UNITED STATES—This is the time of year that I absolutely love, and I mean I love sports. Why? It is March Madness; the mayhem has officially kicked off and it’s time to start putting that bracket together for the NCAA Tournament. I’m not the biggest basketball fan, but when it comes to basketball, I love college basketball. There is a fight, grit and just excitement that you don’t get with any other sport if you ask me.
What do I love most about March Madness? It is anyone’s game. You can be on top one minute and sitting at home the next. Just look at the Michigan State Spartans (my Alma Mater), who was bounced out after its first appearance in the Big 10 Tournament against lower seeded UCLA. Look at the Michigan Wolverines, who have had a stellar season, failing to defeat Purdue in the Big 10 Tournament Championship game.
The seeding has taken place with Duke, Michigan, Arizona and Florida as the #1 seeds in the four regions. Upon first look, the East Region is easily the toughest battle. I mean Duke, St. John’s, Kansas, Michigan State, UConn and Louisville. I love my Spartans, but jeez, them making past potentially Duke let alone a few other teams in that bracket is a tough call and I don’t care who you are.
The West Region looks like a potential cake walk for Arizona, who should have no trouble making it to the Final Four if you ask me. If they are to face any competition its going to be against Purdue and/or Gonzaga. The Michigan Wolverines should easily walk to the Final Four in the Midwest region. They don’t have much competition standing in their way accept Iowa State, who is a No. 2 seed. If Michigan plays anywhere close to how they played in the Big Ten Tournament they are in major trouble against Iowa State who can take them out.
When it comes to the South region, I find it hard to see the Florida Gators not making it to the Final Four. I hate to say it, but I don’t see too many upsets happening in the bracket, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to see it happening. I love the upsets and the Cinderella tale ultimately happens, and it is fun to watch. Why? Teams that might be the best, haven’t played other teams in other divisions. Different styles of play and players with certain skill sets come to fruition.
It makes the competitive stakes so much higher and with basketball a game can literally come down to like 2-3 milliseconds and all it takes is a single shot to change a loss into a victory, look at the Michigan Wolverines against Wisconsin during the Big Ten Tournament. The sad reality is teams we love will be bounced early and your bracket will get busted as a result and you’ll just have to move along and pick another team to root for.
The excitement for March Madness is a direct result of collegiate players realizing that everything is on the line; if they win, they move on, if they lose that’s it, it’s all over. There are no second chances, do bringing it to the court in each game matters most.
You know what I love about March Madness: it gives you a time to celebrate with family and friends. Yes, there are some people who overindulge to the point they have to check themselves a bit. There is this fantastic excitement for your favorite collegiate sports teams, you talk trash and you see who reigns supreme and who falls to the waist side.
That is the thing about March Madness, there will absolutely be some disappointments, but if there wasn’t it would be March, right?
