March Madness, one of top 20 most watched sports events in America, is now right around the corner. Consisting of 68 teams all across the US competing to be number one with single eliminations, this NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Men’s Division 1 tournament begins on March 12 with Selection Sunday.

   This opening day is when the bracket is announced and the teams find out who they will be competing against. It then continues all the way to the championship game on April 3, according to the NCAA website (ncaa.com).

   March Madness has a big impact on many basketball fanatics. “Seeing underdogs find a way to win and experiencing the unreal buzzer beaters make March Madness very exciting,” said Senior Cameron Gerstenslager. Senior Alec Cucak said, “March Madness is so fun to watch because everything is on the line. Every game is a win or go home situation, and there is always a team that unexpectedly makes it pretty far.”

   As it consists of many different colleges, this event is big for both spectators (many of whom bet money on their favorite teams) and the participating colleges. According to the Bleacher Report, “March Madness is of extreme importance because it is yet another stage for a school, its athletic program and its student body to shine and gain an invaluable respect” (bleacherreport.com).

   This tournament has been around since 1939 and continues until now with only one year of discontinuity. This exception was the 2019-2020 season, a result of COVID-19’s worldwide disruption, according to the NCAA website (ncaa.com).

   Not only do the players and coaches participate, but the fans can too. Once Selection Sunday is complete, many people create their own brackets for the NCAA Bracket Challenge Game. One can participate with friends or family in both filling out the bracket and selecting picks before the first game begins.

  “I like to start choosing my picks anytime after Selection Sunday… I always look at records of the teams and from an individual aspect, the players,” said Senior Layton Calderon.

   The University of Kansas is holding the title of number one for the 2022 season, and this year they might be passed by many great teams coming to win. Kansas took the title by defeating the University of North Carolina 72-69, according to the NCAA website (ncaa.com). “Every year the teams’ performance changes due to graduates, incoming freshmen, and transfers. This causes my brackets to look nothing like the ones from previous years,” said Calderon.

  With many regular season games having already been played, College Basketball Analyst and NCAA Correspondent Andy Katz has already created his list of predictions for this 2023 season. The top five consists of University of Alabama, Purdue University, University of Houston, University of Texas, and University of Kansas. These top teams have had a great start of their seasons, and only time will tell who will reign champion.

    According to the NCAA website, March Madness can be streamed from many different platforms live, such as TBS, TNT, TruTv, and CBS (ncaa.com).