March Madness has arrived: Colorado makes the tourney, CSU on standby

Official March Madness 2020 tournament basketballs are seen in a store room at the CHI Health Center Arena, in Omaha, Neb., Monday, March 16, 2020. Omaha was to host a first and second round in the NCAA college basketball Division I tournament, which was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

by: Bruce Haertl, Dave Althouse

Posted: Mar 14, 2021 / 06:56 PM MDT

Updated: Mar 14, 2021 / 06:56 PM MDT

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DENVER (KDVR) — The field of 68 is set for the NCAA basketball tournament.

Gonzaga is the No. 1 overall seed in this year’s tournament after an undefeated season. Baylor, Illinois and Michigan were awarded the other No. 1 seeds.

Colorado enters the season as a No. 5 seed. They will play Georgetown Saturday.

The last teams earning one of the 37 at-large bids is Drake and Wichita State, which play Thursday in a First Four game. UCLA and Michigan State will meet in the other play-in game.

The first four teams to miss out on the big dance are Louisville, Colorado State, St. Louis and Mississippi. All four teams will be put on stand-by and could find their way into the bracket if a team notifies the NCAA by Tuesday night that they must withdraw because of health concerns.

CSU went 18-6 in a COVID-challenged season, finishing third in the Mountain West Conference with one of the youngest starting lineups in the country.

Even though the Rams aren’t in the field of 68, they could still get there as the tourney’s second replacement team. If a team from one of the multiple bid leagues can’t field a team because of COVID, CSU would follow Louisville as the first two replacement team’s in the NCAA.

If not, the Rams are expected to be one of 16 teams invited to play in the NIT, which will be played in Dallas.

The entire 2021 men’s basketball championship will be played in Indiana, with the majority of the tournament’s 67 games taking place in Indianapolis. The Final Four is scheduled for April 3 and 5.

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