March Madness begins on Mar. 16 with Selection Sunday, where both men’s and women’s basketball teams find out where they are seeded and who they play in the opening round of tournament starting Mar. 19 and 20.
The prospected No. 1 seeds for the men’s bracket include Duke University, University of Alabama, Auburn University, and University of Florida. Each team will take the top seed in their region, and match up against the 16th seed from their region. The First Four for the men will take place in Dayton, Ohio.
The Auburn Tigers, led by Johni Broome and Chad Baker-Mazara, have had a dominant season so far, holding an overall record of 26-2 and a conference record of 14-1. The Tigers are averaging 84.3 points per game and only 9.1 turnovers, which have helped them rise up to the top of the AP Polls.
The first and second round games will be in different locations across the country. The Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games will be played in California, New Jersey, Georgia, and Indiana. The Final Four and the championship game for the Men’s March Madness will take place at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas on Apr. 7.
Last year, the North Carolina State Wolfpack was the Men’s March Madness “Cinderella” team. A “Cinderella” team is a team with an eight seed or lower that makes it to the Sweet Sixteen or higher. This March Madness, another team could be making their “Cinderella” debut and eighteen teams have the potential to make it far into the tournament. Some of these teams include High Point University, Arkansas State University, the College of William and Mary, and Towson University.
Women’s March Madness will also begin on Mar. 16 with Selection Sunday. The top seeds in the women’s bracket are currently UCLA, South Carolina, Texas, and Notre Dame. The other teams and locations will be announced on Selection Sunday, too. Thus far in the season, there is no dominant team that holds the top rank in the AP Polls, since seeding has continuously changed this year, but some major female athletes to watch in this year’s tournament are Paige Bueckers for UCONN, Juju Watkins for USC, and Hannah Hidalgo for Notre Dame.
The tournament locations are different for the women’s teams. The First Four, first round, and second round will be held in the top 16 seeded stadiums, so no specific location has been announced. The finals for the Spokane and Birmingham regions will take place in their cities. The Final Four and championship game will be held in Tampa, Florida on Apr. 6.
With the brackets highly anticipated release in three weeks, players await their match-ups. March Madness continues to bring both excitement and disappointment to players and fans all over the country.
