Today is the beginning of one of my favorite times of the year!
Honestly, the last couple of weeks have already started the excitement with conference tournaments, but today is Selection Sunday. Selection Sunday is the start of what many sports fans consider the best stretch on the calendar. For roughly the next month, 68 teams will go toe-to-toe to see who can be crowned the National Champion in college basketball.
This time of year is amazing—but it can also be incredibly frustrating.
And the reason for that?
Brackets.
I spend the entire year watching college basketball, not because I think it will help me win a bracket challenge, but because I genuinely love the sport. But even after watching games all year long, my bracket can still get completely busted.
But honestly, that’s part of what makes this tournament so fun.
The madness.
You truly never know what might happen.
For the longest time, people believed a 16-seed would never upset a 1-seed. Even though there had been some close calls over the years, most fans still thought it would never actually happen.
Then 2018 happened.
UMBC stunned the University of Virginia, becoming the first 16-seed in men’s tournament history to defeat a 1-seed. What made it even crazier was that it wasn’t some last-second buzzer beater.
UMBC won by 18 points.
Even though they lost in the next round, it was still one of the most incredible moments in tournament history.
And now it’s happened twice.
In 2023, Fairleigh Dickinson shocked the world by beating Purdue as another 16-seed. Who knows—depending on how the bracket shakes out this year, maybe we’ll see it again. All it takes is one night where the top seed can’t buy a bucket and the underdog catches fire.
That’s the beauty of March Madness.
The Magic of Cinderella Runs
Another thing that makes this tournament special is the legendary Cinderella runs.
Think about George Mason in 2006, an 11-seed that made it all the way to the Final Four. Or VCU in 2011, who went from the First Four to the Final Four in one of the most unlikely runs we’ve ever seen.
But one of America’s most recent favorite Cinderella stories came in 2018 with Loyola Chicago.
As an 11-seed, Loyola Chicago won three straight games by either one or two points. They beat Miami, Tennessee, and Nevada in absolute nail-biters before defeating Kansas State by four to reach the Final Four.
It felt like every game was another miracle.
That was also when Sister Jean took the sports world by storm, leading the team in prayer before games and becoming one of the most beloved figures of the tournament.
These are the types of moments that make people fall in love with March Madness.
The First Weekend Is Pure Chaos
Another reason this tournament is so great is simply the amount of basketball on TV once it starts.
The Round of 64 and Round of 32 are absolutely glorious.
For those first four days, it feels like there are games on all day long. You’re flipping between channels, checking scores, and trying to keep up with everything.
You almost need multiple TVs, a laptop, and maybe even a tablet just to watch as many games as possible.
One of my favorite memories growing up was teachers putting the games on in class during the first round. If you’re a teacher now, I highly recommend doing a bracket challenge with your students.
Speaking from experience—it’s a blast.
Of course, there are some blowouts, especially when Power Conference teams face mid-majors, but those games where the big schools start sweating?
Those are the best.
Even better is when the upset actually happens.
Because suddenly everyone is wondering:
Did that team just bust my bracket… or did I actually pick them?
That’s the beauty of this tournament.
The Mid-Major Debate
One thing I want to touch on briefly is the conversation happening online right now about Miami (Ohio).
They finished the regular season undefeated, but their only loss came in the conference tournament to UMass, which has sparked a debate about whether they deserve an at-large bid.
Some people think they should still get in. Others say they shouldn’t because they didn’t win their conference tournament and don’t have the same metrics as some Power Conference teams.
Personally, I think they should get in.
Yes, they’re a mid-major and might not have the same Quad 1 wins or strength of schedule, but going undefeated in the regular season is incredibly difficult, no matter what conference you’re in.
I don’t think mid-major teams that have amazing seasons should be penalized for losing one conference tournament game while Power Conference teams that had average or underwhelming seasons still get in because of their metrics.
Those metrics often favor bigger conferences anyway.
The gap between mid-majors and major programs in basketball is nowhere near what it is in college football.
Upsets happen all the time.
I doubt the selection committee will change how they evaluate teams anytime soon, but I would love to see more deserving mid-major teams rewarded for great seasons.
We’ll find out soon enough.
Let the Madness Begin
There are still a few more tickets to be punched today with some conference championship games being played.
But once the bracket is revealed tonight, it’s time to start filling out brackets and getting ready for one of the best stretches of sports all year.
March Madness is here.
And we’re all here for it.
Let the madness begin.
– Jett Garden
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