The NCAA March Madness basketball tournament starts Thursday, March 16, with games taking place all over the country. 

Fans nationwide get excited to watch and cheer on their favorite teams. Some fans fill out brackets and put money down on teams they think will win. It can be fun to compete with family and friends. Chemistry teacher Ms. Austin is having students fill out brackets in her classes and is offering extra credit if one has the winning bracket. 

The term March Madness was first used in a reference to basketball in 1939 and was first used in reference to the NCAA tournament in 1982. It has been a popular term ever since. When people hear  March Madness, they automatically think of the NCAA basketball tournament. 

This is a single-elimination tournament with 68 teams involved in a total of seven rounds. The bracket for the tournament is revealed on selection Sunday which changes every year. The first four games for this year’s tournament took place March 14-15. The tournament will wrap up with the championship game April 3, 2023. 

Kylie Acker shared her thoughts on who she thinks will win this year’s tournament. “I filled out two brackets. I have UConn winning one and Houston winning the other,” said Acker.

Liv Good said, “I think Oral Roberts will win the championship game this year.”

Mrs. Hanline expressed, “I hope either Marquette or UConn will win. I filled out two brackets and hope one of them does well.”

Jaiden Dickman shared, “I have two brackets. One for school and one in a family competition. I have Michigan State winning my home one and Alabama winning my school one. I have no one seeds in my final four.”