March Madness:

Final Four, Elite Eight, Sweet Sixteen: these terms, like the NCAA Basketball Tournament from which they derive, transcend beyond sports and into pop culture.  March Madness, the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division 1 Basketball Tournament, has an appeal beyond sports fans due to its unique format consisting of single-elimination games. The NCAA holds separate tournaments held for both men and women’s teams. Each year between mid March through early April, these games are held in host cities throughout the country, from  Seattle to   Atlanta,along with many more. Teams qualify for the tournament by winning their conference title or are selected as an at-large entry by the NCAA committee. In total, 68 colleges participate in the brackets, divided into four 16-team regions. The “Sweet Sixteen” teams are the teams that have made it past the first weekend, eliminating 52 teams over the span of just a few days. 

Many in the Masterman community look forward to this annual event. Some have connections to the schools, while others enjoy competing in “bracket challenges,” in which participants attempt to predict the outcomes of each game. Anybody is able to enter their predictions into the brackets on the ESPN or CBS NCAA website/app. In 2024, the men’s tournament concluded with University of Connecticut defeating Purdue University, while the University of South Carolina bested the University of Iowa on the women’s side. Each team has hopes of repeating this year.

Ms. Ally, who in addition to being a gym and health teacher is a big basketball fan, predicts the men’s Kentucky team will win it all. Along with that, she believes that Michigan, Florida, and Duke will advance far into the Final Four. Sam Phillipi (‘28) and Isaiah Galloway (‘28) both predict Florida taking the win in the men’s brackets while Teddy Albright (‘28) predicts Duke men’s team to win. For the women's brackets, Isabella Sobol (‘28) and Maha Abashera (‘28) are rooting for UConn; united, they both predict a Houston victory on the men’s side. All in all, the intense competition is what captivates fans through their support for their biased teams.  This year, we have already seen several upsets on the Men’s side, while on the Women’s side the favorites have mostly advanced.