With the new month comes March Madness, one of the most anticipated basketball and sports events in America. March Madness is an NCAA Division 1 tournament that takes place throughout the month of March and determines the national champion of all men’s college basketball. March Madness is famous for its many games in such a short time, as well as its brackets, making fans willing and able to watch every game.
To kick off March Madness, “Selection Sunday” unveils the tournament’s bracket this year, happening on March 16 at 6 PM EST. The “First Four” games are played March 18-19. The First Four refers to matches between the 4 lowest-ranked teams of the 68 teams competing. These matches will then determine which teams will make the 64 teams that are included in March Madness. Following the First Four, the true madness begins: the first round March 20-21, the second 22-23, Sweet 16 March 27-28, Elite Eight 29-30, and finally, the Final Four on April 5. The championship will then be held on April 7 to determine the NCAA champion between all 64 teams.
March Madness is famous for its brackets, where on websites like espn.com, viewers can predict the outcomes of every match. Points are awarded based on how correct you are throughout the entire bracket. Most people predict the outcomes of a few games correctly, however, most make a mistake within the first or second round. However, because of the statistical improbability of having so many game outcomes correct, the Perfect Bracket is legendary for both its statistical improbability and the one million dollar prize accompanying it. While the million dollars might seem like a nice prize, the odds of a perfect bracket are 1 in 147,573,952,589,676,412,928. Additionally, rather than a million dollars, friendly leagues for smaller cash prizes or for bragging rights are often held within friend groups during March Madness.
As a whole, March Madness is a time to look forward to for sports fans and non-sports fans alike, with something for everyone to enjoy during March.
