March Madness is one of the most anticipated basketball events of the year. The men’s tournament brings in almost 9.4 million viewers. The women’s games pull about 8.6 million viewers. The first round of the tournament will be held in Dayton, Ohio.
March Madness is a tournament that all the top basketball teams in the nation work to play in all season. Placement is determined by games won, points scored, and which teams you play during the regular season. Once a team makes it to the tournament, they play other teams, and if they lose a game, it is single elimination.
The first four games of the tournament resulted in Howard beating UMBC 86-83. Texas won against NC State 68-66. Prairie View and Miami OH also won in the first four rounds and will move on in the tournament.
The first round started on March 19. March Madness is known for its crazy upsets. Any team can win any game. This year is no different, with TCU upsetting Ohio State 66-64. High Point University had a big upset against Wisconsin, 83-82. Number 1 seed Duke just barely won against number 16 seed Siena. Saint Louis upset Georgia 102-77. Texas beat BYU 79-71.
Teams like Michigan State, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Louisville, and Nebraska will also be moving on to the second round.
Everyone knows the most fun part of March Madness is making a bracket and seeing how well it does. People make brackets with family, friends, classmates, and coworkers. This year, over 36 million brackets were made. The best part is that you don’t even have to know that much about basketball to do well. As a matter of fact, sometimes March Madness is so unpredictable that people who know less about basketball actually do better making brackets.
Women’s basketball has been on the rise for the past few years. Just in the 2024 NCAA tournament final, viewership almost tripled. With viewership going up, so has TV time. Leading to more fans and helping players feel more appreciated and have more fun on the court.
Teams like UConn, South Carolina, Iowa, Duke, and Texas have become powerhouses, proving over the last few years, especially that they are forces to be reckoned with and paving the way for women’s basketball.
Minnesota player Amaya battled to hit an impressive buzzer-beater to send them to the Sweet 16. South Carolina has continued to show their dominance in the league and keep their foot on the gas with their 103-34 blowout against Southern, one of the biggest blowouts in tournament history.
Make sure not to miss any of the madness and tune in to watch the men’s and women’s games through April 6.
