After Miami University’s upset of SMU in the final First 4 game last night, the madness has begun.
What is March Madness?
March Madness is an annual, single-elimination Division 1 College Basketball tournament. It starts in the later days of March and finishes in early April. It features 68 different collegiate teams competing over the course of seven rounds (Round of 64, Round of 32, Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final 4, and the National Championship). Each year, it is praised for its high intensity because of the “sudden death” aspect of it, and the immense number of “lock” teams that get bounced early. Many fans frequently fill out tournament brackets, aiming to be the first person to ever predict the entirety of the bracket correctly.
Last season, the Florida Gators took home the National Championship. The #1 seed took on a schedule of Norfolk State, Connecticut, which won the National Championship in both 2023 and 2024, Maryland, Texas Tech, and Auburn. In the National Championship, played in San Antonio, TX, they took on a fellow #1 seed, the Houston Cougars. In the final game, the Gators overcame a 12-point deficit en route to their 3rd National Championship in team history, and their first under head coach Todd Golden.
This year, March Madness is led by its 4 #1 seeds, Arizona, Duke, Florida, and Michigan, along with Cal-Baptist making its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Currently, Michigan State leads the way with the most consecutive tournaments made, with a whopping 28 in a row, just in front of Gonzaga, which has appeared in 27 straight.
Where does the “Madness” come from?
The “Madness” aspect of the tournament comes from the large number of upsets that occur during each round of the tournament. Just a few short years ago, St. Peter’s, a no. 15 seed, blistered their way through 4 rounds of the tournament, making their first, and only, Elite 8 in the school’s history. While they went on to lose heartbreakingly to North Carolina in their Elite 8 game, the expectations they defied redefined what the mid-major conferences truly are in March.
Last season, the #12-seeded McNeese State Cowboys took on the #5-seeded Clemson Tigers. McNeese’s first W in the NCAA Tournament took the sports world by storm, essentially starting a revolution. In the middle of it was their student manager, Amir “Aura” Khan, who gained popularity by carrying a boombox with him as the team entered. Though the team lost in the next round to #1-seeded Purdue, McNeese grabbed their first win in a thriller vs Clemson, while stamping themselves in the memories of March for life.
In 2016, #2-seeded Villanova took on the #1 North Carolina. The game was absolutely thrilling, back and forth, and entered the final seconds 74-74 after UNC’s Marcus Paige knotted the game up with a 3. Ryan Arcidiacono flew up the court with Kris Jenkins right behind. Arcidiacono tossed it to Jenkins, who was right behind him, feet behind the white line. Jenkins tossed the shot up, the buzzer screamed, and the clocks hit 0. As Al Michaels had once said, “Do you believe in miracles?” The time in which the ball flew in there was as if time had frozen, and as the arch of his shot fell as if it were a rainbow, the crowd’s cheers would’ve told the entire story. Jenkin’s 3 had gone, and Villanova were the National Champions. An absolute storybook ending, a legend, and what we now call “The Shot” was born.
After High Point’s victory against Wisconsin, headlined by High Point’s Chase Johnston, who hadn’t hit a single layup all year, hit his first, solidifying him as a March Madness legend already. Who’s to say they won’t be the next team to go on a “Cinderella Run”?
Usually, I keep bias out of my articles. This time, however, zero mercy for Arizona, who’s getting taken down by LIU tomorrow.
