Despite not tasting defeat all season, Gonzaga does not have history on its side entering the 2021 NCAA bracket. No team has gone wire-to-wire without a loss since Indiana went 32-0 and won the national title in 1975-76. If the Zags get it done in March Madness 2021, they also would finish 32-0 after sweeping through the West Region as the overall No. 1 seed.
Can Gonzaga beat the odds and not only advance to its second Final Four in four years, but also claim the first national title in school history? Or will the Zags fall short during 2021 March Madness in what would be one of the biggest college basketball upsets all season? Before making any 2021 March Madness predictions, be sure to check out the 2021 NCAA Tournament bracket picks from the advanced computer model at SportsLine.
Last tournament, SportsLine's computer simulation nailed massive upsets, including huge wins by No. 13 seed UC-Irvine over No. 4 seed Kansas State, No. 10 seed Florida over No. 7 seed Nevada, and No. 12 seed Oregon over No. 5 seed Wisconsin.
This model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, has nailed 15 of the 26 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds the past four tournaments and nailed 14 teams in the Sweet 16 last time.
There's simply no reason to rely on luck when there's proven technology to help you dominate your 2021 March Madness pools. Now, the model has simulated every possible matchup in the 2021 NCAA Tournament and revealed its bracket. You can only see it over at SportsLine.
Top 2021 March Madness bracket upset picks
One team set to pull off a shocking upset in 2021 March Madness brackets: No. 9 St. Bonaventure knocks off No. 8 LSU in the East Region. The Bonnies captured the Atlantic 10 tournament title with a 74-65 victory over VCU last Sunday. St. Bonaventure won an outright Atlantic 10 regular-season championship and the conference tournament in the same season for the first time in school history. LSU won neither the SEC regular-season title nor the conference tournament crown, falling to Alabama in the tournament finale.
SportsLine's model projects that LSU will struggle containing the balanced scoring attack of St. Bonaventure, predicting that Kyle Lofton will lead five Bonnies in double-digit points to a first-round victory over the Tigers in 50 percent of simulations of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
Another huge curveball in the East Region: No. 12 seed Georgetown pulls off the upset against No. 5 seed Colorado. The 5-12 matchup produces more upsets than just about any other spot in the first round of the NCAA Tournament bracket, and SportsLine's model is high on coach Patrick Ewing's team.
The Hoyas went just 9-12 during the regular season, but were unbeatable once they got to Madison Square Garden and the Big East Tournament, reeling off four straight victories, including a 25-point demolition of Creighton in the title game. Colorado, meanwhile, has lost two of its last three NCAA Tournament first-round games.
SportsLine's model projects that Georgetown's dream continues into the second round, as Jahvon Blair leads four Hoyas players in double-digit scoring against Colorado. It also projects that, despite entering as a 5.5-point underdog, the Hoyas are primed to pull off a first-round upset in the NCAA Tournament 2021.
How to make 2021 NCAA Tournament bracket predictions
SportsLine's model also has one region where you need to pick the No. 2 seed, while the Nos. 10, 11 and 13 seeds all deliver huge first-round upsets. Nailing those picks could literally make or break your bracket.
So what's the optimal NCAA Tournament 2021 bracket? And which underdogs shock college basketball? Visit SportsLine now to see which No. 2 seed you need to target, and see which region you need to pick the 10, 11, and 13 seeds, all from the model that's called 15 of the 26 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds in the last four tournaments.