Sunday, March 15 marked the birth of the 2015 NCAA tournament. March Madness has officially begun.
68 teams have been chosen, but only one will be crowned champion. This is a playoff system unlike any other in America, bringing in top talent into one tournament in a win-or-go-home format.
Despite the 68-team field, there are always a few notable snubs. Colorado State and Murray State are talented, but neither team ended up earning bids to the tournament.
The favorite to win this year’s tournament are the Kentucky Wildcats. They are the No.1 overall seed in the tournament following an undefeated regular season. Led by numerous NBA-bound players featuring Karl Towns and the Harrison twins, Kentucky has been nothing short of dominant this season, and should make a run to the final four.
The University of Arizona could prove to be Kentucky’s downfall. Unlike the rest of the field, Arizona can match up to Kentucky. Freshmen Stanley Johnson and sophomore Rondae Hollis-Jefferson lead a balanced offense. Arizona has the sixth most efficient offense in the nation, and will be a tall order for any team.
Every year there are a couple teams that, despite their unattractive ranking, will storm the bracket and shock the nation. These so-called “Cinderella teams” are in abundance this year, featuring numerous potential teams capable of pulling off an upset or two.
Eastern Washington and Wichita State are both dark horses threatening to unseat some of the top dogs in this year’s tournament. Eastern Washington has the nation’s leading scorer, Tyler Harvey. They face Georgetown in the first round, whom are notorious for being upset. Wichita State is a seasoned team, making a final four run two years ago, and last year losing to an exceptional Kentucky team.
Both of these teams are poised to make some noise this year.
At the end of the day, nobody knows how the tournament will unfold. But then again, that’s the beauty of it all. Contact sports reporter Jimmy Sheldrup at sheldrup18@up.edu or on twitter @CJSheldrup
