What Is All The Hoopla About March Madness?
For some, this means graduation is drawing near and the end of another semester.
However, for the die-hard sports fanatics, the month of March is all about the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) March Madness.
Spring time brings about die-hard fans of college basketball and even the occasional bandwagoner.
It also encourages bracket creations, and most importantly: fun and entertainment.
Let me do the honors of breaking down what March Madness is and what the hype is all about, especially for those who are unfamiliar with it.
March Madness takes place from the second week of the month through the first week of April and a total of 68 teams participate in the massive tournament.
According to NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball, 32 of the teams are automatically chosen based on their respective conference wins.
Every team plays through several rounds: the first four, second round, third round, and eventually the Sweet 16, Elite 8, and the Final Four in hopes of winning an NCAA Championship.
Once a team loses, they are eliminated. Not only is it devastating for the players, it is as equally upsetting for fans.
Viewers get the chance to win bragging rights during the March Madness festivities by creating brackets (which is picking who you think will win each game).
ESPN defines a bracket, or bracketology, as the process of predicting the field of college basketball participants in the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
Millions of people, including President Barack Obama, submit their picks.
Only a handful of folks make the correct predictions. Though I did not create a bracket myself, I have an idea of which team could win it all.
Out of my three favorite teams, Kansas, Duke and Kentucky. I believe Kentucky has the right attitude and superior group of players to take it all the way home.
Unfortunately, Kansas was eliminated in the third round by Wichita State, 78-65.
Duke is a good team that plays well together but Kentucky is a great team that plays (arguably) at an NBA level.
Kentucky has beaten every opponent they have competed against so far and with their current 38 wins, the Wildcats have the longest winning streak in men’s college basketball history.
Only two other teams have previously held the honor, North Carolina in 1957 and Indiana in 1976 with a 32-0 record.
Kentucky has moved on from the Sweet 16 round by viciously beating West Virginia, 78-39.
This is Kentucky’s fifth trip to the Elite 8 round in the past six years. They are my choice to win it all.
The paper was sent to the printer before the National Champion was crowned.
