64 teams started on March 14th,
and on the first week of April, a
champion was crowned. There is
a lot more to it than that, though.
This was an unusually chaotic and
historic year, even by the already
dizzying standards of March
Madness.
ESPN had a record number of
unique brackets made this year.
Upwards of 19 million were made
following selection Sunday, shattering
previous years’ numbers.
Upsets, blowouts and busted
brackets later, University of North
Carolina is the sole remaining
team. Just one year after their
championship loss to Villanova,
North Carolina had every sight set
on redemption, and they succeeded.
“I had North Carolina winning
it all last year” said Justin Longo.
“I picked them again this year
because they have something to
prove.”
This year, Villanova failed
to even make the final four, a
humiliating climbdown from the
previous year’s victory.
Some students had a different
approach. “I didn’t even make
a bracket” said student Brian
Kelnhofer laughing. “I knew it
wouldn’t last past the first round.”
But this year, things got weird.
Teams that nobody saw coming
were able to make it deep into the
tournament, disregarding all the
challenges that stood before them.
“So many upsets, my bracket
was done early on” said student
Max Cascerceri
The final four was made up of
four teams that won against all
odds. Two of the teams had no
previous final four experience,
one team hadn’t made it this far
since 1939, and last but not least,
one team made the finals trying to
redeem themselves from the year
before.
Making it to the final four
without a prior appearance was
unprecedented, but it was accomplished.
The Gamecocks were
underdogs in every game, taking
down Duke, Baylor and Florida to
reach the Final Four.
The team that beat them was
another long shot to win by
tournament standards. A 1 seed
this year, this was finally Gonzaga’s
year to take it all and prove
everyone wrong. They fell short
but made it to their first every
championship.
Another major shock to the
system was the ending of a record
long winning streak.
After 111 wins, The University
of Connecticut Huskies women’s
team has finally been dethroned.
The winningest streak in all of Division
1 sports history was ended,
with the team losing for the first
time since 2014.
South Carolina became the new
champion, and for just the 10th
time in tournament history, both
men’s and women’s team from the
same school were represented in
the final four.
The end of March for college
basketball fans is a roller coaster
of emotion. Not a lot of events in
sports can top what goes on in this
3-week period. But until the start
of next year’s tournament, bracket
makers have to studying to do to
prepare.