March Madness 2023
The Final 4, San Diego State faces Florida Atlantic
April 20, 2023
This year’s March Madness is for the history books. Many people enjoy filling out their March Madness brackets and competing with their friends for the best accuracy. However, the odds of getting a perfect bracket are 1 in 9.2 quintillions (NCAA). The men’s and women’s tournaments were big talks this year. With UConn winning the men’s tournament and LSU winning the women’s tournament, Angel Reese and Jordan Hawkins became family champions.
Despite the upsets and craze around the games, the men’s tournament views were lower than usual. CBS recorded a low of 14.69 million viewers for the men’s championship game. However, people may have just been so focused on the women’s tournament, which had a record-high viewing of 9.92 million on average. However, Darby Nicholson (12), who watched the Final Four for men claimed, “It was amazing to watch the final four in person because the fans were amazing and so was the atmosphere. The most exciting game was the San Diego State and FAU since San Diego was missing all their free throws, and there were only a couple of seconds left. When Butler made the shot, the whole arena was standing up in surprise.”
It was amazing to watch the final four in person because the fans were amazing and so was the atmosphere. The most exciting game was the San Diego State and FAU since San Diego was missing all their free throws, and there were only a couple of seconds left. When Butler made the shot, the whole arena was standing up in surprise. — Darby Nicholson
In order to get the most accurate bracket, many aspects must be accounted for: the team’s depth, defensive and offensive ability, coaching, and the matchup itself. Rankings are not always a reliable way to make your choice, even though many people use it. Throughout the tournament, although guessing an upset is a little risky if you’re right, it can give you a big advantage in your group.
In the men’s tournament, within just a few days of the tournament starting, almost everyone’s bracket accuracy dropped significantly. The most significant upset of this round and the whole tournament was Purdue vs Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU). Purdue was ranked as a #1 seed, while FDU was ranked as a #16 seed. FDU upset Purdue in a 63-58 win, which is the second time in tournament history for a 16th seed to beat a 1st seed. What made this year’s March Madness even crazier were the tight games! TCU beat Arizona State by a game-winner in a tied game, San Diego State hit a free throw to beat Creighton, and San Diego State with another game-winner against Florida Atlantic while down by 1 point. Another intense game of the tournament was UCLA vs Gonzaga, who went back and forth in the last minute of the game. UCLA had hit a three-pointer to put them in the lead with around 10 seconds left, but Gonzaga responded with a shot almost from the logo to secure the win. This year’s March Madness Men’s Tournament was unpredictable and exciting,
whereas the Women’s March Madness gained crazy attention through social media. Whether it was for the rising popularity of the LSU team, South Carolina’s winning streak, or Caitlin Clark from Iowa State’s range, the women’s tournament gained lots of attention. Kim Mulkey, previous Baylor coach and now a 2-year coach for LSU became popular for her crazy outfits in games. Showing up print suits, bright pink outfits, or polka dot pants with a blazer. However, she’s not the only one creating buzz for LSU. Angel Reese, a recent LSU transfer gained popularity for her iconic trash-talking on the court, and her teammate Flau’jae is well-known for her music. The South Carolina team also carried some buzz for the tournament as well. They had a 42-game winning streak from their previous season until their Final Four game against Iowa State. The team is led by Aliyah Boston who went as 1st pick in the WNBA draft but caught herself in foul trouble in her final game against Caitlin Clark’s Iowa State. The players of Iowa and LSU were also invited to visit the White House due to their excellent performance in the championship game. However, it sparks controversy for Jill Biden’s subtle attacks on the sportsmanship of the girls. She claims to invite both teams to be “fair”, but many sports fans and players disagreed with this choice. Some believe it was an attack on LSU’s trash-talking and claim that if Iowa had won, LSU would not have been included. Despite all of this, this year’s March Madness still was a huge success for women’s sports.
This year’s March Madness has shown the evolution of girls’ basketball significantly. The women are also making money while in the NCAA through NIL deals, and Angel Reese reported making more than some WNBA players. Women’s sports are gaining more attention and becoming more popular.
