In the heart of spring, a certain excitement fills the air. Everyone takes a break from baseball, and professional basketball, even their own jobs, and turns their attention to a different court: college basketball. March Madness captivates not just students of competing Universities but millions of people worldwide watching and even participating by creating their very own bracket predictions. This year’s March Madness was exhilarating and ended with the University of Connecticut (UConn) earning a rare back-to-back championship win. Although the championship is the pinnacle of the tournament there were countless mind-blowing plays, players, and teams from the very beginning.
Leading up to the tournament certain teams that produce impressive regular season stats and records are the focus as the top contenders. These are teams like the University of Houston (UH) and their No. 1 rank, Duke led by freshman phenom Jared McCain, Purdue and their big man Zach Edey, and of course last year’s kings, UConn. Going into the tournament UH and UConn were ranked No. 1 in their conferences and heavily favored to face each other in the championship.
As Feb. wraps up and March begins, our social media feeds and TVs are engulfed in March Madness content. From excited college campuses participating or watching to living rooms of alumni or hometown fans, the tournament transcends mere basketball; it becomes a social and cultural phenomenon, a family and friend experience shared by millions. There is something both chaotic and therapeutic in listening to your friends tell you how their brackets are filled, how convinced they might be that they got the winning one, they never do. The tournament, however, is every year without a doubt a story from cover to cover. From early upsets to powerhouses clashing in epic battles, to the final four which only the best play in, and finally the coveted championship game where only one team walks away victorious. This year that team was UConn, but how that came to be was a whirlwind of basketball.
This year’s March madness was jammed with Countless upsets and Cinderella stories. To cover every great moment and every epic game would be a book. Yale led by multiple notable stars came into the tournament hot after winning the Ivy League tournament. In the first round they stunned and broke everyone’s brackets by upsetting the No. 4 ranked University of Auburn. On the same day the University of Duquesne had a similar story with No. 6 ranked BYU. Also in the first round was a spectacular game between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Florida Gators. Although this game wasn’t a huge upset, the game was one of the highest scoring games in tournament history with Colorado ending on top 102-100. Perhaps everyone’s favorite Cinderella story from round one was the No. 16 ranked University of Oakland Golden Grizzlies. This story began with one the craziest games of the tournament in the first round against No. 3 Kentucky. The Grizzlies were led by Jack Gohlke. Gholke was a former Division II hooper and was not even a starter in this game against Kentucky. He ended the night with 10 of 20 three-pointers made and a 32-point performance. After this performance, he gave us the quote of the tournament, “we aren’t a cinderella.” Although that may have been true for the night, Gholke and the Grizzlies would go on to lose to NC State Wolves in the next round.
Although the cinderellas and buzzer beaters are fun and exciting, the Elite 8 and Final 4 take the cake. The elite 8 consisted of some of the best team matchups and powerful clashes between No. 1 UConn, No. 1 Purdue, No. 2 Tennessee, No. 3 Illinois, No. 4 Alabama, No. 4 Duke, No. 6 Clemson, and No. 11 NC State. UConn punched their way to the Final four with what seemed to be an easy win over Illinois. Alabama continued their epic run by beating Clemson, the Purdue Boilermakers also pushed through in a win against Tennessee. Amazingly, NC State, led by fan favorite DJ Burns, came up with another upset win against No. 4 ranked Duke. And so the final four was set: No. 1 UConn Vs No. 4 Alabama, and No. 11 NC State Vs No. 1 Purdue. These matchups couldn’t have been more entertaining, the stadiums were packed with electric fans and booming bands accompanied by some of the best young basketball players in the world showing off their talent. NC State fell short in what was a battle of the big guys Zach Edey and DJ Burns. UConn also punched their ticket to the finals in a win against Alabama.
With the finals stage set in Arizona and all the upsets and Cinderella stories finished, we were left with two No. 1 ranked teams facing off: UConn Vs. Purdue. This was the matchup everyone expected, UConn–the immovable object– and Purdue–the unstoppable force–clashed in a back and forth game for the ages. Zach Edey showed out for the final time, giving every last bit of himself to his team in the finals. Still, UConn remained unmoved, and with its consistently talented roster, they came out champions for the second year in a row, winning 75-60. The excitement of a win and the agony of a loss, these boys give 110% of themselves for this moment, but basketball can break your heart.
Basketball is a sport and the main event is the players, but the tournament would be nothing without the fans. Fans, both die-hard and casual, come together in some fashion to appreciate the game of basketball. Students and families turn arenas into a casserole of emotions. March Madness isn’t just a tournament; it’s a pageant, a show of athleticism, and determination, and embodies the drive of humans in competition. Sadly, March only occurs once a year, so we the people, the fans, and the players must wait another year for the madness to return.
