Madness Begins

With the turn of March can mean only one thing to sports fans, the start of the NCAA college basketball March Madness Tournament. A sporting event that is one of the best sporting event that to see due to its unpredictability, upsets, gaming winning buzzer beater shot and seeing schools that you probably  never heard of go the distance.

The madness is scheduled to begin on March 14- April 2, with field of 68 still yet to be determined. This year has the potential of being the most exciting and unpredictable tournament yet.  

The tournament consist of the top 68 college basketball teams from 32 conferences [face each other in a single elimination six round tournament to determine a national champion]. Giving the feel that anything can happen and every team has an equal chance to win.

What makes the March Madness tournament a spectacular sight to see is how unpredictable it is. To see teams who were heavenly favored to go far in the tournament to lose in the early rounds, and to see low seated teams to not only go far in the tournament but even winning it all.

Whomever said Cinderella teams don’t really make it far in the tournament has clearly never heard of these teams who has defied the odd on what they can achieve. In 1985 the Villanova Wildcats aka “Supernovas” shocked the college basketball world by winning the national championship as an eighth seed. The Supernovas set a NCAA record of being the lowest seeded team ever to win the tournament, a  record that still stands to this day.

In 2006 the George Mason Patriots became only the third lowest seeded team ever to reach the Final Four as an eleventh seed along with Louisiana State in 1986 and Virginia Commonwealth University in 2011. What sets George Mason apart from the rest is the teams they had to beat to reach the Final Four, defeating tough teams like Michigan State, Wichita State, Connecticut and that year’s defending champions, North Carolina.  They may not have won it all it wasn’t a bad run.

The good rule of thumb of the tournament  is the higher your seeded, the better your chances are of winning. [With the first two seeds had claimed the most titles with teams seated one or two had won the last five years] .In Villanova in 2016, Duke in 2015, Connecticut in 2014, Louisville in 2013, Kentucky in 2012, Connecticut in 2011 and Duke in 2010.

Out of all of the teams that had been involved into over its 78 years history, there is one team that stands out among the rest. The UCLA Bruins are kings of the March Madness tournament winning a record setting 11 times, with second place Kentucky’s eight it will be hard to beat.

With the tournament set to begin and history to make, an event where anything can happen the only question is what will happen next? So good luck filling out your tournament brackets and in words of the “Hunger Game”, “May the odds be ever in your favor,”.