Let the madness begin
Kolby KickingWoman ICT
Bust out your boogie shoes because The Big Dance is finally here.
More colloquially known as March Madness, the NCAA Tournament features 68 teams from across the nation, lacing up their sneakers all with the dream of outlasting the field and winning the championship.
The mantra is simple – survive and advance.
Each team is six wins away from being immortalized in college basketball history.
On the men's side, three players and one coach will be representing their respective tribes along with their schools, according to ndnsports.com.
Jason Amador, Navajo and Mohave, is a senior guard for 13-seed Grand Canyon University; Lance Waddles, Standing Rock Sioux, is a junior guard for the 15-seed Omaha Mavericks; and Dayton Forsythe, Chickasaw Nation, is a freshman guard for 9-seed University of Oklahoma.
On the sidelines, University of Houston Head Coach Kelvin Sampson, Lumbee, led his Cougars squad to Big 12 regular season and conference championships this year and the team's third consecutive season as a 1-seed in the tournament.Of the four, Sampson has the best opportunity to make the Final Four but this humble writer and sports enthusiast has them losing to the Duke Blue Devils in the semifinals the first weekend of April.
As sports fans, these are among the best of the year.
This first weekend, with games running essentially all day, is purely bliss.
A survey of 3,000 fans from the Action Network found that 40 percent admitted to calling in sick to watch games on the first Thursday and Friday of the tournament. Additionally, the survey found 'March Madness could cost the U.S. economy approximately $20.89 billion in lost productivity.'
Talk about a serious case of basketball fever.
Admittedly, I am prone to keep an eye on my bracket throughout the day, sorry boss!
There's still time to fill out your bracket, Just make sure you get that bracket turned in before the first game tips off at 12:15 p.m. ET Thursday.
Here's a little nugget for you – only once has all four No. 1 seeds made it to the Final Four; that was in 2008. Ironically, that Final Four was held in San Antonio, the locale for this year.
Upon filling out my initial bracket, I had this occur and it gave me pause. However, the four No. 1 seeds have been among the best in the country all year. Naturally, if I stick to the course, none will make it and my bracket will likely be busted before the end of the weekend.
But that's the awesomeness of March Madness. Unexpected turns and surprises are bound to happen. Plus, it's fun to get behind and root for a Cinderella.
For what it's worth, I have Duke beating Florida in the National Championship 77-71.
So here's to buzzer beaters, broken brackets and Cinderellas. Let the craziness of March Madness begin.
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