by Cassie Florido

IT’S FINALLY HERE. The month many sports fans wait for all year. MARCH. MARCH MADNESS. If you can’t already tell, I am really excited about the post season beginning.

March Madness is the greatest thing to ever exist. With multiple basketball games on at once, what more could basketball fans want. One TV just isn’t enough. My March Madness viewing consists of 2 televisions, 3 laptops, and an ESPN app. But hey, I’m not that obsessed with the NCAA tournament. I mean it’s not like I have listened to “One Shining Moment” five times already today (yes, I have) and no I don’t cry every time I hear it (yes, I do).

One reason March Madness is the best time of the year is because the whole tournament is one of the greatest sporting events. There is just nothing that matches the drama and excitement of March Madness. The involvement of the fans during March Madness boosts the excitement to a new level. Not only is it exciting for the players, it’s exciting for everyone watching.

Another reason March Madness is such an amazing event is because of the realness of the outcomes. You can’t script the things that happen during March. No amount of research can tell you exactly who will win. No matter how much you try and predict the games, you NEVER know what will happen. It is called madness for a reason.

Personally, my favorite part of March Madness is the emotions that occur throughout the duration of the tournament. Players are playing for their whole season when they step on the court during March. It doesn’t matter what happened earlier in the season. All that matters is the current game. Survive and advance. Lose and go home.

Depending on your favorite teams, this could be the best and worst month of your year. According to me, March last year doesn’t even exist because I have erased it completely from my memory. But that’s just me not willing to accept that my favorite team let the “madness” get the best of them. But for some people, this is a month they will never forget.

One MUST for the NCAA tournament is that you HAVE to fill out a bracket. If you don’t fill out a bracket, you are doing March Madness wrong. One thing you must understand when filling out a bracket is that you WILL get many games wrong. If you happen to predict every single game, I think you are probably a select few to be able to say you have filled out a perfect bracket. But, I’m going to be honest, this year I’m expecting my bracket to be completely busted. When I sit down and fill out my multiple brackets, I have no idea who will be the champion. But that’s the best part of March. A buzzer beater could knock out your favorite team. A Hail Mary shot could allow an underdog to beat the odds. A number one seed could lose to a lower seed any given day. A Cinderella team could keep the dream alive all the way to the Final Four. March never fails to bring the excitement.

But when it all comes to an end, only one team can raise the trophy and say they are the champions. Only one team can say, “We did it.”

So, who will stand victorious once the madness is all over?

Watch out for next weeks blog as I post my bracket and challenge you to compare your bracket to mine.