Washington D.C., Mar 27, 2021 / 07:00 am
In the 2021 NCAA men’s Division I basketball tournament, one-quarter of the 16 remaining teams are Catholic schools – three of them Jesuit-affiliated.
Gonzaga University, Villanova University, Creighton University, and Loyola University Chicago have all reached the round of 16 and are vying for a national championship. Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, only twice before had so many Catholic schools made it to the “Sweet 16,” noted John Gasaway, author of the book “Miracles on the Hardwood.”
Gasaway is a college basketball analyst at ESPN.com. His book recounts the history of college basketball and why Catholic programs in particular have been so successful.
The NCAA tournament is also called “March Madness,” and while a lack of success in some other years might have been maddening for some basketball fans of Catholic schools, the public hasn’t really noticed those years, Gasaway told CNA in an interview on Thursday.