The Jambar
Every year, over 350 Division I men’s and women’s college basketball teams compete for the ultimate prize — a spot in the March Madness bracket and a chance to compete for a national championship.
This season’s tournament has set up fans for another month of exciting matchups, and there are sure to be plenty of upsets.
An interesting storyline for the first round would be two of the best coaches in college basketball meeting. Seven-seeded University of Kansas will take on 10-seeded University of Arkansas in Providence, Rhode Island.
Both coaches had shaky seasons, yet both are still in the field of 68 and not looking to go home opening weekend.
Last season, The Jambar mentioned that Michigan State University was always a dangerous team to see in March, even if its regular season wasn’t up to par. Imagine how scary this team will be now that it’s top 10 in the country.
Horizon League member University of Wisconsin-Green Bay made the bracket on the women’s side for the second-straight year — this time as a 12 seed. The Phoenix will face the University of Alabama in the Round of 64.
After finishing with the ninth-best Big 12 Conference record last season at 6-12, Texas Christian University finished this season with a 16-2 record — earning a regular season championship.
The revamped Horned Frogs, with senior transfer student Hailey Van Lith, found themselves as a two seed this year, with dreams of six wins in this year’s March Madness.
A fun fact about the women’s bracket — there was only one upset in the entire Round of 64 last season. That means one of 32 teams defied the odds and bested the better-seeded team. 11-seeded Middle Tennessee State University took down six-seeded University of Louisville in the first round to advance to the Round of 32.
For reference, the men’s side had 11 first-round upsets, as over one third of the higher seeds were beaten in the Round of 64.
As for individual athletes, the women’s side always has flair to watch for with each round.
University of Southern California sophomore JuJu Watkins has arguably dominated women’s basketball this season. Averaging nearly 25 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals per game, Watkins will look to take her one-seeded Trojans to a National Championship this go around.
A rival of Watkins would have to be University of Connecticut senior Paige Bueckers, the best player on the most historically dominant institution in women’s college basketball. The Huskies will be a two seed this season and with Bueckers help, a title contender.
For the men, the easiest two players to mention would be the ones headlining the race for the John R. Wooden Award, presented to the best college basketball player in the country.
The two outstanding players come from none other than the top two teams in the country — Duke University freshman Cooper Flagg and Auburn University senior Johni Broome.
Arguments could be made for either player to take home the award. The two had a head-to-head matchup in Cameron Indoor Stadium, where Duke secured the victory.
Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see if the two can find themselves in a rematch when it’s time to cut down the nets.