March Madness is for Everyone, Not Just College Hoops Fans
March is here, Bandwagoners and even you know what that means… MARCH MADNESS!
The one sporting culture event that anyone and everyone can get into. Whether you are a sports fan or not, it’s hard not to get involved and watch games.
I am proof of this. Most of my life I was never really into it. I would occasionally tune in closer to the later rounds, but mostly because I never had a rooting interest and basketball at that time was on the lower tier of my sports enthusiasm. Back then the Warriors sucked (as they have most of my life), Cal never made it past the first round, and Sac State (my alma mater) fucking blows in the worst division in college hoops.
But in my final year in college I was asked to be a part of a bracket challenge with my frat. I said yes, thinking “Screw it, I’ll make some blind picks and see what happens.” So, I participated and found myself on day 1 watching games all day. Every one of the games was so exciting, with most of the games going to buzzer beaters. And on top of that the impossible happened, Cal made it past the first round thanks to the leadership of legendary Head Coach Mike Montgomery. Absolutely SHOCKED! Since then I’ve been hooked. I tune in every year with the most excitement.
The great thing about March Madness is that it has a little bit of something for everybody. Here are some reasons why you would enjoy it:
School Pride
This is probably the most obvious one. No matter if you were a sports fan or not, everybody has school pride. When I meet someone new, one of the first things I ask is if they are a sports fan. If they are or not, somewhere incorporated in their answer is “I watch March Madness.” Because the tournament is so big (68 teams) there is a high percentage that some time in your life, your alma mater will get a bid into the tournament. When that day comes, trust me you will follow along.
My first year out of college my alma mater Sacramento State was making one hell of a run in the regular season. Everybody I knew from school was following them to see if they could make it into the tournament. In a division dominated by Weber State and a conference that typically only sends 1 team to the tourney, we knew our chances were slim but still exciting. They eventually got knocked off in the Big Sky Conference Tournament, but we all sat at the edge of our seats hoping they could somehow make it in. My school pride completely took over and I couldn’t help but watch and check in online every day.
Getting Your First Glimpse at Future NBA Stars
You could argue that we already know the main future NBA talent coming because we have seen them all season, but you would be surprised. Many of the best talent in today’s NBA wasn’t discovered until the tournament.
Steph Curry is the perfect example of this. Steph went to a small school, Davidson University. Though it has a long tradition of being a good basketball program it isn’t part of a big conference, so often times it is over looked. Steph had little buzz coming into the tournament back in 2008 but he led his team through the tournament all the way to the Elite Eight as a #10 seed, eventually losing to #1 seed Kansas by just 2 points. Steph scored more than 30 points in all four tournament games creating a huge amount of buzz, ultimately leading him to be the number seven overall pick in the NBA draft two years later.
Other players who have boosted their draft stock from the tournament are Karl-Anthony Towns, Greg Oden and De’aaron Fox. Also, there have been many players who had a lot of buzz going into the tournament but had awful performances causing their draft stock to fall, like Duke’s Jahlil Okafor.
Unfortunately for this year’s tournament, the number one draft prospect Luka Doncic will not be playing because he plays in the Spanish league. One big storyline will be Trae Young from Oklahoma University. Coming into this season Young was talked about as being the number one pick in this year’s draft, and after his amazing first half all signs looked like that narrative was coming true. Unfortunately, him and his team started to fall off and Oklahoma barely squeezed in the tournament as a #10 seed. Can Trae Young bounce back and prove himself to still be a top pick and future NBA star? We will find out in the coming weeks. This is a story line you do not want to miss out on.
So Many Exciting Buzzer Beaters
I don’t know what it is, but it feels like almost every game in March Madness comes down to a buzzer beater. At least in the first two rounds this seems to be the case more often than not. Maybe it’s because some of these games have such evenly matched teams, or maybe it’s the little guy desperate to prove they belong. All I know is that no sports are more exciting then March Madness buzzer beaters.
Just thinking of the exciting voices of Jim Nantz and Grant Hill commentating the final possession gets me excited! It always feels like any team has a chance to win, regardless if it’s a #16 seed going against a #1 seed. These upsets happen more often than you think. Just 2 years ago, #14 seed Georgia State upset #3 seed Baylor in the first round on a 3 pointer from RJ Hunter with just 2.6 seconds remaining. This shows that in March Madness anything can happen, and you can’t sleep on any team.
We have an exciting couple week ahead of us and I cannot wait! I know I will be filling out multiple brackets and be hooked to the TV any spare chance I get. With that being said, how about we make some Final Four picks. Ok here goes nothing:
South: Arizona
East: Purdue
West: Michigan
Midwest: Michigan State
First games start tomorrow so good luck on your brackets and wish me luck as well!