With the brackets set, it’s officially the best part of the year as March Madness begins later this week. I am excited for both the NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments since there are so many storylines to follow.
First, I want to see if Caitlin Clark can lead her Iowa Lady Hawkeyes to an NCAA title. In my opinion, she’s the greatest women’s college basketball player of all time, and the numbers back up my claim. She’s the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer. However, can Clark be considered “the greatest” only with a title?
Two main teams stand in Iowa’s way: South Carolina and LSU. The Lady Gamecocks and Lady Tigers got into a bench-clearing fight last week during the women’s SEC Championship. And with the way the bracket stacks up, both South Carolina and LSU can meet for a rematch in the title game.
On the men’s side, I want to see if UConn can repeat. No team on the men’s side has gone back-to-back since the Florida Gators did in 2006-07.
The Huskies look dominant, finishing the regular season 31-3 and winning the Big East championship heading into the big dance this week. Regardless, it’s hard to go back-to-back, and there are a few teams that stand in their way.
Is No. 1 seed Purdue going to rebound after losing to a No. 16 seed in Farleigh Dickinson last year? Top seeds don’t lose to No. 16 often, but the last time a No. 1 got upset in the first round was Virginia. And the next season, the Cavaliers rebounded and went on to win it all.
So, is history going to repeat itself this season? And who’s going to be our Cinderella story this year as well?
There are so many questions, and so far no answers. But that’s what I love about this time of the year. The first weekend of the tournaments is my favorite because there is so much basketball on.
Buckle up and get ready because it will be a fun ride over the next few weeks. Make sure to fill out those brackets and enjoy, because this is truly the best time of the year, with much more to come.