first-round upset at UNC Greensboro nearly happened again – in a game that was bizarrely ugly and not that enjoyable to watch.  The Spartans were being run out of the gym to start, putting up just two points in the opening eight minutes and quickly falling behind by double-digits – but a rally, led by one of the premier players in all of mid-major basketball in Isaiah Miller, allowed for UNC Greensboro to gradually carve into Florida State’s lead, eviscerating a 23-7 lead behind a 19-6 run to trail by just three at halftime.

A Keyshaun Langley three on the opening possession tied things up, before the Seminoles claimed a lead they would not surrender – one that would reach double-digits again before falling back to a one-point game with five minutes to play.  The Spartans’ momentum would end there, however, as their abysmal 31.7% shooting clip and 18 committed fouls caught up to them, leading to a 13-4 run for Florida State that would put the game out of reach.

38. #1 Gonzaga 87, #8 Oklahoma 71 (Round of 32)

Prior to their tilt against UCLA, this was the most competitive test that Gonzaga faced in the tournament – and to the Sooners’ credit, they put a genuine scare in the Zags.  Oklahoma raced out to a quick 12-4 lead in the opening two minutes, the largest deficit that Gonzaga faced all tournament – and it was a lead that the Sooners held on to for nearly half of the first stanza.

The Bulldogs would break free towards the end of the half, taking a 12-point lead into halftime that would be kept in double-digits for an overwhelming majority of the second half – but the heroics of Austin Reaves and his teammates were enough to keep the game within a respectable range, and can be decreased to nine within the closing minutes.

Few games in this tournament had as thrilling of a head-to-head showdown as this one, however, as Drew Timme went off for 30 points (9-12 FG, 12-14 FT) and 13 rebounds for Gonzaga – and Reaves was unconscious from the floor, pouring in 27 points (11-17 FG, 4-4 FT).

37. #12 Oregon State 70, #5 Tennessee 56 (Round of 64)

The beginning of one of the best Cinderella stories of the tournament, the Beavers earned the perfect opponent for a 12-5 upset – an ailing offensive team in the Tennessee Volunteers.  Coincidentally enough, that is how this game played out – a Warith Alatishe jumper on the opening possession would give Oregon State a lead that it would never surrender, and one that would grow to as dominant as 19 in the opening half.

After scoring that many points in the first stanza, the Vols’ offense surged in the final 20 minutes – but the Beavers were able to weather the storm, not allowing Tennessee to cut it to single-digits while building their lead to as large as 20.  This game was never particularly close, but it was stellar watching the upstart Beavers thrive in the national spotlight and reach the second round for the first time since 1982 – especially behind four double-digit scorers, led by Roman Silva’s 16 points on a perfect 8-8 shooting.

36. #4 Oklahoma State 69, #13 Liberty 60 (Round of 64)

Somehow one of the more ignored matchups in the opening round, the Flames nearly put an end to Cade Cunningham’s stellar season prematurely.  After taking a one-point lead a few minutes in, Liberty kept the Cowboys at bay for the final 14 minutes of the first half, taking a three-point lead into the break and seemingly in control.

But the Big 12 Tournament runner-ups refused to roll over, with the trio of Cunningham, Avery Anderson III, and Matthew-Alexander Moncriffe coming alive in the final 20 minutes to claim a lead seven minutes into the second half.  While Liberty would keep the deficit to single-digits the rest of the night, the Flames would also fail to reclaim the advantage.  Despite the potential for an upset, this game was ugly statistically – the two squads combined for 33 turnovers, 39 fouls, and a 38.9% shooting clip.

35. #2 Alabama 96, #10 Maryland 77 (Round of 32)

With the exception of Gonzaga’s performance against Norfolk State, no team scored more points in a single game than Alabama did against a solid defensive Maryland team – and the Terrapins did not even play badly by any means.  This may have been, arguably, the best offensive showing of any team in the tournament – the Crimson Tide went an astonishing 35-66 from the field and an even better 16-33 from the three-point line – in addition to a perfect 10-10 from the line.

After Alabama took a double-digit lead with 17 minutes left, the Terrapins were unable to make any sort of run, falling victim to Jaden Shackelford and John Petty Jr.’s 21 and 20 points, respectively, despite a whopping 27 points from Aaron Wiggins.  Despite the blowout, this was still a relatively fun one to watch just because of how high-octane the offense was on both ends.