Men’s and Women’s Final Fours Set

With the completion of the Elite Eight round on March 30th, both the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball Final Four fields for 2021 are set.

Men’s Final Four

In the Midwest Region, #2 seed Houston advanced to it’s first Final Four since 1984 after beating Oregon State 67-61. Oregon State had a terrible first half, scoring just 17 points, but came roaring back with 44 in the second half to make it competitive game. Despite the loss,  it was a good tournament for the #12 seed; the Beavers beat a five, a four, and an eight seed before falling to Houston.

In the South Region, #1 seed Baylor beat #3 Arkansas 81-72. The Bears reached their first Final For since 1950. Baylor has been near the top of the polls all season, with their only two losses occurring after an extended time off due to Covid protocols where some games were postponed.

In the West Region, #1 Gonzaga continued its undefeated season (30-0) with a dominating 85-66 victory over #6 USC. No team has finished as an undefeated champion since the 1976 Indiana team, but Gonzaga is now two victories away. Its Gonzaga’s second trip to the Final Four; the other was in 2017, when the Bulldogs lost to North Carolina in the championship game.

In the East region, #11 UCLA edged #1 Michigan 51-49. The Pac-12 was the surprise conference of the tournament, with four teams advancing to the Sweet 16. As one of the teams in the First Four, UCLA had to win one extra game to make it to the Final Four. UCLA is the only one of this year’s Final Four teams that has won a championship; they’ve won 11, which is the most of any men’s program. The last one was in 1995.

Houston will play Baylor in one semifinal on April 3rd, and UCLA will play Gonzaga in the other game.

Women’s Final Four

The women’s NCAA tournament was and is being played entirely in San Antonio, and has some local names for the regionals.

In the Riverwalk Region, Baylor came close to having both it’s men’s and women’s teams in their Final Fours, but the #2 Bears lost to #1 Connecticut 69-67. UCONN is a powerhouse in women’s basketball, with 21 Final Four appearances and 11 champions. Both of those totals are the most of any women’s program.

In the Mercado Region, #3 Arizona beat #4 Indiana 66-53. The Wildcats are making their first Final Four appearance, and this was their first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 2005.

In the Hemisfair Region, #1 seed South Carolina destroyed #6 Texas 62-34. South Carolina is making its third Final Four appearance, and won the championship in 2017.

In the Alamo Region, #1 Stanford beat #2 Louisville 78-63. Stanford is making its 14th Final Four appearance, and was the 1990 and 1992 champions.

South Carolina will play Stanford in one semi final on April 2nd, and Arizona will face UCONN in the other.