March Madness is an NCAA College Basketball tournament in which 64 teams play for the championship title. It has become one of the most popular sporting events in the United States.
The month-long tournament has seven rounds: the round of 64, the round of 32, the Sweet 16, the Elite Eight, the Final Four, and finally, the Championship.
The first four “play-in” games leading into March Madness are held in Dayton, Ohio, and began on Tuesday, March 18, and Wednesday, March 19. These games decided which 16-seed and 11-seed teams would play: Auburn, Ole Miss, Illinois, and Duke. The tournament will begin on March 20, with #8 Louisville playing #9 Creighton and #4 Purdue playing #14 High Point.
As the tournament gains momentum and gathers more attention, many people around the nation begin making their brackets, choosing who they think will win each game. Because there are 64 different teams, creating a perfect bracket is virtually impossible, even knowing which teams are better prepared. The chances of actually selecting a perfect bracket are 1 in 9.2 Quintillion. So, this has never happened. Even this year, with the round of 32 not even over, there are no current perfect brackets. With schools like St. John’s, which was projected to make it far, millions of brackets were ruined.
Just like every year, upsets are the biggest story of the tournament, as 12 seeds are selected to advance past the five seeds. Many people also like schools like VCU and Troy to make it far because of their current hot streaks.
Senior Hudson Bartely is a massive fan of the annual tournament and plans on his bracket to maintain perfection throughout the tourney. He has made his bracket and believes the Florida Gators will cut down the nets this year.
“Troy is a solid mid-major team that can make it far this year, possibly making a 2006 George Mason run,” Bartley said.
The boys of Maryland are considered the fan favorite to go far this year. With their underrated nature and star power in their starting five, everyone likes them to be the team to turn heads. After hitting a buzzer-beater against Colorado State, the Terrapins maintain life with what hopefully turns into a national championship.
