Christian Sopkowiak/Winonan
The month of March is known for being the first official month of spring. It is also known for having St. Patrick’s Day and Mardi Gras.
However, most sports fans know it for March Madness.
March Madness is the annual tournament held for college basketball that pits 64 different teams against one another in the span of a few weeks. The madness begins with 32 basketball games in the span of a few days.
The madness gets even crueler when you consider the thousands and thousands of brackets filled out before the games actually begin.
From ESPN to Yahoo, people fill out their brackets in hope of either winning some money or displaying their superiority.
This year, the madness was on full display.
In the round of 64, the very first game pitted twelfth-seeded Dayton against fifth-seeded Ohio State. This was not one of the games seen as a possible upset.
Yet, Ohio State was sent packing by their in-state rivals the Dayton Flyers with a final score of 60-59.
Thus, the madness had begun.
The same day, twelfth-seeded Harvard ousted fifth-seeded Cincinnati in a hard fought affair (61-57). Later that night, North Dakota State University beat out Oklahoma (80-75) in one of the five overtime games in the round of 64.
The next day third-seeded Duke lost to fourteenth-seeded Mercer (78-71) in an upset few saw coming.
Eleventh-seeded Tennessee (beat Massachusetts 86-67) and twelfth-seeded Stephen F. Austin (beat VCU 77-75 in OT) also bounced their higher seeded matchups.
In two days of madness, hundreds of thousands of brackets were busted. But, some were still holding strong, and one lonely bracket was still perfect. Then, the round of 32 began.
Those incredible Dayton Flyers beat third-seeded powerhouse Syracuse in a back-and-forth affair that ended in a 55-53 win for the Flyers.
On the same day, the seventh-seeded Connecticut Huskies ousted second-seeded Villanova (77-65).
In the final day of the round of 32, what many consider the best game of the tournament so far took place.
It was not the surprising blowout that occurred when Baylor walloped the Doug McDermott-led Creighton Blue Jays (85-55).
It was not the nail-biter which occurred when the Stanford Cardinals stifled the Andrew Wiggins-led Kansas Jayhawks (60-57).
The best game of the tournament so far occurred between a nucleus of young talent and a veteran team chasing perfection.
Kentucky versus Wichita State was a consistent back-and-forth affair. It ended in a failed buzzer beater. The Wildcats’ young core outdid Wichita State’s veterans (78-76).
Throughout all of these games, it is clear the madness is alive. And the fans would not have it any other way.
The Final Four will have been decided by the time this article is released. The tournament will finish this week, and what a crazy ride it has been. Let’s just hope the madness continues.
