And my predictions.
In one of the biggest upsets in sports history the 16 seed UMBC Retrievers defeated the one seeded Virginia Cavaliers in 2018 and the whole world went crazy. The UMBC store had so many requests for merchandise that they had a back order for months, I would know I bought a shirt. The world loves a good underdog story, but Why? It is because in life the underdogs out number the big dogs.
There can only be one number one team. Even if you are the second best team you are underdogs when playing the number one team, and then as you go down the line you get teams that are more and more likely to be underdogs when they play. Players, fans, and coaches know when their team is the underdog and it makes the game more exciting. You want to prove to the top dogs that you are just as good. Most of the time, the top dog comes out on top. But on those special few occasions when the underdog wins, it feels so much more special.
Even the team at the top has a chance for underdog glory. There’s a player that rides the bench for every great team, and when they finally get a chance to play the crowd goes crazy. Think of great NBA teams where someone random hits a huge game winner, or drops 30 off the bench just because of a good matchup. We have underdog stories all around us and we embrace them. It gets our heart racing and dopamine pumping to see the underdog come out on top.
So how does March Madness take advantage of this? The rank the teams 1-16 amongst 4 regions and matchup the highest versus lowest seeds. This sets a precedent on who should win each game. But the fun thing is, the team who should win, doesn’t always win. The biggest factor in March Madness is the fact that it is a single elimination tournament. You only need to beat a time once, you only need one good game, you only need one lucky break and you could topple a big dog. Every single player in the tournament is a division one basketball player, they can all hold their own against anyone on the court. Each player can be made with great confidence, or broken with nerves of losing.
A combination of all these factors makes it possible for underdogs to win, which makes the general public excited. All of this together makes for an incredible tournament. March Madness will continue to be one of the biggest sporting events on the year as long as they continue to embrace the underdog.
Now for what you guys really came for; my predictions.
East winner – Marquette
West winner – Gonzaga
Midwest winner – Houston
South winner – Alabama
Tournament winner – Houston
Best finish by a ten seed or higher – 12 seed Charleston and 12 seed VCU fall in the sweet 16
Number of first round upsets – 9
Biggest upset – 14 seed Montana State over 3 seed Kansas State.
Spoiler – these predictions will be very wrong.
The Kutty Katt's Thoughts 