On March 18th, the battle between teams across the country begins in a race to claim the NCAA title. From the bracket announcement to the buzzer-beaters, March truly becomes madness as single-elimination games and upsets bring college fanatics out of hibernation to root for their favorite teams. Senior Parth Shah shares what the tournament means to him.

“This tournament means a lot to me as it is always fun and high intensity,” Shah said. “So many games are played in such a short time and seeing fans and all of the hype around the tournament is always cool.”

Junior Eli Wrightsman explains his opinion on the subject.

“All of the games, there’s just so many at one time, including all of the upsets early on,” Wrightsman said. “ It’s cool to watch, I look forward to it each year.”

As the continued madness goes by, the stakes get even higher, and at the same time, the teams are knocked off the bracket and sent home. In the meantime, teams who move on get closer towards the championship game, prepare for the final contest. Senior Parth Shah shares his favorite part of the sequence of the tournament.

“My favorite part about the tournament is seeing all of the upsets and teams that go on Cinderella runs. I love seeing upsets,” Shah said.“I don’t have any specific traditions besides cheering for my team, trying to watch as many games as I can, and rooting for upsets.”

There are plenty of good teams in the NCAA basketball program, both present and historically. But blue bloods are a whole other story. These programs are considered among the most elite, contemporaneously or historically. Wrightsman shares his opinion on who some of the blue bloods are.

“I think there are blue bloods, but they change throughout the years,” Wrightsman said. “Depending on how many teams are winning, the Dukes and the North Carolinas are major blue bloods.”

Senior Eli Psota explains his opinion on blue bloods.

“I think blue bloods certainly exist, but there are historical blue bloods and current blue bloods, Psota said. ”Some people don’t consider IU a blue blood because of their recent struggles, but their history makes them a blue blood. On the other hand, UConn has been amazing in the 21st century, but many don’t consider them a blue blood due to their weaker history.”

Junior Ben Kriesant gives us his insight into what team he believes will claim the title.

“I do believe that Duke is winning it all, Kriesant said. “I believe this because of the team culture/chemistry they have, the pure talent on the team, and they already beat most of their competition in the regular season.”