March Madness is here! This March, college basketball fans around the world will tune in to watch the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. The tournament consists of the top 68 college basketball teams in the United States.
The teams are grouped into one of four regions of the U.S. and are ranked from 1st to 16th. The best team plays the 16th ranked team, the 2nd best team plays the 15th best team, and so on. If a team wins, they advance to the next round of competition.
If a team loses, however, they are eliminated from the tournament and no longer have an opportunity to win the national championship. The tournament is referred to as March Madness because of this single-elimination rule. If a team wants to continue playing in the tournament, they must win each game. There are no second chances in March Madness.
After a team wins two games in a row, they are in what is called the“Sweet Sixteen,”which is the final sixteen teams remaining in the tournament. If they win again, they advanced to the “Elite Eight”and subsequently to the“Final Four.”
Oftentimes, an underrated team defeats a higher-ranked team. The lower-ranked team advances in the tournament, and the higher ranked team is sent home. This is called an“upset.”The NCAA tournament is famous for numerous upsets every year. For instance, despite being ranked only 11th in 2011, Virginia Commonwealth University advanced all the way to the Final Four, defeating famous teams such as Kansas and Georgetown University.
In addition to watching the games on the television, most Americans fill out a tournament bracket. While completing a bracket, individuals must predict the winners of all 63 games in the tournament. Many sports websites allow you to fill out a bracket and enter a contest to win cash prizes.
If you are interested in learning more about March Madness and perhaps even winning some money, I encourage you to search March Madness online and fill out a bracket. The tournament begins on March 19th. Get ready!