Teaneck, New Jersey, Baltimore, Maryland, Tulsa, Oklahoma – what do all of these places have in common? They are all locations of some of the biggest upsets in NCAA men’s tournament history. The NCAA March Madness tournament (The Big Dance) is known for its unpredictability, from Cinderella teams punching their ticket to shocking upsets in the midst of the ‘madness.’ Beginning in 1939, March Madness has evolved to become one of the largest and most anticipated sporting events to date.
Starting in early March every year, all 32 college basketball conferences hold their own tournaments to determine who is going dancing that year. This isn’t the only thing that decides tournament competitors. The champions of each tournament receive automatic entry into the tournament. The remaining 36 spots are filled by a selection committee based on the success completing the 64-team bracket. This selection process takes place on the Sunday before the third Thursday of March, also known as Selection Sunday.
A few days after Selection Sunday happens, the fun part begins. The first and second rounds are prime time for the big upsets. Between 60 and 100 million brackets are filled out every year… after one day of games, only around 2,100 are still perfect. This year, in just the first round, 12 underdogs secured a spot in the next round right off the bat, which is the most since 2001.
A common misconception about the March Madness tournament is that if you don’t watch or know anything about college basketball you can’t fill out a bracket or participate in bracket challenges. In fact, it’s more likely that you will win your pool/challenge if you just wing it. Do the team colors of Longwood look more aesthetic than Houston’s? Make the pick. Recognize Tennessee’s logo? Pick’em. The odds of predicting an actual ‘perfect’ bracket is 1 in 9.2 QUINTILLION so chances are you’ll get at least one right.
Another thing about March Madness is there are two tournaments going on simultaneously, the mens and the womens. At its highest, the women’s March Madness tournament has about 5.6 million viewers. The men’s tournament has about 9.07 million. The women’s viewing numbers have been at an all time high lately. Maybe it has something to do with Caitlin Clark or maybe it’s 2024 and times are changing in the sports world. Who’s to know? Either way, no matter which bracket you follow, chances are you’ll get sucked into both tournaments eventually. And with that, this year’s winners will be Houston in the men’s tournament and South Carolina in the women’s. Ari out.
