The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament is about to begin, with games starting in mid-March and college basketball teams across the country preparing to compete for the national championship.

Every year, March Madness begins after Selection Sunday, when the full tournament bracket is revealed. The first games, known as the First Four, take place a few days later and start the single-elimination tournament where 68 teams compete to survive and advance.

Some teams expected to compete this year include the UConn Huskies men’s basketball, Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball, Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball, and Houston Cougars men’s basketball, all of which have had strong seasons and are considered potential contenders.

Sharing his opinion on the tournament, Tony Rinkiewicz said, “March Madness is one of the best sports events of the year because anything can happen and underdog teams sometimes make crazy runs.”

One of the biggest reasons fans enjoy the tournament is its unpredictability. Lower-seeded teams often upset top teams, creating exciting moments and surprising results that make the games fun to watch.

Making a prediction about the tournament winner, Rinkiewicz said, “I think UConn has a really good chance to win because they’ve been one of the strongest teams all season.”

Many students and basketball fans also enjoy filling out brackets and competing with friends to see who can predict the most winners correctly during the tournament.

Talking about the teams expected to make the tournament, Rinkiewicz said, “Teams like UConn, Duke, Kansas, and Houston are some of the teams expected to be in the tournament because they’ve had strong seasons.”

“No matter who wins, it’s always exciting to see which team makes a surprising run,” Rinkiewicz said.