March Madness bracket released: Colorado grabs No. 5 seed

The Buffaloes are officially dancing.

The 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament bracket was released Sunday, and Colorado found themselves with the highest ranking since the expansion to 64 teams. The Buffs claimed the fifth seed in the East Region, and will play 12th seeded Georgetown in the opening round.

Colorado (22-8) finished the regular season ranked 23rd in the country, and were the runners-up in the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament. The Buffs clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016. The Buffaloes will play the Hoyes on Mar. 20 at 10:15 a.m. MT on KKTV.

Gonzaga, the only remaining undefeated team in Division 1, is the top overall seed in the bracket. Michigan, Illinois, and Baylor also snagged the other top seeds.

Here’s the official 2021 NCAA Tournament Bracket. https://t.co/HZ7UnK8DmE

This is March. pic.twitter.com/nH2nZpmmPD
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 14, 2021

Colorado State (18-6) finished third in the Mountain West Conference this season but did not receive an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. The Rams were the second team out, and are currently on the Selection Commitee’s newly created COVID reserve list. If any at-large school has a spike in coronavirus cases, the Rams will be the second alternate to play in the NCAA Tournament (behind Louisville).

The Rams received a bid to play in the NIT, and will be a No. 1 seed in the tournament if accepted.