Every March, the basketball world comes together to watch and root for their favorite college teams to win the March Madness tournament. March Madness has brought some of the most unforgettable moments in sports history, from Kris Jenkins’s 2016 buzzer beater three against North Carolina to win the title, to UMBC’s massive upset against Virginia in 2018. This year is expected to bring more incredible moments.
Students and staff at PA alike love March Madness. Sophomore Braden Hardwick is rooting for Texas Tech in this year’s tournament. Texas Tech, led by head coach Grant McCasland, has won two national championships in its history and they are ranked 22nd of out 25 in the AP poll heading into the tournament. Hardwick’s underdog player is forward Devan Cambridge. Hardwick names Cambridge a “dark horse” player, who has averaged 10.5 points per game this season, as well as a 52.7% field goal percentage. Hardwick hopes that Cambridge can maintain his success going into and throughout the tournament. Despite Texas Tech being an underdog, many are picking them to win it all.
Underdogs are a major story every March, and are what makes the tournament so entertaining. Hardwick’s sleeper pick is the 21-10 Clemson Tigers, who entered the tournament as a six seed. Clemson has always been known for their football team, producing NFL talent like Trevor Lawrence and Deshaun Watson who popularized it, but they could make a big splash this March Madness. Clemson is led by their ten-year head coach Brad Brownell and star center PJ Hall. Clemson plays on March 22nd in the first round against New Mexico.
Milton Clemmons, a basketball coach at PA, is rooting for the Duke Blue Devils, who are a four seed with a big history of success in the tournament. With past star players like Zion Williamson, Jason Tatum, Grant Hill, Duke basketball has won their two most recent titles in the 2010 and 2015. The Blue Devils are on top of many people’s brackets every year. This is the second year with their new head coach Jon Scheyer, and they are looking to bounce back after a second round loss to Tennessee last year. Scheyer replaced Mike Krzyzewski, known as Coach K, who coached there for 42 years (1980-2022). This is a big year for the Blue Devils, but only time will tell how they can perform under the spotlight.
Clemmons’s sleeper player is Reed Shepherd, a guard from the Kentucky Wildcats. Kentucky is one of the top teams in the country, who is a three seed in the tournament, with a 23-9 record. Shepherd averages 12.7 points per game with a 54% field goal percentage. Even as a freshman, he is a major contributor to the Wildcats’ success and it is looking like he will continue in the madness starting today.
Hundreds of teams across America try to make the tournament, but only 68 get a spot on the bracket. March Madness is a lot more than just a basketball tournament–it’s a way to bring people together to watch, cheer, and get excited over miracle runs and big upsets.
