March, the best time of the year–the time where college basketball takes over every TV channel during all parts of the day. In the world of basketball, March is the time for madness. As we stomp into the month of March, the NCAA tournament approaches right around the corner, with Selection Sunday, kicking off the tournament on Sunday.

On Selection Sunday, 64 teams were selected and seeded in the Division 1 NCAA tournament. Although the scramble for number one seeds has continued Gonzaga, Arizona, Kansas, and Baylor have the top four seeds. Villanova, Auburn, Duke, and Wisconsin trail right behind with the next four top seeds. 

According to the SI Sportsbook, Gonzaga is the betting favorite. Gonzaga’s 7-foot, Chet Holmgren, the number one prospect in high school basketball last year, stands atop the AP Top 25 rankings, and leads this team. The Zags have clinched the number over all one seed for the second season in a row.

However, Baylor and Duke are moving up the board. The Baylor Bears, the reigning champions from the 2021 NCAA championship, hold the number one seed in the East. Can the Bears repeat what they did in 2021? 

There is much at stake for the nation’s top teams. For example, projected number one draft pick Paolo Banchero and his Blue Devils suffered a devastating upset against North Carolina two weekends ago on Coach K’s Senior Night. To add onto this, Duke lost in the ACC Championship to Virginia Tech. Can the Blue Devils make up for the series of upsets and get Coach Krzyzewski his last and sixth National Championship? 

While these are just a few of the dominant teams that are in the headlines, there are still many other teams that are worth noting. Senior at Wayne Hills, Joe Yonga, has Kentucky as his team winning the championship.

“Kentucky has the player of the year. Oscar Yshiebwe,” Joe stated.

Harris LiPuma, another Senior at Wayne Hills believes that Arizona will be this year’s National Championship. Harris says that “Arizona has dominant bigs that are unstoppable. No one can guard them.”

This year’s Final Four is taking place in New Orleans at the Caesars Superdome on April 2nd and 4th. After a very unusual NCAA tournament in the 2020-2021 season, fans are excited to return to their version of March Madness, with brackets full of betting, upsets, and pure excitement. With a standard selection process, a multiple city event for each round, and the return of cheerleaders, bands, and fans all across the country, the elements of March Madness are roaring back.