Every year, in March, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) holds a basketball tournament with the best teams in the country looking to win a championship called March Madness. There are two sides to the bracket, with four regions total. The four regions are: Midwest, West, East, and South. A total of 68 out of 347 teams qualify for the tournament. In each college division there are committees; the Division I men’s basketball committee evaluates every piece of information they have gathered throughout the season. They developed opinions through observations, interviews with coaches, athletic directors, and the commissioners of the school they’re looking at.

After the teams have been selected and properly seeded (placed), they begin the tournament. There are five rounds to get through and before they have a chance at the NCAA championship. Each round, the losing team gets eliminated and their season is over. After each round, the number of teams will be cut into half. For example, after the first round, the round of 64, there will only be 32 teams advancing. The next rounds will be the regional semifinals (the Sweet Sixteen), the regional finals (the Elite Eight), the National semifinals (Final Four), and the National Championship. Out of the four regions, only one team can come out on top. The team to advance through their region will play in the Final Four against the team to come out of another region. Not only will that team represent their school, they will also be representing the rest of their region.

There is a little more fun to March Madness other than watching the games. You can get involved in the action by creating your own bracket. There are multiple apps to download to participate and the bracket challenge. Some bracket challenges includes rewards if you successfully predict all the winners in the tournament. The bracket challenge is the official game of March Madness. One of the better apps to take part in the challenge is the Capital One March Madness bracket challenge. Using the Capital One bracket challenge you can create multiple brackets to have a couple shots at winning the prizes and watch all the games on the app for free. If you’re unable to watch the games in front of a TV, you can get a laptop, tablet, or even your phone and watch the games anywhere you go. Creating a bracket is simple, The Division I Men’s Basketball Committee automatically matches up the teams according to their rankings. From there you select the team you think will come out on top and complete the bracket. You must fill out the entire bracket before the tournament starts.

Jaeden Arder, Staff Writer