Monday 28 March 2016

I Heart March Madness

It is extremely hard to not talk about March Madness in this entry due to all of the excitement and amazing tournament going on right now.  What makes NCAA March Madness college basketball so fun to watch?  So many things! Where to start? 

1. Passion 
Since the games are a one and done format every team has a chance to win from when the ball is tipped off.  In other playoff formats it is a series of multiple games that decides a winner.  It is so exciting to watch two teams battle it out because anyone can beat a team in a one game format.  All you have to do is just have a really great game and control the tempo that favours your team.  You can also see the passion and school pride that comes with winning or just being invited to the tournament for that matter.  People really rally behind their teams and get so excited to watch them play.  The fanfare of March Madness is extremely contagious.  Athletes train their whole lives to be a part of it so the pressure and expectation can be incredibly high.  Buzzer beaters are pretty incredible too.  

2. Upsets 
When a 15 seed takes down a 2 seed fans get excited. This is exactly what happened when Michigan State was upset this year by Middle Tennessee. This among other upset broke a lot of brackets.  Even the most seasoned fans can’t determine what will happen during the tournament this is what makes March Madness so exciting for anyone.  Average fans really love underdog stories.  This year in particular has been fun because out of the Final Four teams only one of them, North Carolina, is a number one seed.  Both Villanova and Oklahoma are two seeds.  Syracuse is the last team to round out the Final Four and they started out as a tenth seed.     

3. Underdogs 
The most unlikely story of them all is Syracuse which have crawled back from a self-imposed ban which meant they didn’t participate in 2015’s tournament due to some issues with player eligibility.  Now Syracuse rallied back and beat Virginia to squeeze into the Final Four. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

4. Team Play 
Many people who are NBA fans often complain that they don’t know the personnel there are too many teams to remember and this is what makes it challenging to keep up with.  The reason I disagree is that the media likes to make NBA match-ups about individual stars going against one another. March Madness isn't necessarily like that because it is about the teams going against each other.  In these game is it coach versus coach and team versus team. I love watching the tactics and strategy that go into pulling off upsets or solidifying victories.  It is very fun and extremely intriguing.  This is my favourite time of the year.  


Happy March Madness! Enjoy The Show!    

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