If you’re a huge sports fan like me, March Madness is right around the corner, and as college basketball regular season winds down, the most exciting and thrilling sporting event ramps up. Ever since I was a kid, March Madness has always been my favorite time of year. There is absolutely nothing that compares to college basketball postseason play. For those that don’t know much about it, this brief article is perfect for you!
The first and one of the most important parts of the tournament is that 68 teams qualify for “the big dance.” That is a lot of competition. The number of teams allows for a nonstop competitive tournament—48 games get played over the course of 4 days and are aired at overlapping times during the beginning of the tournament so the action never stops. Additionally, the “one and done” thrill of the games demands perfection in order to advance. Every game, every possession, every shot is important. The pressure is never-ending, and the stakes are high. If you come up short, you get sent home. The margin of error is essentially equivalent to failure.
Also, almost every year, an unexpecting team prevails and becomes known as the “Cinderella Story.” 2018 marks the year of the most recent and unbelievable tournament run when the Loyola Chicago Ramblers caught the nation’s attention. The Ramblers were ranked as an 11 seed, which is typically considered a ranking that will get eliminated early. Shocking everyone, the Ramblers earned a trip to the Final Four after an absolutely insane win streak. They beat big time teams including Miami, Tennessee, Nevada and Kansas to advance to the Final Four. To get a taste of the electric environment, below is a link to the Ramblers’ many buzzer beater shots to continue advancing.
Loyola Chicago 2018 Highlights
This is the kind of stuff that makes March so mad. No one sees these things coming, and when this stuff happens, it is so hard to avoid getting drawn into the chaos. To make Loyola Chicago’s story even more charming, the Ramblers have a chaplain for their team, and her name is Sister Jean. She is arguably one of the cutest and most lovable figures in college basketball history. Just like Sister Jean, you’ll eventually find yourself cheering and screaming at the games at some point throughout the tournament.
In this moment in time where things are so divisive, grim, and stressful, sports do a fantastic job of uniting people together in a light-hearted, fun way. Having events that bring people together rather than push people further apart are needed more than ever. The selection show for March Madness starts on March 13th, and the first round begins on March 15th. This may be just the colossal distraction that our country needs.