Bracketology: March Madness 2018

by Alex Kimble

March Madness is back, baby! This is time of the year when we all place our bets and fill out our brackets. None of them ever end up perfect, but we all enjoy sharing the upsets we see coming. The beauty of March Madness is anything can happen.

In the NBA playoffs, teams have seven games to prove which is the best team in the series. In March Madness, teams have only one shot to prove themselves on the big stage. All NBA players, fans and scouts are watching to see which teams and players are the best. The biggest question for West Virginia fans is are you going with your heart and choose the Mountaineers to win the NCAA tournament or are you going with your head and your wallet?

The chances of the Mountaineers winning their first National Championship and possibly going to the Final Four is really slim. West Virginia was ranked number two in the country. Like most years, hopes get high and the NCAA basketball world humbles our country roads. Anything is possible with cinderella teams like Florida Gulf Coast and your Butler Bulldogs having success. To quote “Dumb and and Dumber,” “There is a chance.”

The North Carolina Tar Heels have a chance to repeat as champions, but will be a tough challenge to overcome. The Tar heels biggest rival Duke are one of the favorites to win it all. The one and done rule really has not done any favors for the game of college basketball. However, one thing that fans love about March Madness is the coaching.

Coaching trumps all in the college ranks. NBA, NFL and even MLB all have their stars, but the difference comes down to coaching. The stars really are the the coaches. In recent years, great coaching has been the difference in March Madness with coaches like Rick Pitino with the Louisville Cardinals, Kentucky’s John Calipari, Tar Heels’ Roy Williams and of course Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski.

Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans are another favorite to win this year’s tournament, despite the fanbase being in panic mode over losing to Michigan Wolverines in the Big 10 Tournament. Tom Izzo says, “Michigan State must embrace March Madness and step it up a notch.”

The Michigan Wolverines are another favorite to look out for as they have won nine games in a row. Playing well at the right time is what everyone talks about this time of the year. It is key to get hot at the right time. The Wolverines certainly are with a win in the Big 10 Tournament over the Michigan State Spartans.

The Virginia Cavaliers are the unanimous number one overall in the world of college basketball. Xavier, Gonzaga and Villanova are other teams that have great shots to win the NCAA championship this year. However, like every year, a cinderella story will take place. A team you don’t expect to make it to the Elite Eight or Final Four. Sometimes, they even shock everyone as double-digit defeating a top seed.

Nevertheless, this is a favorite time of the year for sports fans, as they fill out the brackets, place bets and pick upsets for March Madness. College basketball fans of all ages enjoy doing that crazy stuff this time of the year. The part that is going to be tough, like every year, is watching our brackets get ruined, but bracketology is all in good fun. We keep it that way as we sit back, relax and enjoy watching the madness happen. This year’s March Madness Tournament will surely have cinderella stories, upsets and a new champion.