We’ve seen many incredible upsets and determination in the past two weeks. Top teams like Arizona, Virginia, and Purdue have been knocked off by double-digit seeds! We will see the Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final Four, and the championship in the next few weeks! So far, we have gone through the rounds of 68 and 32. Now is the time for teams to fix past mistakes, and lock in.
Over the past 80 years since it was first introduced, March Madness has become an essential part of people’s unique traditions. It is pretty much known by every basketball fan that you must fill out a bracket to predict the outcomes of every game, including the winner of the entire tournament. The president can fill out the frame, as can any ordinary man. Another tradition is the cutting of nets of a basket, thought to have originated in an Indiana basketball game in 1947. The elimination element of the tournament leads to unexpected results, such as the higher seed defeating the lower basis. Teams that are unknown contending and winning against special programs are known as “underdogs” and “Cinderellas.”
To summarize Round 68 in two words, it was absolute craziness. We saw 6/8 of the top 2 seeds prevail. We saw two of the greatest upsets, with Princeton and FDU playing their hearts out passionately to take down top seeds. Three other double-digit seeds won, with Furman capitalizing on Virginia’s late mistakes, Pitt stunning Iowa State in a blowout, and Penn State showcasing their elite three-point shooting. Some other notable games include Maryland versus West Virginia, FAU against Memphis, and Tennessee defeating Louisiana.
In the Round of 34, we saw another top seed eliminated, with reigning champion Kansas losing to Arkansas, after a consequent run by Arkansas to seal the deal and move on, continuing the curse of teams not being able to win back-to-back national championships. We also saw more top seeds out of the tournament, with sleeper Michigan State succeeding against Marquette. Finally, Drew Timme and his Zags triumphed against TCU in a three-point game. Even though the score was 70-78, Fairleigh Dickinson University and Florida Atlantic University were dead even at times; with a controversial no-call, FAU went on a scoring streak to win.
To recap, the Men’s Tournament challenge is a time of fun, upsets, and even prizes! Warren Buffet, a well-known billionaire, offers anyone with a perfect bracket one million dollars. Does anyone have what it takes to this year? You could make from 100 dollars in your family league to thousands of dollars if you select a bracket. This may seem simple, but the odds of choosing a perfect bracket is 1 in 9 quintillions. Many teams will have to go through adversaries to win the ultimate challenge that they have been looking forward to since the start. A complete squad must have discipline, hustle, defense, strong scoring, and even some luck to win the tournament! So far, we’ve seen teams like Princeton and FDU shock everyone. Who’s next?