Mythical March Madness: 2020 NCAA Tournament bracket (If the games were played)

March Madness isn’t happening due to the coronavirus but, if it were in a mythical world, this is what the 2020 NCAA Tournament bracket would look like.

While the sports world at large has been put on pause due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, there are few instances as jarring as March Madness getting canceled. The NCAA Tournament is the pinnacle of entertainment and one of the many reasons why college basketball is so vastly popular throughout the country. So not having those three weekends in March dedicated to college hoops is unsettling.

In fact, it’s so unsettling that we can’t let it stand. Instead of college basketball just coming to an abrupt end for the 2019-20 season with no tournament, we’re going to play the “what if” game — call it Mythical March Madness — and see what could’ve been had 68 teams gotten the opportunity to play for the men’s college basketball national championship.

And if we’re going to do that, we have to start with the bracket. So using the final bracketology predictions from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi — since the NCAA dropped the ball in not following through with Selection Sunday — this what the 2020 NCAA Tournament bracket looks like for Mythical March Madness as the Kansas Jayhawks earn the No. 1 overall seed, followed by the Dayton Flyers, Gonzaga Bulldogs and Baylor Bears on the 1-line.

Midwest Region

1 Kansas vs. 16 Siena
8 Houston vs. 9 Marquette
5 Auburn vs. 12 Liberty
4 Wisconsin vs. 13 North Texas
6 Iowa vs. 11 East Tennessee State
3 Duke vs. 14 Belmont
7 Providence vs. 10 Arizona State

East Region

1 Dayton vs. 16 Boston U/16 Robert Morris
8 Colorado vs. 9 Florida
5 Butler vs. 12 Texas/12 Richmond
4 Maryland vs. 13 Akron
6 Penn State vs. 11 NC State/11 UCLA
3 Villanova vs. 14 Hofstra
7 West Virginia vs. 10 Utah State
2 Florida State vs. 15 Northern Kentucky

West Region

1 Gonzaga vs. 16 Prairie View A&M/16 NC Central
8 LSU vs. 9 Oklahoma
5 Michigan vs. 12 Yale
4 Oregon vs. 13 New Mexico State
6 BYU vs. 11. Indiana
3 Seton Hall vs. 14 Eastern Washington
7 Arizona vs. 10 Texas Tech
2 San Diego State vs. 15 UC Irvine

South Region

1 Baylor vs. 16 Winthrop
8 Saint Mary’s vs. 9 Rutgers
5 Ohio State vs. 12 Stephen F. Austin
4 Louisville vs. 13 Vermont
6 Virginia vs. 11 Cincinnati
3 Michigan State vs. 14 Bradley
7 Illinois vs. 10 USC
2 Creighton vs. 15 Little Rock

And in case you wanted the full thing in bracket form, you can check out ESPN.com — or Twitter user Cole Fresher filled it out for you as well:

You can also print out our blank bracket to fill out with whatever you want in bracket form.

So with the 2020 NCAA Tournament bracket set for Mythical March Madness, who do you think would’ve emerged as the national champion? Who should’ve made it into the field of 68 that didn’t? Even if the tourney isn’t happening, that doesn’t mean those things can’t still be debated based on what we did see in the 2019-20 college basketball season.

For more NCAA basketball news, analysis, opinion and features, check out more from the FanSided college basketball section to stay on top of the latest action.