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

34. #3 Arkansas 85, #14 Colgate 68 (Round of 64)

This game was bizarre – for all the right reasons.  Just the second tilt of the opening round, there may not have been a more anticipated double-digit/single-digit matchup in the Round of 64, with both Arkansas and Colgate entering the tournament with two of the highest-scoring and most-efficient offenses in the nation – and, initially, it was the Raiders whose offense dominated the pace, breaking loose halfway through the first half and, seemingly, running away with the game behind a 14-point lead.

Colgate went stagnant, however, allowing the Razorbacks to rally for 17 unanswered points to reclaim the lead heading into halftime.  With the script flipped, Arkansas snapped a 56-56 deadlock halfway through the second stanza, ending the game on a 29-12 romp to claim the battle of two deadly offenses.

Few players in the opening round put together as masterful a performance as Arkansas’ Justin Smith, who played all 40 minutes en route to registering 27 points, 12 boards, and five steals – which was desperately needed to overcome Colgate’s onslaught of 12-made three-pointers.

33. #11 UCLA 73, #6 BYU 62 (Round of 64)

One look at this game would leave one to think that the team with the better shooting percentage and rebounding edge – which is the team that, coincidentally, also features Alex Barcello, one of the deadliest shooters in the country – would win fairly easily against a team that was 1-4 in its last five.  But Johnny Juzang had different plans, drilling a three-pointer less than a minute in to give the Bruins a lead they would never lose.

The Cougars’ efficient offense would threaten UCLA on several occasions, largely thanks to Barcello’s 20 points, which would allow BYU to cut the Bruins’ lead to one late in the first half and four early in the second stanza.  The head-to-head matchup would err in Juzang’s favor, however, as the guard improved upon his showing just days prior against Michigan State with a 27-point showcase, preventing BYU to cut the lead to single-digits in the final five and a half minutes.

32. #1 Baylor 81, #3 Arkansas 72 (Elite Eight)

No team in the country features as deadly of a three-guard lineup as the Bears, and each guard knows when to step up when needed – and against Arkansas, it was MaCio Teague’s time.  After logging single-digits in Baylor’s previous two games, Teague helped set the tone early, leading the Bears to a quick double-digit lead in the first half that grew to as large as 18.

After it appeared as if Baylor would coast, the Razorbacks finally made some noise, trimming the lead to single-digits heading into the intermission – and repeated just that again in the second half after falling behind by 12, ripping off an 8-0 run in the span of a minute and a half.  Four was the closest Arkansas would get, however – after two free throws from Moses Moody to make the score 64-60, the Bears would wrap up the game on a 17-8 run.

The Razorbacks, unsurprisingly, thrived inside and getting to the line – but they had no answer for Baylor’s hot outside shooting, with four different players combining for an 8-15 clip – and, coincidentally, with Teague leading the way with 22 points.

31. #8 Loyola-Chicago 71, #9 Georgia Tech 60 (Round of 64)

It is a crime that this was a first-round game – and it is even more of a crime that this showdown was missing one of the best posts in the entire tournament.  The reigning Missouri Valley champions versus the reigning ACC Tournament champions, this matchup featured a showdown between two astounding backcourt – but it also should have featured a duel inside between Cameron Krutwig, the MVC Player of the Year, and Moses Wright, the ACC Player of the Year.

The Yellow Jackets were forced to play this game without Wright, out due to a positive COVID-19 test – and to Georgia Tech’s credit, they fared well, racing out to a quick double-digit lead and dominating most of the first half.  After trading leads early in the second, however, a go-ahead three-pointer by Lucas Williamson would put the Ramblers in front for good, as Loyola capped the final 11 minutes on a 28-17 run.

30. #10 Maryland 63, #7 UConn 54 (Round of 64)

UConn’s quest to repeat history as a championship-winning seven seed featured the perfect ingredient needed to seal the deal: a do-it-all player who could take over a game in James Bouknight.  But the defensively-minded Terrapins denied the Huskies that opportunity, limiting Bouknight to 15 points and UConn to 32.3% shooting – but it was not that easy for the Terps.

Neither team held a lead larger than four for nearly 13 and a half minutes, with UConn clinging onto a one-point lead – before Maryland finally broke through on a 15-3 run to go up double-digits before halftime.  The Terrapins flirted with disaster several times throughout the second half, thanks to a UConn surge from Jalen Gaffney and Bouknight that cut Maryland’s lead to five – and again to six with a minute and a half to play – but clutch free-throws and inside play from Hakim Hart was enough to propel the Terrapins to victory.

29. #12 Oregon State 65, #8 Loyola-Chicago 58 (Sweet Sixteen)

Few results in the Sweet Sixteen were as shocking as the Ramblers – fresh off dominating Illinois – falling to the Cinderella Beavers, in an offensive struggle that was reminiscent of stretches throughout the season where Loyola’s offense had been stagnant.  To put it into context: neither team reached double-digits until the 8:17 mark in the first half, Loyola shot just 33.3% for the game and 21.7% from beyond the arc, and both teams combined for 36 fouls.

To the Ramblers’ credit, they refused to let this game get out of hand, even after Oregon State extended a halftime lead to 13 thanks to an Ethan Thompson dunk, cutting the Beavers’ advantage to three with three and a half minutes left to play.  They failed to capitalize, however – 11 made free throws by Oregon State down the stretch, along with a few key baskets, was enough to continue the Beavers’ stunning path through the NCAA Tournament.

28. #1 Baylor 62, #5 Villanova 51 (Sweet Sixteen)

The Wildcats went from being the victim of the trendiest upset pick in the first round to nearly upsetting the eventual national champion, all – impressively – without their floor general in Collin Gillespie.  Villanova set the tone early against the Bears, shooting 50.0% in the first half while holding Baylor to just 34.5% en route to building up a seven-point halftime lead.  And, for the opening stretch of the second half, it appeared as if the Wildcats were still in control, holding onto a six-point lead after a Brandon Slater dunk – before Baylor’s defense finally woke up.

A 17-4 run quickly ensued, allowing the Bears to flip the script and claim a seven-point lead of their own at 50-43 – all the while keeping Villanova’s offense, led by a pair of double-digit scorers in Jermaine Samuels (16) and Justin Moore (15), at bay.  Ultimately, not having Gillespie – the Big East’s leader in assist/turnover ratio – on the floor was the dagger, considering Villanova had eight assists to 16 turnovers – and was outscored 22-4 in points off turnovers.

27. #8 Oklahoma 72, #9 Missouri 68 (Round of 64)

There may not have been a more overlooked competitive game in the opening round than this one.  Both Oklahoma and Missouri were two teams who endured tumultuous stretches throughout the regular season, with high peaks and low lows – and this was the perfect battle.  Neither team held a double-digit lead, with each side holding a dominant edge at one point – Missouri was up seven early in the first half, while Oklahoma maintained a nine-point advantage early in the second stanza.

But a 55-55 deadlock with six minutes to play would be the final positive for the Tigers, who would fall behind on a free-throw immediately after and never regain the lead.  Despite the nailbiting finish and close score, this game was a bit brutal on the eyes, considering both teams combined for 39.8% shooting and 34 fouls.

At the very least, this tilt produced a solid head-to-head duel between the Sooners’ Austin Reaves, who had 23 points and six assists, and Missouri’s Dru Smith, who poured in six three-pointers to finish with 20 points.

26. #2 Alabama 68, #15 Iona 55 (Round of 64)

We knew whoever would draw Rick Pitino and Iona in the first round was getting a raw deal – and for a long while, it genuinely felt like there would be two 15-2 upsets in this tournament.  The Gaels – who were riddled by COVID-19 pauses all season and ran through the MAAC Tournament as the 9-seed after not playing a game in over two weeks leading up to it – gave the Crimson Tide all they could handle, fighting back from two eight-point deficits twice in the first half to trail by one at halftime – and then eventually take a lead within a minute in the second stanza.

Trailing by one with nine minutes to go, Iona ran out of gas, allowing Alabama to go on an 11-0 run that built a double-digit lead – but the Gaels never let it get out of hand, trimming it to seven with two minutes to play and never letting it exceed 13 points.  Isaiah Ross and Asante Gist combined for 35 of Iona’s 55 points – but the duo could not counteract Alabama’s four double-digit scorers, spearheaded by Herb Jones’ 20 points.