During the month of March, the only thing on a student’s mind is Spring Break, but for many college basketball players and fans, it’s all about March Madness. Officially known as the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, it determines the number one team in all of college basketball. The contest will start with the first round on March 18, and conclude with the championship on April 5.
The tournament is organized into a bracket with 68 teams this year, instead of the usual 64 teams from former contests. The teams are grouped into 4 regions and seeded, or ranked, 1 through 16 based on season performances and NCAA committee decisions. The 4 added squads are determined by a small bracket called the “First Four,” and then join the rest of the tournament in the 2nd round. The team that wins 6 games (or 7 if it’s a First Four team) wins the championship. Some teams are considered powerhouses such as Duke, Kansas, and Connecticut, because they possess good track records in past tournaments.
Every year, the tournament brings many surprises due to all the upsets. Many top seeded teams were defeated by lower ranked teams in past years. For instance, last year number three Georgetown was upset by number fourteen Ohio, 97-83.
The game locations are spread all over the country, with the southwest region teams participating right here in San Antonio at the Alamodome. With that being said, go watch a game and experience the blood, sweat, and tears put forth by these young college athletes.
