Bring in the March Madness

Bring in the March Madness

By Paige Costantino

Source: Big East Conference

March madness is the most exciting time for college basketball. The conference tournaments have begun and the NCAA tournament is about to get underway as well. So far, UConn has won both games for their conference defeating DePaul (ranked #16) and upsetting WVU (ranked #8) 71-67. UConn is hoping to defend their title of NCAA Champions which they won last year with point guard, Kemba Walker. Today they are facing #1 ranked Syracuse which will be a tough battle. If they are to defeat Syracuse, they will face either Georgetown (ranked #5) or Cincinnati (ranked #4) for the Big East Finals and they would go on to the NCAA tournament (ESPN-Big East).

Source: Big Ten Conference

One of the interesting things about the NCAA tournament is that if a team is ranked high enough however, is eliminated during their conference playoffs, they could still compete in the NCAA tournament. For example, if Syracuse was to lose to UConn they could still enter the tournament because of their season record along with other factors. Kentucky is in the SEC which is one of the toughest conferences and is ranked number 1 overall. They go a bi the first round and will play the winner of LSU (ranked #8) or Arkansas (ranked #9) (ESPN-SEC). The ACC which is another major conference, featuring the biggest rivalry, Duke and North Carolina, has North Carolina ranked #1 with a bi in the first round and Duke ranked  #2, also with a bi in the first round (ESPN-ACC). These teams could face each other in the Conference Championship, which would be their third time meeting this season. The Big Ten conference is definitely something to see, with #1 Missouri, #2 Michigan, #3 Ohio State and #4 Wisconsin (ESPN- Big Ten).  These four teams have very good records this season and when any of these teams match up the game can go either way, don't judge the team based on their ranking.

Source: Southeastern Conference

Source: Atlantic Coast Conference

This is sure to be a crazy year for college hoops. Although I am routing for Kentucky, many of these teams are capable of an upset. If you are a basketball fan this is definitely something you have to see. What team will you stand behind?