March Madness will live up to name in 2016
Since 1985 when the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams, March Madness has become a household spectacle across America. The expansion and ESPN’s coverage of the event throughout the 1980s provided the nation with riveting coverage and put men’s college basketball on the map as never before.
In 1985, the eighth-seeded Villanova Wildcats made an improbable run to the Final Four and defeated their Big East rival and resident superpower, the Georgetown Hoyas. It was the epitome of what we hope for every year in the tournament; excitement and unpredictability.
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Yet, in recent years, we have seen teams coming into the tourney as clear favorites. In recent years, it has been the Duke Blue Devils and Kentucky Wildcats who have owned the stage, with occasional interlopers such as the Louisville Cardinals and the Connecticut Huskies. In fact, over the past six years, only those schools have won the title.
In 2015-16, we have legitimate parity. For once, March Madness is going to be exactly that. For the first time in this decade, it would not be stunning to see a team slotted as an eighth of ninth seed not only reach the Sweet Sixteen, but find themselves cutting down the nets while One Shining Moment plays on CBS.
There are many legitimate contenders from all conferences. The Pac-12 is not getting ample attention, but has three quality ranked teams in the Arizona Wildcats, Oregon Ducks and USC Trojans. The Big 12 has a pair of titans in the Kansas Jayhawks and the Oklahoma Sooners, teams that have already waged two epic battles this season. The ACC has a litany of excellent teams from the Miami Hurricanes to the North Carolina Tar Heels, and the Big East gives us the Villanova Wildcats and Xavier Musketeers. In the Big Ten, don’t forget about the Michigan State Spartans, Maryland Terrapins and Iowa Hawkeyes.
Any of those teams could win the national championship, and it would not be considered an upset.
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Despite the lack of parity in recent campaigns, there have been indelible moments. Nobody would ever forget the consecutive Final Four appearances from the Butler Bulldogs under head coach Brad Stevens, or the bevy of incredible upsets during the first weekend of the tournaments. The issue has been that as the NCAA Tournament has worn on, the chalk favorites began to consistently emerge.
It has not been uncommon for only top-seeded teams to reach the Final Four, with the oddball second seed showing up. This year, it would feel like a major upset if more than one or two of the top line squads reached Houston this season.
Even the NCAA’s official website agrees. Joe Boozell writes that the public should be ready and waiting to have busted brackets from the start. As Boozell correctly points out, some of the worst teams in the major conferences have knocked off some of the best this year, showcasing that the difference between good and bad is smaller than ever. For those who love superteams, this is a tough season. For those who love heart-stoppers and crazy outcomes, this will be heaven on hardwood. Still thinking about where to experience it? Check out our guide to viewing the opening rounds in Las Vegas.
Jason McIntyre of The Big Lead writes about this as well, stating that parity is running amok in college basketball. While McIntyre states that he isn’t thrilled with this development, most of the country will largely disagree. Legions of men and women who watch the tournament want excitement and entertainment. They want to see a No. 15 seed get to the Sweet Sixteen, a la Florida Gulf Coast.
For years, it has been the traditional powers dominating the Final Four with familiar, Hall of Fame coaches stalking the sidelines. This time around? We could have Iowa, Oregon, Xavier and West Virginia at Houston, battling it out. If that should happen, three of the four programs would be fighting for their first men’s basketball national title, with the lone exception being the Ducks. They won the initial NCAA Tournament back in 1939 when eight teams qualified.
In a month, 68 teams are going to enter a phenomenon known as March Madness and play their hearts out. A vast majority of the kids on the court will never become a professional player. For some, it might be their only chance at being nationally televised. It brings out the raw emotions that we ask from our athletes, whether it be unadulterated joy or the salty tears of a weathered senior who watches the final seconds tick away on his dreams.
Come March, the Madness will be back for the first time in years.
