Wikipedia
The First Four games tipped off in Dayton, Ohio, March 18 to start March Madness, with the Saint Francis Red Flash versus the Alabama State Hornets being the first game of the tournament.
March Madness is a 68 team college basketball tournament where the best teams from around the country compete to be crowned champions. In a single elimination style format, there are bound to be many upsets as they occur every year. These upsets are the true spirit of March and are why many Americans across the country watch the games. Viewers can never truly predict how the tournament will turn out, as the elimination style is high-stakes, and even the best teams can be eliminated by one point.
Selection Sunday, March 16, is where the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) will come together to decide on the 68 teams who will compete for the title in the womens and mens divisions. The selection is streamed on the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) and is highly anticipated as fans wait to see which teams made the cut and begin to make predictions on how the season will go.
Duke University and Auburn University are the favorites heading into the tournament. Duke is a storied college team who has five NCAA titles for basketball. In contrast, Auburn is newer to being an elite team as their best tournament performance came in 2019, where they reached the Final Four before losing to eventual champions, University of Virginia. Duke has elite players such as Cooper Flagg, who is considered to be one of the best college prospects in recent history as he is most likely going to be the first overall pick in the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft.
Underdogs create life within March Madness, creating constant upsets and making deep runs in the tournament, which are known as Cinderella runs. Some of these teams that could go on runs this year are McNeese State University and Drake University. McNeese State was in the tournament last year, and lost in round one to Gonzaga, but have come back this year stronger and with more experience and a strong social media presence. Many fans have called them a team to watch this tournament. Drake has the opposite experience, where they lost all of their players and their coach. They have a new team this year consisting of mostly former Division II basketball players, but against all odds, have a 30-3 record. Many are calling them another team to watch in this year’s tournament.
While the tournament is still going, many people are excited to see the upsets, Cinderella runs, tight games and who will be crowned champions of March.