March Madness
David Andrews
David Andrews
A time of the year where some of the world’s biggest young athletes make their name’s known, March Madness. It is a time of organized chaos, a time of intense joy and devastating heartbreak, a time where boys become men. The competition is at its highest during March Madness and that is what makes it so enjoyable.
So far, all the noise surrounding the NCAA this year was predicated around future number one pick, Zion Williamson and his teammates at Duke, but the tournament has allowed many people to see just how many players in the league are NBA ready. Players like Ja Morant put on a show against Marquette, posting the first triple-double in the tournament since NBA all-star Draymond Green. When asked about it, Draymond simply replied, “Welcome to the elite club, brother.” This shows how much attention Ja has managed to garner around his name and how much respect he has managed to gain across the league. It has even reached the point where, even though it is obvious that Zion will be the number one pick, Ja has made the case of any team that gets the second pick should be just as grateful.
Usually March Madness is filled with upsets and a few teams you would never expect making a run, but this year it has sort of been the exact opposite. Everything has sort of gone as planned and it has busted everyone’s bracket. There was only one really big upset throughout the tournament so far, Oregon beating Wisconsin, and that might have been the only upset everyone did not predict. People like Coach Gambrell said that the one thing that surprised him most was the fact that they did not just beat them by a buzzer beater, but that they blew them out. The final score ended up being 72 to 54, and Oregon’s next opponent is the number one seeded Virginia. This should prove to be a crazy match-up with Oregon's physicality on the defensive end and Virginia’s talented back court in which all three of their guards lead them in scoring. A lot of people wrote off Oregon after losing their superstar freshman Bol-Bol, but these guys have something to prove and it should be interesting to watch.
Another team with something to prove is Michigan. After falling to Villanova in the national championship last year, a lot of people have looked at them as “the other Michigan team”, said Hillgrove student Jalani Benjamin, but they can pose a threat to any team unlucky enough to cross their path. Michigan is not the only “underdog” team that can make it out the Sweet Sixteen and even the Elite Eight. Purdue has a chance to beat Tennessee and give either Oregon or Virginia a run for their money.
Even though the tournament has been pretty unpredictably predictable, Duke, Virginia, Gonzaga, and Tennessee better watch their backs because these “second tier” teams are coming.
So far, all the noise surrounding the NCAA this year was predicated around future number one pick, Zion Williamson and his teammates at Duke, but the tournament has allowed many people to see just how many players in the league are NBA ready. Players like Ja Morant put on a show against Marquette, posting the first triple-double in the tournament since NBA all-star Draymond Green. When asked about it, Draymond simply replied, “Welcome to the elite club, brother.” This shows how much attention Ja has managed to garner around his name and how much respect he has managed to gain across the league. It has even reached the point where, even though it is obvious that Zion will be the number one pick, Ja has made the case of any team that gets the second pick should be just as grateful.
Usually March Madness is filled with upsets and a few teams you would never expect making a run, but this year it has sort of been the exact opposite. Everything has sort of gone as planned and it has busted everyone’s bracket. There was only one really big upset throughout the tournament so far, Oregon beating Wisconsin, and that might have been the only upset everyone did not predict. People like Coach Gambrell said that the one thing that surprised him most was the fact that they did not just beat them by a buzzer beater, but that they blew them out. The final score ended up being 72 to 54, and Oregon’s next opponent is the number one seeded Virginia. This should prove to be a crazy match-up with Oregon's physicality on the defensive end and Virginia’s talented back court in which all three of their guards lead them in scoring. A lot of people wrote off Oregon after losing their superstar freshman Bol-Bol, but these guys have something to prove and it should be interesting to watch.
Another team with something to prove is Michigan. After falling to Villanova in the national championship last year, a lot of people have looked at them as “the other Michigan team”, said Hillgrove student Jalani Benjamin, but they can pose a threat to any team unlucky enough to cross their path. Michigan is not the only “underdog” team that can make it out the Sweet Sixteen and even the Elite Eight. Purdue has a chance to beat Tennessee and give either Oregon or Virginia a run for their money.
Even though the tournament has been pretty unpredictably predictable, Duke, Virginia, Gonzaga, and Tennessee better watch their backs because these “second tier” teams are coming.
