How are last year’s Elite Eight teams faring this time around?

As the NCAA Tournament approaches, let’s check in on the top squads of 2021

With March fast approaching, the NCAA basketball regular season is wrapping up as teams prepare for conference playoffs and, in less than a month, a potential shot at the Big Dance. For many of the athletes competing, it will be their first “normal” tournament, with full fan attendance back for the first time since 2019.

While I could wax poetic for hours about the beauty of the upset, the value of a completely open field, and the thrill of the Cinderella stories that March Madness presents, today we’re looking at whether last year’s winners will be able to run it back in the 2022 tournament. The 2021 Elite Eight was missing some usual powerhouses — the ACC didn’t get in at all — and featured some surprisingly low seeds, with an 11 and 12 seed each making an appearance. The field has certainly shifted this year, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see a few repeat appearances, as key players have returned and new stars have entered the scene.

So we’re checking in on the 2021 Elite Eight teams as we head into the 2022 tournament — will they be able to repeat their run, or was last year simply a fluke?

2 / 10

Gonzaga

Sitting at the top of the AP Poll and at the Tournament Selection Committee’s No. 1 seed overall, the Zags are poised for yet another run at the championship this year. A loss in the final last year stopped them from what would have been the first perfect NCAA season since 1979, but they’ve only dropped two games so far this year — one of which was to Duke, who may end up as the No. 2 seed in Gonzaga’s region based on the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee’s early rankings that were released Saturday. Returning junior Drew Timme and now featuring star freshman Chet Holmgren, the Zags look poised to make another run for the title this year.

3 / 10

Michigan

Michigan has fallen far in the year since its close loss to UCLA in the 2021 tournament, dropping to eighth in the Big 10 with an 8-7 conference record and a 14-11 overall record. With head coach Juwan Howard suspended for the rest of the regular season after a postgame physical altercation with Wisconsin coaches, and with two key players also facing suspension for getting involved, Michigan’s position on that bubble of even making the tournament is looking more and more precarious. They may have to settle for an NIT bid this year, after struggling on defense and shooting consistency all season.

4 / 10

UCLA

Ranked at No. 12 in the AP despite sitting third in the Pac-12 standings, early projections from the selection committee have UCLA earning a No. 4 seed in the Midwest region, where Auburn sits right now at No. 1. After a Cinderella run to the Final Four as an 11-seed last year, where it lost a close game to Gonzaga, UCLA has seen COVID cancellations, injuries, and a tough conference this year, but the Bruins have made it work. They avenged an OT loss to Arizona State with a decisive victory earlier this week, and depending on whether they can come back from their current injury woes by the time Selection Sunday rolls around, they have a good shot at making it back to the Elite Eight this year — and a UCLA-Auburn tournament matchup would be a fun one to watch.

5 / 10

USC

After whooping on 3-seed Kansas in the second round of last year’s tournament, USC wasn’t able to overcome eventual runner-up Gonzaga, but they’re looking ready to try again this year. Second in the Pac-12 but trailing UCLA in the AP poll, USC did not crack the committee’s Top 16 seeds, but will likely receive a top-half seeding going into the tournament. They barely edged out UCLA in the first rivalry matchup of the season, and they’ll face them once more before conference championships begin — if they can beat UCLA again, the Trojans might be able to snag a No. 4 spot, but they also face Pac-12 leader and potential 1-seed Arizona before the regular season ends.

6 / 10

Oregon State

Oh, Oregon State, how far you’ve fallen from glory. A No. 12 seed who made it to the Final Four last year in yet another classic March Madness story is now 3-22, dead last in their conference with as many wins this season as they had in the tournament alone last year. It’s bad. It actually can’t get much worse. Obviously, not only will Oregon State not be returning to the Elite Eight, as they won’t be seeing any tournament this year. The program completely fell apart, which you can read about in more detail here. Not much else to say.

7 / 10

Houston

Ranked at No. 14 in the AP and sitting atop the American Athletic Conference rankings at 22-4, Houston looks poised for another solid tournament run (although, can you ever really predict one?). They pulled out a close one in double-OT against Wichita State this weekend, and while they face some tough competition against SMU before the end of the month, ESPN has them sitting comfortably at a 4 seed in their updated Bracketology, though the selection committee didn’t agree in their early rankings. Despite multiple season-ending injuries, the Cougars have showed out in conference play this year and made their mark in non-conference play as well, dropping a very close one to Wisconsin and beating Oregon and Virginia.

8 / 10

Arkansas

Grabbing a No. 3 seed last year despite a tough conference schedule, the Razorbacks have racked up some solid Ws against Auburn and Tennessee recently, despite a shaky midseason that included losses to Hofstra, Vanderbilt, and a double-digit loss to Mississippi State in late December and early January. They’ve made their mark in the SEC, though, and found their groove in February. Sophomore Jaylin Williams has been quite the standout this season, winning SEC Co-Player of the Week this past week and taking 41 charges so far this year. ESPN’s Bracketology puts the Hogs at a 6 seed in Auburn and Duke’s region, and I could honestly see them running it back this year.

9 / 10

Baylor

Last year’s national champs are sitting at No. 10 in this week’s AP and are looking at a No. 2 seed in early projections. With last year’s Most Outstanding Player Jared Butler now in the NBA and rebound leader Mark Vital actually now in the NFL, the Bears suffered some big roster losses after their championship, but have been (mostly) able to bounce back. Baylor has dropped double-digit losses against conference rivals Kansas and Texas Tech, and lost their starting forward to a season-ending knee injury last week, but the selection committee still seems to have faith, placing them at No. 5 overall. They have a tough closing to February, but junior guard Adam Flagler has been putting up some big numbers lately. They might be able to do it, but something about this team also seems poised for an early-round upset.

10 / 10