March Madness officially starts on March 18, 2025, leading people to start their predictions on which teams are going all the way in the tournament and which ones will fall short of expectations. After all the conference championships have finished, the official NCAA bracket will be released. Many unexpected teams have done well this season, illustrating that this tournament could contain some massive upsets for people’s favorite teams.
So far, there have been many teams that have had a fantastic season such as Duke, Houston, Auburn, and many more. Along with these, many small conference teams have exceeded expectations with Drake having the most Division 1 wins so far, and New Mexico, Utah State, and Memphis gaining major traction among fans. Duke’s Cooper Flagg has been gaining a lot of attention due to his incredible performance as a freshman, and being a top NBA draft pick at only 18. Other players, such as Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper from Rutgers, have also made massive waves among college basketball fans, even though their team currently has a losing record and will most likely not make the tournament.
“I really want Baylor to win, we always keep up with them,” junior Evan Steinhauser said. “They won a couple years back, so I hope they can bring it back again for this season.”
March Madness has changed a lot since its introduction in 1939. In recent years, it has expanded to 68 teams instead of 64, because of the introduction of the First Four. As time has passed, it has become increasingly harder to win. The team that wins it all needs to win a total of six games during March Madness, and they all happen within the span of one week. The players get very tired as the week progresses, but their motivation to win keeps them going.
“While I would love for the Texas Longhorns to win, I think that Auburn is going to end up winning,” Drano said. “I’ve been watching Trey Johnson all year, and I’m excited to watch him play in the recent games.”
With the conference tournament coming to an end soon, the March Madness tournament should bring many surprises this year as many underdogs are surprising audiences. We will have to wait and see who makes it into the tournament, but it is sure to be a thriller.
