March Madness 2021 live: Oral Roberts does it again (2025)

March Madness, heavy on the madness. The 2021 NCAA tournament has reached the round of 32.

Sunday saw the end of No. 1 seed Illinois, which lost 71-58 to Loyola Chicago. The Ramblers' 101-year-old chaplain, Sister Jean, offered up this analytics-heavy prayer before the game:

Sister Jean with the analytics in her pregame prayer 🙏🏽🤣 #Loyola pic.twitter.com/PcQ9X9DpXB

— BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) March 21, 2021

According to ESPN Stats & Information, Loyola Chicago has not beaten a top-two seed in the tournament since seeding began in 1979. It knocked off just one top-three seed on its Final Four run in 2018 (third-seeded Tennessee).

Later in the day, Oral Roberts upset Florida, Syracuse upset West Virginia and Oregon State upset Oklahoma State.

There will be at least four double-digit seeds in the Sweet 16 for the third time, according to ESPN Stats & Information. (15) Oral Roberts, (12) Oregon State and (11) Syracuse are already in and (11) UCLA plays against (14) Abilene Christian tomorrow. There were five double-digit seeds in the 1999 Sweet 16 and four in the 2011 Sweet 16.

Read more: What happened to Illinois

The Ramblers take down No. 1

Loyola Chicago's win came with a heavy dose of Cameron Krutwig and Lucas Williamson.

Krutwig is a magician 🤯@RamblersMBB | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Q2U5xJ8BfR

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 21, 2021

CAMERON KRUTWIG KNOWS THIS IS MARCH 🔥 pic.twitter.com/tF8yFN9vcZ

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 21, 2021

We ain't goin! @lucasw2424 https://t.co/wRizQD2DvQ

— Loyola Men's Basketball (@RamblersMBB) March 21, 2021

We don't call him #KingKrut for nothing 👑#OnwardLU x #StillChasing pic.twitter.com/z2WgUnwLX4

— Loyola Men's Basketball (@RamblersMBB) March 21, 2021

Krutwig, who finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds, is the third Missouri Valley player with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in an NCAA tournament game since assists became official in 1984. The others: Bradley's Hersey Hawkins in 1988 and Tulsa's Shea Seals in 1994.

Williamson added 14 points.

Loyola Chicago is the sixth team to reach the Sweet 16 in consecutive NCAA tournament appearances as an 8 or lower seed since seeding began in 1979. Gonzaga is the only other non-major conference team to do this, doing so in three straight years from 1999 to 2001, all as a double-digit seed. But, when Loyola gets in, it wins. The program is 15-5 all time in the NCAA tournament, tying Duke for the best tournament winning percentage (.750).

Social media erupted after the upset.

🚨 THE FIRST 1-SEED HAS FALLEN 🚨@RamblersMBB | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/uKVVEXpUlk

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 21, 2021

These games are crazyyy!!!

— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) March 21, 2021

Talk about a golden moment for the @RamblersMBB that looks as though it will happen - yes a W over super Illinois looks REAL. Wow the magic of MARCH MADNESS!

— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) March 21, 2021

What a PROUD moment for the guys of @RamblersMBB They just won one of the greatest games in the history of the school.Yes the National Championship in1963 is # 1 led by Jerry Harkness but this is a special magical moment .Yes @PorterMoser is the TOAST OF THE WINDY CITY !

— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) March 21, 2021

I have a bracket with Loyola winning it because I thought it would be funny, it is now also in the top .5% of brackets so far, but I picked Ohio State to make the Final Four in it pic.twitter.com/jRVBxpoG8R

— B1G CHA〽️PS (@UMvsEveryone) March 21, 2021

Just when you thought your bracket couldn't get much worse, Loyola Chicago upsets Illinois 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ipwIYfPS9A

— ESPN (@espn) March 21, 2021

That's what Illinois gets for not saying "Car Ramrod" pic.twitter.com/o3iIysquMg

— Patrick Monahan (@pattymo) March 21, 2021

RGIII and J.J. Watt 'face off'

On Friday, Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt (a Wisconsin alum) steadily trolled his wife (a North Carolina grad) during the Badgers' first-round win over the Tar Heels.

Watt was ready to go again Sunday with Wisconsin facing No. 1 seed Baylor in the Round of 32, tweeting at former NFL QB Robert Griffin III and reality TV star Chip Gaines, both Baylor graduates. Sunday's fun did not go as well for Watt.

pic.twitter.com/w7G8XCTsH7

— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) March 21, 2021

Baylor punched a ticket to the Sweet 16 with a 76-63 win over Wisconsin.

The Hogs hold on

The 3-seed Arkansas Razorbacks haven't made a Sweet 16 since 1996 -- the Nolan Richardson era! -- but that all changed on Sunday with a thrilling 68-66 win over the 6-seed Texas Tech Red Raiders. Texas Tech had an opportunity to tie it in the final seconds, but a good-look layup failed to fall.

FIRST SWEET 16 APPEARANCE SINCE 1996 👏@RazorbackMBB | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/B33FnyLF4W

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 22, 2021

HOP ON THE MUSS BUS 🚌@RazorbackMBB | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/zIZ70u4IjG

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 22, 2021

Weirdly, the last points of the game came with 2:51 left, and the Red Raiders failed to score entirely in the final three minutes.

Texas Tech alum Patrick Mahomes was, understandably, less than thrilled about the outcome.

😢

— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) March 22, 2021

Houston survives, Rutgers collapses

Second-seeded Houston ended the game on a 14-2 run over the final 4:33 to beat Rutgers 63-60 and advance to the Sweet 16.

The Cougars trailed 58-49 before holding Rutgers to 1-of-7 shooting from the floor for the rest of the game. Down 60-58, Marcus Sasser stole the ball and drove down the floor. DeJon Jarreau missed a jumper, but Tramon Mark was fouled after making a putback layup. He made the ensuing free throw to give Houston a lead it would not relinquish.

HOUSTON AND-1 TO TAKE THE LEAD! @UHCougarMBK | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/J0hwvwYZi7

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 22, 2021

Oral Roberts does it again

What a tournament so far for the 15-seed Oral Roberts Golden Eagles. After knocking off 2-seed Ohio State in a stunning win, they survived a late-game challenge from the 7-seed Florida Gators to make it to the Sweet 16 -- the first time the program has made it since 1974 and only the second time in history. They're doing it on the strength of Kevin Obanor and Max Abmas -- the only players on a 15- or 16-seeded team in tournament history to score at least 50 points in their team's first two games.

ORAL ROBERTS IS HEADED TO THE #Sweet16 FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1974 ‼️⁰⁰@ORUMBB | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/FRHoRROJv2

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 22, 2021

IT'S PARTY TIME IN TULSA 🔥⁰⁰@ORUMBB | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/dYb6iP82Q9

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 22, 2021

Open your history books to "ORU Basketball"!!!#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/EfoVl0FdlK

— OralRobertsU (@OralRobertsU) March 22, 2021

ORU right now! pic.twitter.com/zVeLwfEBmj

— Isaiah Thomas (@Isaiah_t55) March 22, 2021

March Madness. 🐊

15 seed Oral Roberts sends the Florida Gators home. pic.twitter.com/vReWPeeHJ6

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 22, 2021

ORU keep balling ✊🏾 T Town Up

— Chris Harris (@ChrisHarrisJr) March 22, 2021

It's a problem we need fixed! @Twitter https://t.co/9raBmHV9eB

— ORU Basketball (@ORUMBB) March 22, 2021

Oregon State shuts down Oklahoma State and Cade Cunningham

The Beavers, who were picked to finish last in the Pac-12 preseason and are in the tourney thanks to a Pac-12 tournament title run, stunned the fourth-seeded Cowboys 80-70. Oregon State advances to its first Sweet 16 since 1982.

March Madness 2021 live: Oral Roberts does it again (2025)

FAQs

Has anyone gotten March Madness correct? ›

Nigl, a neuropsychologist from Columbus, Ohio, became the first verified bracket ever to pick through to the Sweet 16 correctly.

How many people have predicted a perfect March Madness bracket? ›

There has never been a perfect bracket that correctly guessed the outcome of all 63 games in the tournament, despite millions and millions of brackets submitted each year.

What is the chance of getting a perfect March Madness bracket? ›

The NCAA said the odds of a perfect 63-game bracket can be as high as 1 in 9.2 quintillion. Those odds are in play if every game was a coin flip – or a fair 50/50 shot. The amount of different possible outcomes comes out to exactly 9,223,372,036,854,775,808, according to the NCAA.

Has there ever been a 16 1 upset in March Madness? ›

16 seeds since the NCAA tournament expanded its field in 1985. UMBC became the first 16 seed ever to upset a No. 1 seed in 2018, when the Retrievers defeated Virginia and became an overnight sensation. In 2023, FDU became just the second 16 seed to knock off a No.

Has anyone ever gone back-to-back in March Madness? ›

San Francisco: 1955-56

Led by the legendary Bill Russell and K.C. Jones, San Francisco won the first of its back-to-back national championships in 1955, the second champion after the tournament expanded to 24 teams.

Has there ever been a perfect bracket in March Madness history? ›

NO ONE HAS EVER picked a verified perfect NCAA men's bracket, and it's probably not going to happen in our lifetime, or the lifetime of our kids, or their kids, or their kids.

How many perfect brackets are left? ›

As the 2024 men's NCAA Tournament enters the second round on Saturday, there are no more perfect brackets remaining among major online platforms (NCAA, ESPN, CBS and Yahoo), according to the NCAA.

How many times has a 16 beat a 1? ›

How often do No. 16 seeds upset No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament? It's the upset of all upsets, and it's happened just two times.

Is the March Madness office bracket legal? ›

However, gaming experts believe that California would authorize sports betting – if given the opportunity – by 2025. As it stands, however, sports betting remains illegal in the state. If you aren't keen on the whole March Madness thing, these issues likely do not impact you.

How many combinations of March Madness brackets can you make? ›

As such, the number of possible outcomes for a bracket is 2^63, or 9,223,372,036,854,775,808. That's 9.2 quintillion.

How to make a March Madness bracket for free? ›

Here's how you sign up: Go to the CBS Sports Bracket Games page, select "Create a Group," and you can create your own personalized March Madness experience. From there you can add members to your pool, create your own special group name and, of course, fill out your bracket online in an easy-to-manage format.

Has there ever been a perfect March Madness? ›

NO ONE HAS EVER picked a verified perfect NCAA men's bracket, and it's probably not going to happen in our lifetime, or the lifetime of our kids, or their kids, or their kids.

Are any brackets still perfect? ›

As the 2024 men's NCAA Tournament enters the second round on Saturday, there are no more perfect brackets remaining among major online platforms (NCAA, ESPN, CBS and Yahoo), according to the NCAA.

Has anyone ever had a perfect women's bracket? ›

The lone perfect bracket has made it through to the Sweet 16. A single Yahoo bracket has picked every single game through the second round of the women's NCAA tournament, bringing their record to 48-0 so far.

Has there ever been a March Madness repeat? ›

Back-to-back champions in March Madness history. Overall, seven different teams programs have repeated as champions in the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

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