By Ben Goodman ’15, Staff Writer

Overview:

March Madness involves 68 of the best college basketball teams placed in a bracket with a single-elimination format. If you win, you move on, but if you lose, you go home; therein lays the inherent frenzy that is the culmination of the college basketball season, which is exciting in its own right. On Selection Sunday, the day when the teams for the tournament are announced, some dreams are validated, some fantasies are crushed, and by the end of the night, the  group of 68 is set.

Hype:

Millions of people fill out easily accessible brackets based on whom they believe will win the whole NCAA tournament. This bracket filling is contagious; it is not uncommon to find a complete basketball novice, explaining to your skeptical face why a school like Florida Gulf Coast, an ultimate underdog, is going to make headlines. But it makes sense that the better teams always win, right? You see, the beauty of March Madness is that the better teams do not always win, so you only have to be the best team on the day that you play. One of the highlights of last year’s tournament was Florida Gulf Coast shocking the heavily favored Georgetown Hoyas, who many picked to play in the Final Four. In this manner, fans take pleasure in being wrong; from “bracket-buster” teams that defy everyone’s expectations. As basketball aficionado Dylan Flanagan ’16 said, “What makes March Madness truly special is that you have no idea what’s going to happen. It all comes down to this, so it’s very intense.” After all the brackets are filled out, over 20 million people will settle in front of their TV’s with their hearts in their throats. It is time for basketball.

Previews:

1.    Women’s Championship:

While the Men’s Tournament draws the majority of the television viewers, the women’s teams also play in an exciting parallel tournament. At present, the number one team in the nation is unbeaten Connecticut. With a penchant for dominance in women’s hoops, UConn has dismantled every team in its path, including powerhouses like Duke, Baylor, and Louisville. The Huskies are led by legendary head coach Geno Auriemma, who has won a whopping eight championships at Connecticut. Notre Dame might be a worthy challenger to the Huskies, however. Led by player of the year candidate Kayla McBride,the Fighting Irish are ranked second, and poised to build on last year’s final four appearance, where Connecticut came away with the national title. Perhaps Baylor, the only team that has challenged UConn in a regular season game, can swing a huge upset, though it’s unlikely to happen.  Rather than the tendency of upsets in the men’s draw, look for the favorites to march toward inevitable showdowns in the women’s draw, as per recent history.

2. Men’s Championship:

This year’s season has been filled with excitement, highlighted by power conferences across college basketball. The Big Ten is filled to the brim with competitive teams grappling against each other to prove themselves to the selection committee. It’s not easy to distinguish between the top five teams in the conference (Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Ohio State) Currently, it is the Michigan Wolverines, fresh off a loss in the NCAA Championship Game last year, in the top spot in the Big Ten. The Wolverines are sophomore Rory Tell’s pick to win it all, as he points to their experience and their star big-man, All-American Mitch McGary. Any of these teams could go deep in March. Speaking of last year’s NCAA Championship, Louisville, of the Big East and the defending champions, is looking strong again this season. They are ranked 7^th in the nation, but can they hold off their intrastate rival, 17^th ranked Kentucky Wildcats? Kentucky, the 2012 champion, is a freshman-filled contender, but they are not at the top of their own conference, the SEC. That honor would go to Florida, who have quietly won and won and won until just recently being named the number one team in the country.

Meanwhile, a stunning conference realignment has placed the focus of the season on the ACC. Syracuse, formerly of the Big East, joined this year and is having a banner campaign. They started 25-0 and were the #1 team in the nation; they looked unstoppable. Then, however, Duke emerged alongside Syracuse at the top of the ACC. Star freshman Jabari Parker and the Blue Devils recently knocked off the Orange in a game equally thrilling to its prelude, a Syracuse win, a month earlier. The rematch featured a GIF-worthy explosion by the Orange head coach that illustrates how passionate college basketball really is. The ACC is in flux, which makes fans’ lives that much more exciting. Wichita State, from the lowly Missouri Valley Conference, is still unbeaten and the 2^nd team in the nation, bringing back the age-old argument of the “mid-major” teams. “Mid-major” teams tend to have impressive records but are in non-competitive conferences, so will the Shockers do well in the spotlight? Finally, a PAC-12 team could take home the ultimate prize. Led by superstar Aaron Gordon, the 3^rd ranked Arizona Wildcats rebound the ball well and play excruciatingly tough defense, which are two key indicators of a team’s lasting power in the tournament.

Conclusion:

As you must see by now, there is absolutely nothing better that you could be doing on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays in March than watching the 2014 NCAA Basketball Championship. Highlighted by crazy fans, crazy upsets, and crazy intensity, March Madness never disappoints. Watch the tournament on CBS, TNT, TBS, and TruTV, or buy tickets; one of this year’s tournament sites will be New York’s fabled Madison Square Garden. One last thing: my goal was to write this entire article devoid of bias. I was very proud of myself when accomplishing this goal, but then it hit me: March Madness has nothing to do with being unbiased, so without further ado, Let’s Go Duke!!!