By Indianna Koehn
Staff Writer
March Madness, the annual single-elimination NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament, consisted of 68 collegiate teams competing in seven rounds from March 14-April 3.
The tournament began with “Selection Sunday” on March 12, in which the selection committee revealed the full NCAA tournament bracket. The selection committee was made up of 12 athletic directors and conference commissioners throughout Division I athletics.
“March Madness is my favorite sports event of the year,” senior basketball player Will Householter said. “It’s awesome to see underdogs upset big-name teams. This makes it super fun to watch and impossible to predict.”
To kick off the tournament, the “First Four” played on March 14-15. This is a play-in round for the eight lowest-seeded teams to compete for the final four spots within the official 64. Following this, all 64 teams began game play on March 16-17.
“March is the best time of the year for basketball players because everyone compares their brackets,” said sophomore varsity basketball player Christian Kranz. “All of the upset games are exciting and, overall, it is inspiring.”
The “Elite Eight” played on March 25-26, and San Diego State, Florida Atlantic, University of Connecticut (UConn), and Miami progressed onto the “Final Four,” which takes place tomorrow. FAU, seeded 9th, upset No. 4 Tennessee. After crushing Gonzaga, 82-52, the UConn Huskies will appear in the “Final Four” Saturday for the first time since 2014. For the first time in NCAA history, there will be no No. 1 seed in the “Final Four”.
“Before their loss, I thought Alabama had the best chance to win the NCAA tournament because they have one of the best players in the country, and their offense is electric,” Householter said. “However, I wanted Kansas State to win the championship because I like their point guard.”
The first round of the women’s NCAA tournament began with 64 teams playing on Mar. 17-18. All No. 1 teams from each conference (South Carolina, Indiana, Virginia Tech and Stanford) advanced to the round of 32. A notable upset was No. 12 Toledo nearly topping No. 5 Iowa State, 80-73.
“I originally wanted Stanford to win, but they lost in the second round,” junior basketball player Juliana O’Brien. “Now I want Iowa to win this year.”
South Carolina beat UCLA, 59-43, in the “Sweet Sixteen,” sending it to the “Elite Eight.” South Carolina is the first team to enter March undefeated since UConn and Mississippi State in 2018.
“I’m a little surprised about LSU making it to the final four, but the rest of the teams are not surprising to me,” O’Brien said. “South Carolina is a very good team that I think will win, but Iowa and Virginia Tech are also very good”
According to O’Brien, the most anticipated game is No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 2 Iowa, which is being played today. Catlin Clark (Iowa) and Aliyah Boston (South Carolina) are the two front runners for national player of the year.
““The collegiate players are very talented; I can learn a lot from watching them as a high school player,” O’Brien said. “It’s important for me as a female athlete to support women’s sports so that they get the recognition they deserve.”
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