March Madness: Let the games begin!

While the Muhlenberg Mules women’s basketball team is gearing up for the Centennial Conference tournament, and the men’s team just closed out a respectable season of their own, the students at Muhlenberg are waiting in anticipation for the annual NCAA Division 1 March Madness Basketball Tournament to commence. The 63 game tournament, which will begin Mar. 14 in Dayton, Ohio, is always a highlight for basketball fans across the country. As the tournament is set to begin in just a few short weeks, I caught up with some members of the Muhlenberg community to gauge their thoughts on what to expect in the tournament.

In conjunction with the tournament that will be taking place, many students enjoy filling out brackets and then following each game in hopes of achieving as many correct selections as possible. Because of the sheer amount of games in the tournament, combined with the amount of luck it takes to correctly predict even the easiest games, some people choose to shy away from picking upsets. It never hurts to pick a majority of the higher seeds, with a few casual upsets thrown in there every so often. This is the approach that Matt Itzkowitz ’19, has taken in his several years of filling out tournament brackets, and he plans on continuing this pattern come the start of the tournament.

“I don’t really follow college basketball all too closely, so I’m not too knowledgeable on which upsets to pick. So, I usually just pick the higher seeds, and if I’m going to pick an upset in the first round, it will probably just be something like a nine or ten seed to advance to the second round. However, I definitely hope Syracuse advances far in the tournament if they make it,” said Itzkowitz.

When I talked with Mike Cooperman ’19, who resides in suburban Philadelphia, he immediately showed allegiance to his hometown team and the reigning NCAA champions, the Villanova Wildcats. “Villanova is Final Four bound,” says a clearly confident Cooperman. “They are the most consistent team in the country.” Despite his fondness for the ‘Cats, Cooperman also displayed his wealth of college basketball knowledge as he continued to discuss his thoughts on the rest of the college basketball landscape.

“Wichita State is a sleeper, they’ve been playing good ball. Virginia is going to fall early because they can’t score. Oregon is also going to be Final Four bound because of their extreme athletic ability, including the presence of top players Dillon Brooks and Tyler Dorsey. Two of my bolder predictions are that perennial contender Duke will fall before the Final Four because of their lack of experience, while Gonzaga will fall before the Final Four as well, despite their current perfect record on the season.”

If you are struggling to fill out your bracket, it is a good idea to consult the help of others who are die-hard college basketball fanatics. In the case of Jake Bloomberg ’18, he was more than willing to share his opinions on how to fill out the perfect bracket this year. “Picking your winner will be interesting again this year,” Bloomberg said. “Before the season, Duke seemed like the best on paper, with their recruiting class of Harry Giles and Jayson Tatum. However, Duke has underachieved. Tatum has played well, but Giles looks like a shell of his former self. If he gets hot in the last few games of the regular season, I believe Duke is the favorite to win. Without his impact, I don’t believe they will string together the wins required to win the national championship,” said Bloomberg, who seemed very excited about getting the opportunity to watch these games so soon.

In addition to Bloomberg’s extensive college basketball understanding, he is a devoted NBA fan as well. As a result, he is already looking at this tournament as an opportunity to more closely watch some of the top draft-eligible players, since his favorite NBA team, the Boston Celtics, will have the top selections in the June draft. In regards to the NBA impact, Bloomberg says, “It’s also the final showcase of superstar draft choices. As a Celtics fan, I’ll be keeping a close eye on Harry Giles (Duke), Jayson Tatum (Duke), Lonzo Ball (UCLA), and Josh Jackson (Kansas).”

While both Cooperman and Bloomberg posses a strong love for college basketball, it does not take a close following of the sport to fill out a bracket. Some people simply choose a team that they know has done well in the tournament in past years. Dan Hadad ’18 is picking UConn this year, for one reason: “They always make a magical run.”

March is a very exciting time in the college basketball world. That excitement is radiant on the campus here at Muhlenberg, and the student body is ready for another year’s worth of dramatic upsets and nervously tracking brackets. The calendar soon flips to March, which means that the madness of college basketball is only a short while away. Let the games begin.