The 82nd edition of the tournament began play on March 18, 2021, in sites around the state of Indiana,[2] and concluded with the championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on April 5, with the Baylor Bears defeating the previously undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs 86–70 to earn the team's first ever title.

By defeating Gonzaga in the championship game, the Baylor Bears became the second consecutive first-time NCAA champions, following the Virginia Cavaliers in 2019.

The last time this happened was in 2002 and 2003, when the Maryland Terrapins and Syracuse Orange (then nicknamed Orangemen) won their first titles in their respective years.

Teams met sport sponsorship requirements and were considered for NCAA championship selection if they played 13 games, which represented a 50 percent reduction of the current minimum.

[8] The top four teams outside of the ranking (commonly known as the "first four out" in pre-tourney analyses) acted as standbys in the event a school was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to COVID-19 protocols.

[13] Players stayed at hotels near the Indiana Convention Center, which served as the main practice facility.

First Four: First and Second Rounds: Regional Semifinals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight): National Semifinals and Championship (Final Four and Championship): The following sites were originally selected to host each round of the 2021 tournament;[18] with the exceptions of Boise and Minneapolis, all cities and venues listed are scheduled to host tournament games after 2021: First Four First and Second Rounds Regional Semifinals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) National Semifinals and Championship (Final Four and Championship) The tournament seeds and regions were determined through the NCAA basketball tournament selection process.

However, rules that can modify pairings to avoid early rematches and to distribute top conference representatives to different regions will remain in effect.

Source:[23] Per the NCAA, "Upsets are defined as when the winner of the game was seeded five or more places lower than the team it defeated."

FastBreak is an online-only program providing whiparound coverage of all tournament games similar to NFL RedZone during the first weekend.