With Spring just round the corner all eyes are looking towards the beginning of March Madness, especially with Marquette and Wisconsin Badgers making it to the tournament. With a March Madness overview, we will see the most exciting period of the college basketball season, as the NCAA tournament attracts thousands of fans. Such is its popularity, you can wager on the tournament and it is frequently one of the most wagered on events of not just the college sporting calendar but in sport overall. March Madness odds currently have it tight between Purdue and UConn for the favorite to win this year’s national championship. But what exactly is March Madness and why is it so popular among sports fans?
March Madness Overview: What is it?
This year’s tournament begins with the first round on March 19 and runs through to April 8 with a total of 68 teams for both the women’s and men’s iterations. The name alone tells you just how exciting the tournament is with the format that of a bracketed single elimination tournament. The tournament expanded to include four extra teams who qualify via a play-in, in 2011.
After the first weekend of fixtures, just 16 teams remain, later narrowed down to eight in the second and then the final four who compete to make it to the National Championship Game.
The unpredictability of the format is what makes March Madness overview so exciting with many shock results seen every year. The March Madness odds give a fair indication on who will shine but we have seen some Cinderella story runs to the latter stages of March Madness like when the VCU Rams reached the Final Four in 2011 and George Mason also made it to the Final Four in 2006. One of the more recent is when the Florida Gulf Coast made it to the Sweet Sixteen in 2013. That excitement is palpable this year as a number of teams are considered to be in with a huge chance at bringing home the gold-plated Wooden NCAA national championship trophy.
3 Teams We Are Watching This Year
Purdue
Purdue currently lead the pack as the narrow favorites this year. The Boilmakers fell victim to one of those shock results last season when they went 29-6 and captured the Big Ten Conference Tournament title only to fall at the first hurdle in their loss to Farleigh Dickinson in the first round. This upset to the March Madness odds is one of the biggest shocks in history so they have a score to settle in 2024. Zach Edey has led Purdue to the second seed this season after winning the National college player of the year award in 2023. The 7-foot-4 Canadian looks set to win the award back-to-back, currently averaging 23.3ppg and 11.7reb. They have already defeated six top 25 teams and with Edey in tow this could be their year. No March Madness overview is complete without looking at Purdue.
UConn
UConn are breathing down Purdue’s neck, however. They head into their title-defending tournament as the projected top-seeds by many sports outlets. They will join one of just eight teams in history who have won back-to-back national championships should they do so, though that feat has not been achieved since the Florida Gators did so in 2006 and 2007. The Huskies look primed to do just that however, with freshman guard Stephon Castle’s emergence proving to be one of the most impactful in college basketball recently. Their form at this stage of the season has surpassed that of the same stage last year by quite some way and there is every reason to believe that they can match the achievements of 2023.
Houston
Houston exited the tournament somewhat early in the Sweet Sixteen last year and also come into 2024 with a score to settle. While their offense has not been among the strongest, and in fact ranks 194th in the country in ppg, it is their defense that has caught the eye. They are averaging just 54.7 points conceded per game, ranking them number one in the nation. Point guard Jamal Shead is among the leaders for the Naismith defensive player of the year award with the senior added to the Watch List presented by AXIA Time. Houston may prove the age old moniker that “Offense win games, defense win championships”.
March Madness is the most exciting tournament in college sports, surpassing just basketball and taking on the popularity of college football. A March Madness overview is where we get an early look at some of the stars of tomorrow and we are sure to see plenty make their stamp in the world of basketball once again in 2024. With just weeks until the final tournament the seedings are taking shape. Though while the best performing teams find themselves among the favorites we are sure to see yet more upsets and ‘madness’ as we eagerly await the biggest tournament in NCAA basketball.
