March is a month of transition. The name “March” means “to proceed or advance inexorably”, and with this procession brings forth Spring. Yet transition never comes without a share of madness. For Seniors, this is the time of year when scholarships are due and future plans are decided as graduation fast approaches. Juniors started the month with the ACT and now are looking towards future AP testing. And as for the entire school, spring sports are starting up, “CLUE!” is opening, and Spring Break, as well as the end of the third quarter, are fast approaching. Though all these events are major stressors, there is one that is greater… NCAA Division I Basketball. This week, the one thing that students will obsess over besides Yu-Gi-Oh is their bracket, which each hopes will be close to perfect, even though odds are stacked against them. When talking about the effects of filling out a bracket, Junior Blake Posewitz elaborated,

“It gives incentive to watch more than their favorite team, to watch upsets and teams you wouldn’t otherwise watch.”  

It is not uncommon to see students in every classroom deliberating over who would win each game, deciding each game by expert’s opinions or mere chance. Since a portion of teams are relatively unknown, many people will turn to ESPN or Bleacher Report for a scouting report. Others may approach choosing in a more random fashion. Senior Zoe Schrameyer explained,

“I don’t follow basketball at all, and I know that you shouldn’t always pick the better seed, so I pick whichever mascot is cooler.”

Yet even with all the different methods of picking, it is quite hard to even have decent bracket. With sixty-eight teams starting and one team finishing, the odds of getting every game correct is and overwhelming one in 9.2 quintillion, but that is not where the fun lies. Seeing unlikely underdogs prevail against powerhouse teams is really when the tournament spices up.

“Bracket busters shows that anyone can win. It adds unpredictability in the tournament,”

said Senior Ethan McLaughlin on the effect of underdogs. Seeing small teams like Florida Gulf Coast in 2013 or Georgia State in 2015 win is why it is called “March Madness”. And it is not just sport-watching students that get into the madness. Mr. Heinen has frequently screened games in his room, teachers such as Miss Larson and Mr. Kautzer have created class brackets, and the red zone has created its own March Madness Tournament where one could win a pizza party for three if their seed wins it all. Students that never watch basketball even fill out brackets. When asked about why she was filling out a bracket, Sophomore Angelyna Vu responded,

“I get a dessert if I have the best bracket.”

She also explained,

“I don’t know much about basketball, but deciding who wins is fun.”

Fun. For many, simply filling out a bracket is full of unpredictable fun. One may not know the teams or even know basketball, but filling out bracket can open someone up to the craziness that is “March Madness”. Every twelve and five seed game, every buzzer beater win, and every final four is part of the madness that is March. Enjoy this month. Whether it be Spring Break, seeing “CLUE!”, deciding future plans, or watching basketball, enjoy it. Don’t sit back through March, advance inexorably through March, savoring every bit of excitement and madness that comes with it.