By Dimitrios Kontagiannis, Sports Editor
Some people say that Superbowl Sunday is the best Sunday of the year in sports, but I beg to differ. Selection Sunday is the best Sunday in sports; the day where 68 teams find out that they will be going to the NCAA tournament, a goal that every coach tries to achieve.
From 30-4 Virginia all the way down to 15-19 Texas Southern, everybody has a chance.
The NCAA tournament has always been known for its upsets or its “Cinderella stories” of when low seeds upset the higher seeds in the first rounds, or go even further.
Some of the most memorable runs were No. 11 seeded George Mason University making it to the final four in 2003, No. 11 seeded Virginia Commonwealth University making it to the final four in 2005, and No. 8 seeded Butler University making to the national championship game in 2011, only to miss a last second game winner.
It’s very common for the top seeds to win it, but a couple lower seeds have won the championship including 1988 University of Kansas, 1985 Villanova University, and most notably 1983 North Carolina State coached by Jim Valvano.
But how about this year’s tournament? Who has potential to make a Cinderella run? Among the favorites to perhaps make a Cinderella run this year are colleges like No. 12 seeded New Mexico State and No. 11 seeded Loyola University-Chicago. But as usual, you can never really predict the madness of March, which is the best part. History says that the favorites usually aren’t the favorites at all.
Another big part of March Madness are the bubble teams, teams that are right on the edge of either making or not making the NCAA tournament. Those who make it celebrate, but those who don’t get their bubbles bursted. There is always controversy over who should have made the tournament and who shouldn’t. Syracuse and Arizona State universities are the controversial teams that some think maybe shouldn’t have made it, while Notre Dame University, University of Southern California, and Nebraska are the teams that some think should’ve made an appearance in the big dance.
Virginia, Xavier, Villanova, and Duke universities are this year’s No. 1 seeds this year, and out of all of them Virginia is No. 1 overall and a favorite to win according to the fans. I also think Virginia will turn out champions over Villanova to bring home the trophy.
March Madness is one of the best times of the year for a sports fan, so sit back, relax, and watch the madness unfold (unless you have a bracket).