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Iowa gets a shot at “The Dance”

Sports

March 14th, 2021 by Ric Hanson

UNDATED (AP) — Gonzaga, Illinois, Baylor and Michigan are the No. 1 seeds in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, which begins first-round play on Friday. The Bulldogs have claimed the No. 1 overall seed and will head the West Regional. The Zags are the only unbeaten team in men’s Division I hoops and are trying to become the first squad to run the table on its entire schedule since Indiana in 1976.

Iowa has the second seed in the West, followed by Kansas and Virginia. The Hawks will take on No. 15 Grand Canyon, Friday, March 19th. Additional details are to be determined. Gonzaga beat each of those teams by double-digits during the regular season, including a 23-point rout of the defending-champion Cavaliers. Baylor tops the South bracket and heads into the tourney with just two losses, including a setback in the Big 12 semifinals. The Bears spent most of the season as the No. 2 team in The Associated Press poll.

Ohio State is No. 2 in the South, just ahead of Arkansas and Purdue. Louisville, Colorado State, St. Louis and Mississippi have been put on stand-by. They could find their way into the bracket if a team in the field notifies the NCAA by Tuesday night that it must withdraw because of health concerns.