Every year, between 60 million and 100 million brackets are filled out for the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament. The time of year is almost here to begin filling out these brackets once more. The NCAA Basketball Tournament is arguably the best time of the college basketball season. With captivating Cinderella stories, and fabulous Final Four teams, this incredible tournament never disappoints. In just a mere two weeks the madness of college basketball will begin again.
With the regular season winding down, teams everywhere are fighting to prove they are worthy of competing in “The Big Dance”. Teams such as Ohio State, Arkansas, Nebraska, and Boise State are all on the bubble according to ESPN’s sports analyst, Joe Lunardi. Lunardi has these teams as the last four in. This last week of regular season competition is crucial for these four squads. A loss for any of these teams could crush their chances of competing in the NCAA tournament. These four teams are not the only ones on the fence about whether or not they will make it into the final bracket. Accompanying them are Baylor, San Diego State, Georgia, and Indiana, the teams with the last four byes, and Oklahoma, Xavier, North Carolina, and Texas, which are the first four out (ESPN).
Even though some teams’ tournament future is uncertain, many teams have definitely punched their ticket for the bracket. FOX Sports Bracket forecaster, Mike DeCourcy, has projected the number one seeds to be Auburn, Duke, Alabama, and Houston. All of these powerhouse programs have performed phenomenally up to this point this season. The current and predicted number one overall seed belongs to the Tigers of Auburn University. Auburn has been nothing but dominant this season with a current record of 27-2. The Tigers have relied on their star players, especially Johni Broome. According to ESPN.com, Broome leads the Tigers with an average of 18 points per game and is in the conversation for National Player of the Year. Another contender up for this prestigious award is freshman sensation, Cooper Flagg.
Flagg has been nothing short of amazing for the Duke Blue Devils in just his freshman season. Duke is currently ranked 2nd in the nation and has a tremendous record of 27-3. Duke is projected to be on that number one seed line come Selection Sunday. Alabama and Houston are the other two remaining predicted number one seeds as they both have had outstanding seasons. These four are looking to make deep runs come the NCAA Tournament in two weeks.
These teams are not the only ones capable of making a statement in the tournament this season. According to CBSsports.com, teams such as Texas Tech, Oregon, Maryland, and St. John’s are considered the “dark horses” of March Madness this year. The Red Storm of St. John’s University has been quite spectacular this season under historic college basketball head coach, Rick Pitino. St. John’s is not normally a team that comes to mind when you think of a basketball powerhouse. However, they have proven themselves worthy this season. With a current record of 26-4, the Red Storm has surged up towards the top of the power rankings. St. John’s has all the pieces to be a title contender and shock the world this March.
Who will the next NCAA tournament champion be playing in San Antonio? Find out by following all the madness this Spring. The first game of the tournament tips off on March 18, with the final game taking place on April 7. Join in on all of the upsets and bracketbusters and see who will have their one shining moment this year.
From the sidelines to the headlines, this is Lauren, signing out.
