The NCAA Men's Basketball tournament is the greatest sporting event ever put together. Period; end of story. It is more entertaining than the World Cup and consistently more shocking than any other sporting event.
Every single year, each tournament leaves its mark on history in a way no other sporting event does. Other postseasons and competitive tournaments are set up similarly in that the best teams are supposed to have the easiest paths to the championship.
The NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NCAA football, and pretty much every American sports seeds the best teams against the worst teams when possible. Yet, March's sporting event never seems to guarantee anything except downright insanity.
The NBA has pretty much become the top seed in the Western Conference vs wherever Lebron is playing at that moment. I love the NBA, it's fun to watch and that level of basketball is always fascinating. However, It is nothing compared to the college counterpart.
The NFL is great, but both 1 seeds have met in the Super Bowl in 4 of the last 5 years, making it a pretty predictable format. There's nothing wrong with it, it just means that the NFL might know what it is doing in terms of its playoff seeding. But means it is not as exciting, plain and simple.
The MLB and NHL are similar and while they are fun, nothing compares to the excitement and stories that come out of March Madness.
The 2018 tournament has already been special, and we've only seen 2 rounds. The best team in college basketball steamrolled their schedule en route to a 31-2 record and an ACC title. However, the Virginia Cavaliers got smacked by a "mid-major" program, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). A program that, prior to the Virginia game, was probably the least known in the tournament. However, after this tournament, UMBC's legacy will live on forever, that team will never be forgotten. 16 seeds are now 1-135 vs 1 seeds all time, thanks to UMBC's performance unlike any other.
The performance I saw from UMBC was absolutely wild and is one of the greatest sporting performances I've ever, and will ever, see. This tournament brings out the best in people, and every year further cements itself in sporting lore. UMBC's run lasted 2 full games, but the team featuring Jairus Lyles will always be remembered for what they did.
The 1984-1985 Villanova team still gets talked about today and their tournament run is still regarded as one of the greatest upsets in sports history. The last-second NC State win in the 1983 title game is one of the most iconic finishes in the tournament's history. It encapsulated an underdog victory and the pure elation of winning the title as Jim Valvano ran aimlessly on the court afterward.
It seems as though every single year the tournament receives a new defining moment. Villanova stunned Roy Williams and UNC on a buzzer beater to take the title in 2016. That shot will not be forgotten and that game will go down as one of the greatest finishes not only in college basketball but in sports history.
in 2015, Duke freshman Grayson Allen burst onto the scene with his performance in their the Blue Devils' title run. This year, the infamous guard is trying to lead Duke back to glory alongside Marvin Bagley III, a likely top pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.
This tournament features a sweet sixteen with two 11-seeds, two 9-seeds, and just four teams seeded better than 3. The tournament has been turned upside-down this year by Loyola-Chicago beating the buzzer two rounds in a row, and popular title picks getting thrashed by teams that barely made the tournament.
The NCAA Men's basketball is superior to any other sporting event for numerous reasons. The excitement is unmatched, I don't care what you think about the Olympics. The 2018 March Madness tournament has been much more attention-grabbing, much more exciting, and infinitely less political than this year's version of the Olympic games.
The World Cup is cool, but at the end of the day, it's still soccer. I will never concede any soccer tournament to be better than the NCAA basketball tournament; it's impossible for that to be the case. Soccer is 90 minutes of running and oftentimes no scoring. Also, any sport that ends in ties regularly cannot have the best sporting event in the world.
What happens in this tournament defines sports for generations. It creates stars that were previously unknown, it defies what we think should happen. Millions of people try to guess what's going to happen, and every year nobody comes close.
The NCAA tournament brings people together in the name of sports, and a little bit in the name of gambling. For the latter part of March, this tournament dominates headlines and creates its own history year after year. Sure, all other events create history too. But this tournament seems to dominate, unlike others, every single year. Everyday people talk about what happens, and the pure quantity of excitement is superior to any other event.
The NCAA Men's Basketball tournament is the greatest sporting event in the world and any other opinion is incorrect. Enjoy the rest of the 2018 version, because it's almost a guarantee it will have a crazy finish.
