March Madness

The madness has returned!

Brackets were filled out. Dreams shared. Teams have taken the floor.

After Day One some teams are still chasing their dream, while others have already made the trip back to campus.

65 teams. One championship. Two teams will play for the National Championship. Only one team will end the season with a victory.

March Madness. The Dance. The NCAA Tournament. This is the greatest sporting event in the world.

What makes it the greatest is not the attendance (World Cup draws far more fans) or the money involved (Super Bowl is more lucrative). What makes the tournament so incredible is its structure. Where else can small schools, with extremely limited budgets take on the nation's biggest basketball programs? Where else could VCU play Duke? This is the beauty of the tournament. Teams that receive little media exposure get the chance to play with the big boys.

And what ensues is why we call it March Madness.

From Villanova's stunning upset of Georgetown in 1985, to George Mason's run a year ago, the NCAA Tournament reminds us that on any given day, any team can win. Throw out team records and other statistics. This is about heart. This is about determination. This is about what team will rise to the occasion.

Truth be said, we see ourselves in some of these tournament teams. We know what it is like to be the overlooked. We can identify with the feeling of being counted out. And so we relish the underdog, and root for the gritty teams who represent all the other small schools who did not make it to the tournament.

We root for them because they remind us of ... well ... us.