By Allison Dooley/reporter
March Madness has hit TCC.
College basketball fans across the country are gearing up for the March 17 start of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, pitting the top 65 college basketball teams in the country.
Besides the legal wagering in Las Vegas, millions of other fans enter work and office pool brackets.
Basketball fans including TCC students will spend many hours researching the various teams in the tournament to try to have a successful bracket entry.
“I did not follow basketball as close this year as I usually do because I have been busy, but I think Oklahoma is going all the way,” said TCC freshman Michael Fowler.
Fowler has been entering the ESPN Bracket Challenge for many years.
“The Sooners will probably be a number one seed, and there is no stopping them,” he said.
TCC freshman Rob Abi-Hanna will be glued to the television set during the tournament and will try to watch as many games as he can.
“I think the field is the most wide open that I have ever seen. The number one team has changed so many times I can hardly keep up,” he said. “Blake Griffin is the best player in the country, and I think if he’s healthy, Oklahoma could be a major factor.”
However, Abi-Hanna roots for Minnesota, “So I’m going with them as my darkhorse,” he said.
After years of filling out brackets, Abi-Hanna might not put an entry in this year. Taking 15 hours of classes and working part time, he may not have time.
After a play-in game narrows the field to 64, the teams are split into four regions representing the East, West, South and Midwest. After the 16 teams in each region are seeded 1-16, the play begins.
With hundreds of potential scenarios and game outcomes, predicting the winners that keep advancing in the tournament brackets has become an exciting and popular event for hard-core college basketball fans and non-fans alike. Many printable tournament brackets and contests can be found on numerous Internet sites making it easy for fans to enter.
“This year’s March Madness is up for grabs,” TCC sophomore Tim Barnett said. “I would like to see U-Conn [Connecticut] win it all.”
TCC freshman Mary Scoville said she has filled out brackets previously.
“It’s exciting because anything can happen,” she said. “This year, I am choosing lower-ranked teams to win for the upset. I would really like to see Louisville win it all.”
Not all TCC students follow the college tournament, let alone get minute-to-minute score updates on their cell phones.
“I have no idea who is playing or who will win,” said TCC freshman Aimee Simmons. “I don’t follow college basketball.”
