It’s time to let the madness begin, basketball fans.
People across the country are preparing their brackets, calling old college friends, and getting ready for three weeks of single-elimination fun as March Madness begins. The NCAA men’s basketball tournament kicked off with Selection Sunday on CBS, where Duke, Virginia, North Carolina and Gonzaga were announced as the No. 1 seeds.
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The NCAA tournament has been one of the premier sporting events in the country for the past few decades, where classic moments, stunning shots, “Cinderella stories” and unforgettable upsets have taken their place as indelible images in the minds of basketball fans everywhere. Who can forget Christian Laettner’s turnaround shot against Kentucky in 1992, or Lorenzo Charles’ buzzer-beating dunk against Phi Slamma Jamma in 1983?
More recently there was the University of Maryland’s long-awaited title win for coach Gary Williams in 2002, Gordon Hayward’s half-court heave barely rimming out for Butler in 2009, allowing Duke to crown Coach K for the fourth time, and Villanova guard Kris Jenkins’ buzzer-beating three-pointer defeating North Carolina for the title in 2016, marking the dawn of a dynasty in Philadelphia.
Click here for a printable 2019 NCAA tournament bracket from CBS Sports
This year, there will be no shortage of storylines to captivate fans. Can the Gonzaga Bulldogs, who have been the No. 1 team in the nation for the past month, finally get the proverbial monkey off their back and win a National Championship? Will the superstar trio of Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, and Cameron Reddish lead Duke and Coach K to yet another title? What about the defensive powerhouses like Michigan, Virginia, who are each capable of grinding out any game? Or Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim’s formidable 2-3 zone? Or will a Cinderella story take over instead with a team like the Buffalo Bulls or the Kansas State Wildcats mounting a charge?
Then again, these speculations may be a moot point, as Jay Wright’s Villanova Wildcats could simply defend their crown and win their third National Championship in four years, led by seniors Phil Booth and Eric Paschall.
