Now that NCAA brackets are out, here's what you should know

After the pandemic shut things down in 2020 and severely restricted the number of spectators last year, we finally have a March featuring NCAA Tournament games with no crowd restrictions at sites across the country.

The notable upsets and buzzer-beating shots that highlighted conference tournaments last week offered just an appetizer of what to expect. Now that the 68-team field been announced, here’s a rundown of things to know before filling out your bracket.

GONZAGA ON TOP AGAIN

Gonzaga (26-3) is the No. 1 overall seed and will face Sun Belt champion Georgia State (18-10) on Thursday in Portland, Oregon.

This marks the third straight tournament in which Gonzaga has been a No. 1 seed. Gonzaga lost to Texas Tech in a regional final as a No. 1 seed in 2019 and fell to Baylor in last season's national championship game.

Gonzaga was ranked second when the 2020 season was halted and very well could have earned a No. 1 seed that year as well if the tournament had gone on as planned.

WHO’S NO. 1?

Defending national champion Baylor, Kansas and Arizona joined Gonzaga as No. 1 seeds.

This marks the first time the Big 12 has two No. 1 seeds since Oklahoma and Texas were both seeded first in 2003. Texas made its last Final Four appearance that year and Oklahoma reached a regional final before both teams lost to eventual national champion Syracuse.

RAISING ARIZONA

This marks the second straight year that a team has earned a No. 1 seed after going multiple years without a bid.

Illinois earned a No. 1 seed last year in its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013. Now Arizona is a No. 1 seed in its first NCAA Tournament since 2018 under new coach Tommy Lloyd.

The Wildcats went 17-15 and didn’t earn a bid in 2019. After the