For the last 86 years, the end of March has marked the start of one of the most anticipated sports tournaments. With over 10 million viewers per game, March Madness is a staple of American basketball. On March 20, the round of 64 will tip off and the action-packed affair will begin.
However, March Madness is not an average sports tournament. With over 64 teams and six total rounds, there is truly nothing like it. Fans are glued to their couches hoping to see the powerhouses of college basketball get taken down by the biggest of underdogs.
The tournament’s single-elimination style allows for shocking upsets and creates an emotional atmosphere like no other. Every time a team steps on the court, their season is on the line. Likewise, fans spend hours crafting brackets to experience the highs and lows of every game.
The most important part of March Madness is trying to predict who is going to win it all. With over 100 million brackets made each year, people might think that it’s an easy task. However, that is far from the truth.
Despite the tournament’s long history, only a few fans have come relatively close. In 2019, Gregg Nigl, an avid college basketball fan, predicted the first 49 games. Unfortunately for him, the perfect bracket was snapped in the Sweet Sixteen during a game between Purdue and Tennessee.
The main question is: Who is going to bring home the National Championship this year? Thanks to stats from previous years, analysts have identified that 64% of the time, the number one seed wins it all. However, that still leaves spectators with four tough choices; Duke, Auburn, Florida and Houston.
For starters, Duke has a powerful offensive attack led by star player Cooper Flagg. The Blue Devils finished the season with a top-10-ranked offense in the nation. Unfortunately for their fans, that hails in comparison to Florida’s number eight-ranked offensive unit.
Auburn has a strong case to be this year’s favorite. As of late however, fans are unsure if they are truly the right pick. Auburn has lost three of their last four games in disappointing fashion. This begs the question: do they even deserve the one seed?
On the other hand, the Houston Cougars are on an impressive thirteen-game winning streak. Their impressive defense performances have been the catalyst for their success. They finished the season with the number eleven-ranked defense.
The key factor to remember is that anyone can win this tournament; 46% of the time a non-one seed wins the tournament. So who are the other teams to look out for?
Well, other teams like Alabama pose a significant threat to their opponents because of their offensive power. The Crimson Tide finished the season with the top-ranked offense in the nation. Star guard Mark Sears leads the team with an average of 18 points per game.
March Madness is an emotional journey for both players and fans. It will be exciting to see what stunning updates occur this year and change history forever.
Until then, fans need to finalize their brackets and wait for the madness to unfold. Everyone seems to be picking a different team to conquer the rest, but hopefully the Blue Devils are winning it all.
