By Katie Hinderer, Web Editor
March Madness is one of the most talked about topics among guys this time of the year. They are building brackets, entering Facebook pools and checking ESPN religiously. Maybe you’ve built a bracket of your own, or maybe you don’t know the first thing about March Madness. Whether you’re the star center on the court or less sport savvy we’re going to give you the basics to hold a conversation about the basketball tournament with the guy you are crushing on or even your dad.
March Madness is the nickname given to the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s basketball tournament, which marks the end of the season. The best college teams play each other in single–elimination games across the country.
Every game in the tournament is single elimination. So the pressure is on – one flop and the team goes home to practice and dream of next year’s tournament.
The initial games are regionally based. Midwest teams play other Midwest teams, as do the teams from the East, South and West.
Sweet Sixteen is the nickname given to the last 16 teams standing. Those will be cut down to the eight and then trimmed again to the Final Four. The two teams that walk away winners from the Final Four face each other in the national championship game.
A bracket is the breakdown of the teams that will play each other. The first round is filled in and from there you pick the team to win when the two go head to head. Basketball fans try to pick the teams that will meet along the way for the sweet sixteen, final four and ultimately the national champions. ESPN.com has blank brackets that you can take a look at and fill in.
Quick Facts:
This year the last five games will be played in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
The first round of games began last week on March 15 and 16.
The Final Four games will be played on March 31 and the championship game on April 2 – don’t try to call your crush those days just to chat.
Last year the University of Florida went home victorious after facing UCLA at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, IN. Florida won by 16 points scoring a total of 73.
