With the beginning of spring also comes the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Tournament, otherwise known as March Madness.

   The tournament is held every year after the 40-game regular season. Fans watch the top 68 teams in the country battle out in a single elimination tournament to crown the champions.   

   The first game of the tournament is on March 13, two days after Selection Sunday–at which time the NCAA announces the teams that will compete (ncaa.com).

   The previous three winners of the tournament have been Carolina (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Villanova (Villanova University), and Duke (Duke University).

   According to the Associated Press, some of top ranked teamed so far this season include Villanova, Virginia (University of Virginia), Purdue (Purdue University), and Duke (collegebasketball.ap.org).

   The local San Diego State University Aztecs have made several appearances in the tournament in recent years, but have not partaken in the previous two tournaments (espn.com). The Aztecs record is currently seventh in the Mountain West Conference, making it unlikely for them to appear in the tournament.

  Freshman Trent Johnson said,  “Virginia is a great team. They have the best defense in the league. I like to watch Kyle Guy and Devon Hall; they’re good scorers.”

   According to the Associated Press, Virginia is currently the first ranked basketball team in the NCAA. Their record is 24-2, losing games in upsets to West Virginia (West Virginia University) and Virginia Tech University (collegebasketball.ap.org).

   Senior Jaren Bell said, “Kentucky [University of Kentucky] — I think they’re going to do pretty well in March Madness. They are just a dominant team.” According to the Associated Press, their record is 18-9 (collegebasketball.ap.org).

   “My favorite Basketball Team is Oklahoma [University of Oklahoma]. They have this player, Trey Young; he’s a baller. Their defense is pretty good,” said Sophomore Jalen Lefear. According to the Associated Press, their record is 16-11 (collegebasketball.ap.org).

    Sophomore Alessandro Bazan said, “I think Duke and Oklahoma will play in the final. I want Duke to win because they have Marvin Bagley and Trevor Duval who are both really good players.” Duke is currently ranked fifth with a record of 22-5,  and if their defense continues to improve, they are favorites to win the championship (ncaa.com).