The NCAA college basketball tournament is one of my favorite events of the year, because anything can happen as the field of 68 unfolds.
Devout college basketball enthusiasts and fair weather fans alike fill out their brackets with high expectations.
Fans make selections from a gut feeling or external advice. Spirits are high as friends, co-workers and others swap banter.
Then we all watch as March Madness lives up to its name. Everyone’s predictions begin to implode on themselves, leaving red and green marks throughout.
But it’s much more than just filling out brackets.
Small, low-seeded schools make unexpected upsets turning into Cinderella stories as they defeat highly-seeded teams and make their way deeper and deeper into the tournament.
Big schools with rich basketball traditions and devoted fan bases charge into the final four.
No matter how their school fares, students and alumni are able to display pride in their alma mater as their team makes an appearance in the big dance, even if it’s an early upset.
Whether they watch at home, a friend’s house, in the office or at bar, everyone hopes to see their team advance or catch an exciting game.
Who will it be this year?
Reach the reporter at adrian.martinez.1@asu.edu