Basketball fans everywhere look forward to the month of March, which brings them joy as their favorite college basketball teams pursue a national title as NCAA Champions.
Last year the most favored team to win was UConn, who won it all against Purdue in the finals; this year, Duke and Auburn are predicted to win.
“Duke has the number one three-point shooter in the NCAA [Kon Cnuple] and the number one player in America right now [Cooper Flagg],” said Sophomore Raleigh Flickinger.
Although the NBA is where college players hope to play one day, many fans prefer to watch March Madness over professional basketball.
Gym teacher Mr. Ferrari stated, “March Madness is a special time of year. I love to experience the pride, energy and effort that goes into it. College is much more team-oriented. The guys play with more passion because they’re representing something. The NBA is just their job, they are already getting paid, and don’t always care to make the same effort as college players.”
Flagg is expected to make it all the way, as he is the number one college basketball player in the U.S. as of now. At 17 years old, he is a first round pick center, and his height of 6’ 9” benefits his athletic abilities extremely well.
Ferrari noted, “He is really a true basketball player; he truly understands the game.”
So far, as of March 26, 2025, the Sweet Sixteen is looking alive. Texas Tech vs Arkansas, Florida vs Maryland, and Duke vs Arizona will battle for their Elite Eight spot on Thursday, March 27. MSU and Ole Miss will butt heads on Friday, March 28, along with Auburn against Michigan, Houston against Purdue, and Kentucky against Tennessee.
Duke is the most favored to win this year, but Auburn is closely following, as their record is 20-5 and they are the third most voted to win it all. Many other colleges are in the running to go all the way, such as Florida, Houston and Alabama.
Junior Bayleigh Lowe added, “Florida has had a really good season so far, and even though Duke is my favorite team, I could definitely see Florida going all the way. Their record of 27-4 is just too good to deny.”
On the other hand, some of the most widely-known colleges were predicted to get nowhere in the running. Clemson, Utah State and North Carolina were expected to be out of the equation early on, and the predictions were more than correct as each of them was eliminated in the first round.
“Ohio State’s offense cannot compete with the others. They’re just not on their A-game this season,” Flickinger exclaimed.
March Madness is a time of competition, betting and even bonding. Many friends and family discuss March Madness and, whether it ends up an argument or a high five, have a good time with it. Catch the Sweet Sixteen from March 27-28 on CBS, TBS and truTV!
