March Madness Tournament Excites Students

The NCAA college basketball tournament nicknamed “March Madness” began on March 18th. The tournament always captivates fans with its unpredictable upsets and high-stakes matchups. According to “NCAA,” 39 million fans created brackets between the men’s and wom-

en’s divisions this year.

In the tournament, the top 64 Division I college basketball teams battle for the trophy. The winning team must advance through the first round, the round of 32, the Sweet Sixteen, the Elite Eight, the Final Four and finally, the Championship. Teams are seeded based on their performance through the beginning of the season. There are four groups, the East, South, Midwest, and West. The champion of each group goes on to play in the Final Four and then the winners on to the final.

This year’s Men’s Final Four took place on Saturday, April 5th. The teams who played were all the number one seeds from their region: Duke, Houston, Florida and Auburn.

While Duke has been a force all season long led by 6'9" freshman Cooper Flagg, the team ultimately lost to Houston in a high-intensity, low-scoring match.

The Florida Gators, who have dominated the SEC all year with speedy transition-scoring, swiftly

beat the Auburn Tigers. According to ESPN, Florida’s win can largely be credited to the team’s point-guard Walter Clayton Jr., who matched history and contributed over 30 points to the team’s win.

On Monday, April 7, Florida and Houston faced off in Texas for the NCAA Men’s Basketball championship game. Ultimately, according to ESPN, the Gators defeated the Cougars in a game that came down to the last 4.2 seconds.

Similarly, the Women’s NCAA tournament fulfilled expectations of excitement and intensity. UConn, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina were the Final Four teams, with UConn and South Carolina making it to the championship. The UConn Huskies ultimately defeated the Gamecocks 82-59. UConn has consistently been a powerhouse in basketball with stars like Paige Bueckers and St.

John’s graduate Azzi Fudd.

Students love March Madness and many take part in the upper school bracket for both tournaments. Barrett Poling ’27 appreciates March Madness for the competitiveness and chooses her picks based on seeding but then selects “a few upsets.”

Sophia Lekeufack, who ran the upper school bracket this year, commented, “I love March Madness just because of how much excitment it creates. With such a big bracket, it allows for so many possibilities from upsets to Cinderella stories. Additionally, making the brackets based off my knowledge puts high stakes on all of the games and increases the fun.” Lekeufack congratulated Temi

Sobande ’25 for winning the Holton women’s bracket and Lucia Almonte ’26 for winning the Holton men’s bracket.