Expect the unexpected, The Big Dance, one shining moment. These phrases are all related to one of the top spectacles in sports: March Madness. For over 70 years, the NCAA DI Men’s Basketball tournament has showcased the best college basketball talent in the United States. Along the way, the tournament has turned into an event that millions tune in to watch.
First-year Tucker Nightingale calls it “the best time of the year.” The tournament holds 64 teams from across the country. Some teams qualify for the tournament by winning their conference, others receive at-large bids. After each team has been decided, the selection committee seeds the teams in the event. Many people may think that the seeds are a good representation of who should win each game. However, this is commonly not true, hence the name, “March Madness.”
Nightingale, a fan of the Huskies of the University of Connecticut (UConn), said he cherishes the tournament. Like many people across the country, Nightingale joins bracket pools with his family and friends and makes his picks on who he thinks will win each game. When picking teams, Nightingale said he sticks to his roots mostly.
“I always go with UConn,” said Nightingale. Nightingale has countless memories of watching the tournament.
“My favorite memory ever was watching UConn win back-to-back championships with my friends from home,” Nightingale said.
First-year Stephen Kallestad shared similar feelings.
“Both of my parents went to the University of Iowa. When Iowa made the tournament, I remember going to sports bars with them and watching Iowa play,” said Kallestad. Kallestad also mentioned how he remembers watching star player for Duke, Zion Williamson, play in the tournament a few years ago. “Cinderella stories and my bracket always being terrible” are exactly what Kallestad thinks when he hears “March Madness.” Kallestad also added, “It’s cool to see smaller teams compete against big schools.” Many teams that make the tournament are virtually unrecognizable as the schools are significantly smaller than commonly known schools like Kentucky, North Carolina and Kansas. This can add a unique dynamic as teams that do not get the same access to high-level facilities compete against “the big dogs” with multi-million dollar programs.
When making predictions for one’s bracket, everyone uses different strategies. First-year Beckett Barlow said, “I use what I already know about the teams, the seeding and sticking true to my connections [with the teams].” For example, Barlow, a Maine native, said he is cheering for Duke this year. National Player of the Year Cooper Flagg grew up not too far from Barlow in Maine. Because of this, Barlow said he chose Duke to go far in the tournament as he believed in Flagg. Barlow also added that he loves to root for the underdogs since it adds to the experience.
This year’s tournament has been a little different than others. University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) are the only two teams seeded at 16 (the lowest seed) to ever win a game. Both of these occurrences happened within the last seven years. This can be an exciting storyline as it was seen as an impossible task before UMBC’s win against Virginia in 2018. This year, there were not many upsets as the final four teams left in the tournament are all seeded at one.
There was one team that left an impact on the tournament, but it was not one of the basketball athletes. Amir “Aura” Kha is the team manager for McNeese State University Cowboys, and he became a viral sensation at the start of the tournament. Khan has gained massive popularity from his unique outfits, Name Image and Likeness (NIL) deals and viral moments leading his team to victory. In addition to Khan’s 100 thousand followers on Instagram, the Cowboys pulled off an impressive upset in round one, defeating fifth seed Clemson.
Kallestad called March Madness “the culmination of college basketball.” One thing that makes the tournament so unique is its names for each round, such as the “sweet sixteen” and “elite eight.”
All four one seeds made it to the final two rounds of the tournament, known as the Final Four. These teams will all have one chance to make it to the National Championship. On April 5, Duke will face off against Houston and Auburn will play Florida. The championship game will be held on April 7.
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