College Basketball teams across the country have spent the past 3 months working their way through difficult schedules seeking to achieve the ultimate goal of reaching the NCAA tournament. On Sunday, the selection committee will reveal which of those teams did enough during the regular season to secure one of the coveted bids. The tournament, commonly known as March Madness, consists of 68 teams, thirty two of which are the winners of their conference tournament and thirty six who are picked by the committee based on their performance throughout the season. The committee also has to seed the teams one through sixteen based on their performances.
The majority of conferences only have one participant. However the top conferences typically get multiple teams in, with the Big East setting the record by getting 11 teams in for the 2011 NCAA Tournament. That year Connecticut’s own Uconn Huskies were one of the eleven teams to make it in, and ultimately won the championship that year.
But this year the Huskies tournament chances look bleak. At the moment they are sitting at 14-14, with bad early season losses to minor conference schools such as Northeastern and Wagner. Not all hope is lost for Uconn, as they have the chance to win the conference tournament and clinch an automatic bid, but that is highly unlikely.
NHS Sophomore Liam Creeden, an avid fan of the Huskies, is still optimistic about the program.
“I am disappointed about this year but I am expecting a comeback, maybe not this year but in the near future.”
While Uconn is struggling, many other teams are hoping to hold up the trophy at the end of the season. One of the top team in college basketball this season has been the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Always considered an underrated teams in all of college basketball, Gonzaga has catapulted onto the national stage by going 29-1 this year. Right behind them are the defending champions Villanova,who are 27-3 and have picked up wins over teams such as Virginia, Purdue and Notre Dame. NHS Sophomore Thomas Briscoe, whose sister attends Villanova, is excited about their chances to repeat.
“They’re pretty good, they have a great coach, potential player of the year in Josh Hart and a lot of experience on the squad.”
The other number one seeds are projected to be Kansas and North Carolina, according to ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi. However that could easily change. The top ten has been like a revolving door this season, with Duke, Kentucky, UCLA, Villanova and Gonzaga have all held the number one spot at some point this season.
While these giant programs typically dominate in the tournament, every year there is a cinderella team that steals the show. A couple of teams that came close Keep an eye on Monmouth, a team that was known throughout the country last season for their bench celebrations. The Hawks still have most of the players from that team and are looking to bring their team onto the national stage. Another team that could surprise many people is Middle Tennessee State. The Blue Raiders pulled off a colossal upset over Michigan State in last years tournament, and they have looked even better this year. While picking a cinderella team is like playing the lottery, These teams have the most talent and are in the best position to pull off the upset.
Once March Madness rolls around, the event will provide nonstop entertainment for fans of the sport. As the tournament comes closer it's time to relax, pick your bracket and just enjoy the endless flow of basketball that the tournament brings us.
Image Courtesy of The Feminist Wire