By Jake Loomis, Class of ’24 — Senior Sports Writer
March Madness descends upon sports fans everywhere.
The end of the college basketball season has the NCAA premier 68 teams compete in a single elimination tournament. This is so appealing due to some small schools only getting a chance every 20 years to compete in the tournament. The whole college catches the excitement and watches these games, often canceling classes to engage in the spirit of the tournament and their team’s participation.
The yearly tradition for fans to predict a successful bracket is incredibly challenging. The odds of picking a fully perfect bracket is 1 in 9.2 quintillion – a feat that has never been done, according to Forbes Betting.
Sharon High School has caught the March Madness fever, and hope and joy of completing a perfect bracket has already been demolished by upsets.
The big upset this year has been Oakland and Jack Gohkle when they defeated perennial powerhouse Kentucky in the first round. Nobody expected Oakland to win, and only 5% of brackets had them listed to win over the Wildcats. Additionally, all of the number 1 and 2 seeds have made the Sweet Sixteen this year, which is the first time since 2019 this has happened.
SHS students care about the tournament. When asked about Oakland and all the upsets in March Madness so far this March, Junior Drew Yaffe said, “It’s not about the dog in the fight; it’s about the fight in the dog.”
Brackets get busted every year mainly because some of these smaller schools are under-researched by fans who may not be familiar with all the teams. Many create brackets based on minimal research and have not watched enough of each team to make accurate assessments of players’ skills. Even for those who do study games with more scrutiny, the impact and magnitude March has on the players still creates unpredictable outcomes. The larger crowds, immense press, and spotlight create a challenging environment for some players who are intimidated by “the big dance” when game time arrives.
Legends in March are not great players; however, ones who seize their moment and come up in the clutch when the lights are the brightest.
Senior Jacob McLoughlin said, “March Madness is the best basketball in the world to watch due to players’ playing their hearts out and trying to earn the respect of the fans. Players like Jack Gohlke who capture your heart by hitting threes and March will come out of nowhere, put in the work, and make March Madness special.”
March has only a few days left; however, the tournament will spill into April with the finals in Phoenix, Arizona on April 8th. The University of Connecticut Huskies and University of Houston Cougars are the favorites to win the tournament as of now. Time will tell if these two can make magic in the desert come early April. If not, we might see a surprise team such as the University of Creighton Blue Jays upset a powerhouse on their quest to March greatness.