The Big Dance is back and bringing the madness
Mary Margaret Ellison, Sports Editor
Indianapolis, IN is already buzzing with eager teams ready to pull off an upset.
Each team, player and coach have been waiting to punch their ticket to the Big Dance all season.
The madness of 67 games will be in one city this time around.
This is the first time in NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball history that the tournament is being played in one single region.
There are COVID protocols in place for each team per usual.
Basketball fans will be smiling ear to ear since the tournament is allowing fans up to 25% capacity with social distancing.
The first round of the tournament begins March 19. Here are some must watch first-round games:
No. 7 Clemson (16-7) v. No. 10 Rutgers (16-7) at 9:20pm on TBS
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights have a 1.5 point favor over the Clemson Tigers. This game will be a tough matchup between the ACC and the Big Ten.
Both teams share similarities of fading when the competition got stronger and showing up on the defensive side.
“For Clemson to win in the first round, they need to play smart and win defensively,” Jacob Holcombe, NGU student and Clemson fan said. “I’m excited to see where Clemson is going to go.”
No. 5 Villanova (16-6) vs No. 12 Winthrop (23-1) at 9:57pm on TNT
The Winthrop Eagles are one of the March Madness underdogs to watch this tournament. The Eagles have been picked to upset the Villanova Wildcats in the first round.
The Eagles may be able to take advantage of the Wildcats weary performance the past three games.
The thrill of an upset is what keeps college basketball fans intrigued in March Madness. There are many teams to look out for as the tournament moves along.
There are many 1 seeds to keep your eye on.
Gonzaga is the No. 1 seed in the West Region. The Zags are the only undefeated 26-0 team coming into the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Mark Few and his Bulldogs are the obvious favorite to win the tournament.
“They have to play together as a team and communicate especially on defense to win it all,” NGU freshman Abi Oates and Gonzaga fan said. “Defense will win the ball game.”
Baylor is the No. 1 seed in the South region to keep an eye on. The Bears had a tough loss against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Semifinals last week. Baylor is favored to be in the Final Four and potentially the championship game.
Illinois is the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region. The Fighting Illini are looking to fight their way to the championship game, but they may be faced with tough competition along the way.
The No. 2 and No. 3 seeds have the potential to pull off upsets to work their way to the championship game as well.
The madness will start to get intense as the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight come into play beginning on Saturday, March 27 at 2 p.m.
There will be brackets broken in the first round and unexpected upsets that will bring tears.
March Madness is back ladies and gentlemen. May the best fan win, or should I say, team?
The Final Four games will be played on Saturday, April 3 at 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. The National Championship game will be played on Monday, Apr 5 at 9 p.m.
Check out the schedule for each game here.
