March Madness: You Just Never Know What’s Going to Happen

As Michigan Basketball Coach, John Beilein, recently stated in this Detroit News article, “You just never know what is going to happen.” Although he was referring to the uncertainty in whether or not our beloved Michigan Wolverines would be able to make it into the NCAA tournament, he captured the entire spirit of March Madness in one sentence.

I have always been a fan of the NCAA tournament; however, when I heard that Michigan qualified to play this year, I went crazy like only a true Wolverine would.  Michigan blasted Tennessee Volunteers in the first round of the tournament 75-45. Unfortunately, our Wolverines lost in a nail biting game to first ranked Duke last week. Though their run to the championship is over, there is more to March Madness than that.

For those of you who do not know, March Madness or the NCAA tournament consists of a mixture of 64 teams that are ranked based on their records throughout the season. On Selection Sunday, the day that the first round match-ups were announced, individuals go to their computers to print blank brackets to fill out in support of teams that they will think will win. This year, Selection Sunday was on March 13th.

For many people, March Madness is a way to predict which highly ranked teams will advance all the way to the championship or which popular teams will be upset in the opening rounds. Although it is often safe to pick number one seeds to automatically advance to the Final Four, March Madness is more fun than that. The NCAA Tournament or the ‘Big Dance’ is rarely predictable and an underdog team can always have a shot at advancing further than anyone would have guessed.  On the typical bracket, these ‘underdog teams’ usually are put through only a few rounds or immediately thrown out in the first weekend of play. It is these teams often cause chaos within brackets and contribute to the overall madness of the tournament.

So, is the NCAA tournament a matter of luck or can you predict each game? Many people will spend hours on their brackets to get the perfect mix of teams; however, March Madness is mad. It makes people scream at their televisions when their favorite teams lose. It surprises people when teams that have double-digit seeds beat teams that are seeded fifth or sixth. It upsets people when their brackets are ruined by a shot at the buzzer in the final seconds of a particular game. March Madness makes people mad. Is this anger destructive or unhealthy?  Of course not.  It is infectious, exhilarating, and fun to participate in.

The Final Four has been set, and it could very well be the most unlikely pick.  This Saturday, VCU (ranked 11th) will go up against Butler (ranked 8th) at 6PM the UK Wildcats (4th) will face UConn (3rd) at 8:45PM. So, tighten up your dancing shoes and cheer on your favorite teams to victory during ‘the Big Dance,’ one of the most exciting times of the year in the athletic world. It’s time to get extra mad for March Madness and watch the craziness unfold now that the end is near, because as the coach of Michigan Basketball so wisely put, “You just never know what is going to happen.”

(Photo by The D34n under a Creative Commons license)