As the month of March ends, the Final Four and Championship games are under the watchful eye of most Americans. The NCAA March Madness Tournament is Division I college basketball’s most prized possession. The hype around these final games gains international attention, with celebrities, fellow athletes and even former President Barack Obama tuning in and making a bracket.
For the men, the New Orleans Caesars Superdome will house both the (1) Kansas vs. (2) Villanova game at 6:09 p.m. EST and the (2) Duke vs. (8) North Carolina game right after on Saturday, April 2. The winners will face off on Monday, April 4 for a shot at earning College Basketball’s most valued game win in the championship game.
The Duke Blue Devils are favored to dominate under Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s guidance in his last season as head coach. They hold a staggering 13 percent of the handle for winning it all. Their opposition, the Tarheels of North Carolina, is considered the underdog, with only four percent of the handle according to Draft Kings. Kansas and Villanova hold 8 percent and 5 percent, respectively. The two teams from North Carolina are perhaps the biggest rivals, with country singer Eric Church cancelling his Texas concert so that he could watch the game. While fans took to social media with harsh remarks, the Appalachian State alum couldn’t pass up the ability to witness the first time in history that these teams will compete against each other in March Madness. The only other time that these two rivals both made it to the Final Four was in 1991, when Duke beat the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and North Carolina lost to Kansas. The Tarheels are certainly entering these final games with something to prove.
The women’s final four will be Friday, April 1 at the Target Center in Minneapolis. (1) South Carolina and (1) Louisville will go head to head first at 7 p.m., and then (2) Connecticut and (1) Stanford will play at 9:30 p.m. Their Championship game will be on Sunday, April 3. The South Carolina Gamecocks are favored to win the whole thing; it would be their second win in six seasons. It is of note that every team besides Louisville was in the Final Four last year, which could explain why the odds haven’t changed very much since the beginning of the tournament. Stanford won last year over Arizona in a nail-biter with a score of 54-53.
There is never a doubt that there will be hype around March Madness. However, with the combination of rising geopolitical tension and an unprecedented pandemic surrounding the world today, the tournament seems that much more meaningful. The ode to American athleticism and grit is appreciated by players and fans alike, and the winners of the men’s and women’s tournaments will celebrate not only for themselves but for their many supporters who have shaped the success of college basketball by tuning in year after year.
The men’s games will air on TBS and the women’s can be found on USA Network. They will also be livestreamed here.
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