March Madness is in full swing, with its first games starting on Tuesday, March 18. The tournament begins with 68 teams and ends with one winner.
The event begins with the First Four, which is four games where eight teams compete for a place in the tournament. The teams that lose are unable to move on in the tournament.
The first four teams to play were Saint Francis, Alabama State, North Carolina and San Diego State. Alabama State beat Saint Francis 70-68, and North Carolina beat San Diego State 95-68.
The next day, there were two more games of the First Four round. Mount St. Mary’s beat American University 83-72, and Xavier beat Texas 86-80.
The First Round is the official start of tournament play, with all 64 teams playing. This round began on March 20, and there were many upsets that fans weren’t expecting. McNeese beat Clemson 69-67, with Clemson being a five seed, and McNeese an 11 seed. Drake is also an 11 seed, and they beat Missouri 67-57. Additionally, Colorado State, a 12 seed, beat Memphis, a five seed, with a score of 78-70.
Many fans of March Madness actively participate in the tournament by filling out their own brackets, trying to guess who will win each game. It is nearly impossible to fill out a perfect bracket, due to the unpredictability of the games.
In the Second Round of March Madness, more upsets followed. Arkansas beat St. John’s 75-66, with Arkansas being a 10 seed and St. John’s being a two seed. Ole Miss also beat Iowa State 91-78, Ole Miss being a six seed and Iowa State being a three seed.
The Sweet Sixteen round is almost complete, leaving just eight teams remaining in the tournament. So far, the teams that are left include Michigan State, Auburn, Houston, Alabama, Duke, Florida, Texas Tech and Tennessee. Every team that has moved on to the Elite Eight is a one, two or three seed. Even with the upsets that took place in earlier rounds, many of the anticipated teams have moved on to the later rounds.
Last year’s March Madness champion was UConn, who didn’t make it past the second round this year. UConn was seeded at eight this year, whereas last year they were seeded at one.
Whitney Luu, a sophomore at Aliso Niguel High School, says, “I want Michigan State to win because I like the Spartans.”
When filling out the brackets, some people like to predict the winners based on each team’s performance. However, others will use different strategies, such as picking their favorite mascot, or choosing the school they like the most.
This March Madness has involved many upsets and exciting games. However, there are many teams that have made it to the Elite Eight that were expected too. This March Madness will keep fans on their toes waiting for the next few rounds, anxiously waiting to see who will win it all.
