The field of 68 for March Madness 2021 is set and the bubble cruelly burst for some teams.
Drake, VCU, Utah State, Syracuse, Rutgers, Michigan State, UCLA and Maryland grabbed the final at-large spots in the field of 68.
Traditional powers Michigan State and UCLA will square off in one play-in game with the winner getting BYU. Wichita State and Drake will play in the other 11-seed play-in game with the victor taking on USC.
Louisville, Colorado State, St. Louis and Ole Miss were the first four teams to be left out. Those teams are on standby in case a team from their respective conferences has to pull out of the NCAA Tournament for COVID-19 reasons.
Here is what you need to know about the teams that just missed out on the NCAA Tournament.
Louisville (13-7)
Conference: ACC
Coach: Chris Mack (3rd season)
Post-ing up: The Cardinals had to postpone four games in February after Mack and three players tested positive for COVID-19, and they ended up tied for the fewest games in ACC action, finishing 8-5 in conference play before an early loss to Duke in the ACC Tournament. Senior point guard Carlik Jones leads the team in scoring and assists.
Colorado State (18-6)
Conference: Mountain West
Coach: Niko Medved (3rd season)
Post-ing up: The Rams returned from a two-week COVID-19 shutdown in February to finish 14-4 in the regular season. Sophomore backcourt duo David Roddy and Isaiah Stevens have combined to average nearly 32 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists per game.
Saint Louis (14-6)
Conference: Atlantic 10
Coach: Travis Ford (5th season)
Post-ing up: Ford has taken a program that finished 11-21 in consecutive seasons before he arrived from Oklahoma State in 2016 to a record of 60-27. Senior 6-foot-3 guard Jordan Goodwin averaged 14.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, and junior backcourt mate Javonte Perkins added a team-best 17.0 ppg.
Mississippi (16-11)
Conference: SEC
Coach: Kermit Davis (3rd season)
Post-ing up: The Rebels came up just short of making the tournament for the second time under Davis, the longtime Middle Tennessee head coach hired as Andy Kennedy’s replacement in 2018. Ole Miss was the stingiest team in the conference defensively, at barely 63 points allowed per game. Senior guard Devontae Shuler is their primary offensive option.
— With Zach Braziller and Peter Botte
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