Behind The “Madness”

Roughly 70 million people filled out brackets last year for March Madness. Being one of the most hyped up sporting events, the NCAA Tournament brings lots of happiness or lots of tears to both the players and the fans.

In case you didn’t know, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament is about a month long tournament that is filled with 64 hungry teams trying to win a national championship. To get into the tournament, teams need to have a lot of quality wins or need to win their conference tournament. Once making it into the NCAA Tournament – or March Madness – teams compete in a one loss elimination tournament with the top basketball teams around the country.

There are many reasons players and fans alike go crazy for the NCAA Tournament. First, March Madness allows players to make names for themselves and lets them showcase their talents. According to Statista.com, ¨The round of 32 averaged about six million people that watched the games.¨ With six million people watching the games, one good game by a young player’s is his stock in the NBA draft or celebrity status. For example, last year in the championship game, Villanova guard Donte DiVincenzo came off the bench and dropped 31 points, making him a legend overnight. After the tournament DiVincenzo’s draft stock skyrocketed. This lead from him not going in the first round to DiVincenzo being drafted 17 overall by the Milwaukee Bucks.

It’s not only the players and fans who love March Madness. This tournament is a huge money maker for the NCAA as they broadcast games on T.V. and bring in numerous of sponsors.

This years Final Four begins Friday, April 5, and there have been plenty of teams that have shown that they want to be crowned national champions. Who will take it home?