March, the best month of the year for every college basketball fan. 68 teams (including play-in games) battle it out over 3 weeks of games. Heartbreak & victory. Cinderella stories, and dominant runs. There have already been some very exciting games, and as of March 29th, we’re unsure of the winner– the team that takes the trophy and title of national champs.
History of March Madness
Some may wonder why the tournament is called “March Madness”. The NCAA states that Henry V. Porter, an Illinois high school official, first referred to it by that name and from there, CBS broadcaster Brent Musburger used it during the 1982 tournament. Since then, the term has been applied to this tournament and become a key part in its legacy.
The first NCAA game of March Madness was played in 1939, where the University of Oregon Ducks were the first team to win the national title (NCAA). Originally, there were only 8 teams, but in 1951, they doubled it to 16. They continued to expand it until 1985, when the 64 team tournament was adapted. With additional play-in games to get into March Madness, there are a total of 68 teams involved, all seeded by the NCAA D1 basketball committee. This is based on efficiency, opponent quality, and game location.
Women’s Bracket
This year more than ever, eyes are on both the men and womens teams. Caitlin Clark’s impact has brought everyone’s attention to women’s basketball, and their games do not disappoint—6 teams scoring over 100 points in the first round! Paige Bueckers just scored her career high 40 points during the UConn vs. University of Oklahoma, sending the Huskies into the elite 8 (Bleacher Report). The Huskies are a powerhouse team, and high contenders for the championship. Most thought that USC (The University of South California) would win the Championship, but with Juju Watkins’ ACL tear, USC has lost their top scorer, averaging 24.6 points per game. Without Juju, USC (1) was still able to pull out the win over the Kansas State Wildcats (5).
Men’s Bracket
Florida (1) faced the strong Texas Tech (3) in a nail-biter game right up until the end. Tech was up by 10, but in the last 3 minutes of the game, Florida made a comeback with Walter Calyton Jr and Will Richard hitting clutch free throws to secure the win. They advanced to the Final Four with a 5 point victory.
Cooper Flagg and the Duke Blue Devils have plowed their way through to the Final Four. They are by far the most popular pick for national champion this year. Duke is the only college, this year, with both their mens and women’s teams in the bracket. Their women’s team made their way to the elite 8, beating UNC by 9 points on Friday, March 28. Could they take both 2025 National titles?
My Picks
My personal pick for the men’s champ is Florida, and for women’s—Uconn. With ESPN letting people redo their brackets for the sweet 16, a lot of people get a second chance to guess. I’m sticking with the first brackets I made, and I hope I’m right the rest of the way through.
There have been some crazy upsets in the men’s tournament, including Clemson (5) losing to McNeese State (12) and Arkansas (10) closing out on Kansas (7) (People). These have ruined countless brackets as most pick higher seeded teams to win. For the women’s upsets, Oregon (10) beat Vanderbuilt (7) in a close game by 4. Another 10 and 7 seed upset was South Dakota State defeating Oklahoma State in the first round.
Upcoming Games
Tune into the madness as Michigan State (2) vs Auburn (1) and Houston (1) vs Tennessee (2) play March 30th. Those games will determine who goes to the men’s final four alongside Florida and Duke, and who gets sent home. April 5th is the date for the final four games, and the national championship game will be played on April 7th in San Antonio, Texas. The women’s brackets are played slightly after the mens, so they are still battling in the elite 8. Their final four games will be played on April 4th, and the championship game on April 6th in Tampa, Florida.
