Let the madness begin
All Sean Driscoll has to say about his bracket is, “In Monte(LeMonte Bearden) we trust.”
After much anticipation, it’s here: March Madness.
With the month of March come the brackets, upsets and Cinderella stories that capture watchers’ emotions for a few weeks every year. Spectators of college basketball will fill out brackets with the hope that their bracket could defeat this year’s 1 in 9.2 quintillion odds of a perfect bracket. Despite the outrageous odds laid before the public, there are feasible ways of putting together a decent bracket.
Obviously, Kentucky looks to be the favorite of the Midwest region and entire tournament. In spite of the Wildcats finishing the regular season undefeated, Kentucky also played in a struggling SEC conference and can be seen as inexperienced due to the team’s young age. Other favorites include Wisconsin, Duke, Arizona and Virginia. Although overshadowed by Kentucky, Notre Dame is also seen as a favorite in some eyes, as it comes off an ACC Championship victory over the University of North Carolina and an upset win over Duke in the semifinal game of the championship.
As for upsets in this year’s tournament, schools often overlooked by the majority such as Buffalo or North Dakota State often bring the “underdog” case to the big dance which historically has provided the some of the most unpredictable Cinderella stories.
In recent years, madness has ensued in every round. In 2011, a 10 and 11 seed made it to the Final Four. Last year, a 7 seed won the big dance in style. Every year, at least one team contributes to the madness that is the NCAA tournament.
This year, the field shows the potential for a multitude of upsets. One example of a team that shows promise of upset is Eastern Washington. They are third in the nation in scoring along with being among the elite when it comes to three-point percentage, shooting 40.3 percent from beyond the arc. Another dark horse in the tournament, UC Irvine and its 7’6” big man Mamadou Ndiaye face a struggling Louisville squad.
But don’t get too far ahead of yourself. A 16 seed team has never beaten a 1 seed within the tournament’s long-standing history.
Madness?
It’s what the tournament is all about.
Here is what our sports team chose:
Sean Driscoll is a junior on the sports team and he is involved in hockey and baseball at the varsity level. Yes, puck is love and puck is life. When...
Erik Skaar is a baseball enthusiast who enjoys being a social butterfly. In his junior year at Homestead high school he has participated in both Football...
Gaby Geiger is a sports reporter for Highlander Publications. She is a two sport athlete for Homestead, participating in diving and gymnastics. Often referred...
Connor Hanson is a senior on the varsity football team. He will be a two-sport athlete this year, participating in football and track. He has been dubbed...
