In the middle of March, the NCAA March Madness Tournament takes place, with 68 teams fighting to be crowned the champion. This event is extremely popular amongst people of all ages, but particularly high schoolers. The tournament never fails to produce iconic games and moments that are talked about for years to follow, as the overall buzz and excitement of the games creates a talking point for the people involved.
“Every year, there’s a lot of close games, and it can be really intense,” freshman Brody Cecil said. “Also, you and your friends could be rooting for different teams. It’s overall really fun to watch and [it] gives us something to talk about for a couple of weeks.”
One of the main attractions of the tournament is that there are small schools that the average American has barely heard of that take down the top teams, known as “Cinderellas.” For example, a couple of years ago, Saint Peter’s, one of the lowest seeded teams in the whole tournament, defeated Kentucky, perhaps the most popular basketball school in the whole country. Stories like this take the country by storm and give these schools a rare dose of exposure.
“I think everyone loves an underdog story for one,” sophomore Dylan Cottier said. “Most Cinderella teams have one specific star player that the whole world seems to fall in love with because of their unique play style and unpredictable rise to fame and success.”
Since March Madness has been around, there has never been a perfectly predicted bracket recorded. Due to the unpredictability of the games, the odds at achieving a flawless bracket are predicted to be one in 28 billion. Despite this extremely low probability, millions of Americans fill out a bracket each year, hoping to be the first person to ever accomplish such a feat.
“I think that it adds pressure to every game,” junior Seth Johnson said. “It’s next to impossible, but I think it’s a fun challenge to go for and see how far you can make it. There’s no real strategy, obviously data is useful, but at the end of the day, it’s March, so anything can happen.”
In some years, the first round of the tournament, which is played on a Thursday and Friday, falls under a week in which students are in school, allowing for people to watch the games with their friends. However, there are some years like this one where the opening round will be played Mar. 19-20. The positive of this is that viewers can sit down and watch the games all day without having to focus on school, but the downside of not being in school during the first round is that it’s harder to watch with friends like you would be able to if it was taking place during the school day.
“Personally, I’m excited that it’s over spring break because I can watch it without having to worry about catching up on school and I can watch multiple games at once,” Cottier said. “I think that watching the games in class is so fun because it’s one of those things that only come around once a year, and you can be around people that are just as excited as you to watch the games.”
Another factor that adds to the excitement of the tournament is that because so many teams make the tournament, there is a solid chance that your favorite team will be in it, leading to more trash talk amongst friend groups. Popular schools in the area such as Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech are projected to make the tournament this year, creating more suspense for people in our community.
“It’s very fun when your team is playing,” Johnson said. “My team, the Kansas Jayhawks, won the tournament in 2022, and it was one of the best feelings I’ve ever experienced. Every game just feels so intense, and that makes each win feel that much more special. I like watching the games no matter who’s playing, but whenever you’re rooting for someone, that makes it even better.”
Overall, the tournament creates memories and experiences that people remember for years, and high schoolers who have an interest in watching sports take a particular interest in watching the games and talking about it with their friends. The event is a great way to have fun with the people around you, whether it’s watching the games together, trash-talking each other’s team, or even just keeping up with the Cinderella schools. There is something for everyone to enjoy in the tournament, and it is something that millions of high school students look forward to each year.
“The unpredictability of it all [makes March Madness such an exciting event],” sophomore Nelith Jayewardene said. “Watching Purdue get upset by the smallest team in the country, 16-seeded FDU, or watching Doug Edert and Saint Peter’s make a deep run as a 15-seed really relates to us. It shows us all to believe in the underdog, and that David really can defeat Goliath, even if it’s ‘just a college basketball game.’”
