We’ve made it ladies and gentlemen! March has officially arrived. March is undoubtedly a top month of the year. No, not because Spring is coming up. We’re talking about March Madness, baby. This is the one time a year when you get to see 64, yes, 64 of the best college basketball teams in the country go at it, all for one to come out as a victor. The lights, the game winners, the upsets, the madness. How could anything truly compare to this phenom of a sporting event? Nearly three whole weeks of these unreal moments popping out at you from every which way. March Madness has such a rich history and is overall a brilliant topic to become educated in. But there is so much to take in, so kick back and get ready, as the madness is here.

History

The first NCAA championship was won in 1939, by Oregon. This wasn’t March Madness, however. March Madness wouldn’t be brought into the NCAA until 1982. North Carolina won the first March Madness tournament 41 years ago. North Carolina also has the most NCAA Championships since March Madness was introduced, with 6. The NCAA tournament has been dominated by the main Blue Bloods over time, who are Duke, North Carolina, UCLA, Kentucky, and Kansas. Together, these 5 teams have combined for 34 out of all 73 NCAA Basketball Championships. March Madness has such a rich history, and it is interesting to learn about. There are so many teams with great basketball programs over time, and it is incredible to see how successful they’ve been, except Duke.

Brackets

Throughout 41 years of March Madness, making brackets has been something that people just can’t resist. Every year, millions of people make brackets where they try to predict every winning team correctly, but they never get too far. Even if they lose, however, it’s still a competition where people compete to see how many total wins they get. It’s something that draws the fans’ attention, on top of just watching the games. These brackets are also virtually impossible to predict correctly. The farthest a person has ever gotten in a March Madness bracket is 50 games. There are 63 games played in total, not including the First Four, so the fact that no one in history has gotten their bracket correct past the first two games of the Sweet 16 is astonishing. The odds of a perfect bracket are less than winning the lottery, TWICE! The brackets of March Madness are one of the many things that keep a viewer interested. Although I didn’t make a bracket this year, I have been heavily invested in what everyone’s bracket looks like. Every year, so many brackets get busted, however, due to possibly just one game. In just the second game of March Madness this year, roughly 8 million brackets were busted when 13-seed Furman upset 4-seed Virginia. With the outcomes of the first two games alone, over 90% of fans’ brackets were ruined. Then, all perfect brackets were no more after just the first two days, when Princeton beat Arizona. Upsets are always thrilling to watch, and it’s always fun to see everyone be shocked once their bracket gets busted.

The Bright Lights

Most people would say that March Madness is one of the biggest stages that a player can play in. It gets you a shot at showing NBA scouts who you really are. It’s one thing to show off during the regular season, but when the lights get bright, and the season is on the line, it’s a whole different level. Some players embrace this big stage and decide to make a name for themselves, while others, well, they fold. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is widely regarded as the best March Madness performer ever, leading UCLA to three straight NCAA Championships. Kareem ended up being one of the biggest NBA prospects of all time as he got more recognition in the NCAA tournament, as he shined in three straight. Kareem was drafted first overall and went on to be one of the greatest NBA players in history. This shows how important March Madness can be, because when a player exceeds expectations, they will get more recognition and interest from NBA scouts. If a player crumbles, however, it will significantly hurt their draft stock. These young players go out with this knowledge in their heads, which leads to them showing off their skills. It builds more pressure upon them, which is why they feel the need to play their hardest.

I hope you now understand why March Madness is such a big deal to those in the sports community. I love March Madness and I know many out there do. It has basketball fans on their toes for 3 straight weeks, just waiting to see who can really overcome. who can defy all odds and come out on top? Who can beat the absurd level of pressure that is faced? These things sure keep me interested, and if you watch the NCAA Tournament, that means they keep you interested as well. So, thank you, March Madness. Thank you for making the month of March entertaining.