Nigerians perhaps have only heard of the NBA when it comes to the American basketball scene. Well, you might not believe that there is actually a tournament that sometimes even outshines the mercurial LeBron James.
Every spring, as calendars turn to March, something remarkable happens in the hearts and minds of American sports fans. Workdays get mysteriously “interrupted,” casual conversations begin to sound like heated debates, and dinner tables double as strategy sessions for office pools. This Stateside frenzy goes by one name—March Madness.
What Is March Madness?
March Madness is the name given to the culmination of an NCAA college basketball season. Throughout the regular season, Division I teams battle it out among each other with the ultimate goal of gaining a high seeding for the end-of-season showdown. Once there, they must do their best in single-elimination matches as the 68 best teams in the country are whittled down to just one national champion.
Picture this: over three weeks, teams clash in one game after another, each of them with higher stakes than the previous. Every contest is do or die. Lose, and you’re sent packing. Win, and the lure of the title looms ever larger. Well, that thrilling drama is just around the corner.
When’s the 2025 Tournament?
The action tips off with the First Four, taking place on March 18th and 19th. After that, the true madness gets underway, with the first and second rounds happening from March 20 to 23. From there, the intensity ramps up a notch as heavyweights fall and underdogs rise all the way through until Final Four weekend.
On the weekend of April 5th, the four best nations in the country will battle it out in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, in the hopes of reaching the final. The following Monday, the last two teams standing will clash in college basketball’s equivalent of the Super Bowl to be crowned the 2025 National Champions.
Heading into the showdown, there are several contenders that online betting sites think could emerge victorious. Websites allowing one to bet on March Madness Bracket currently make Auburn and Duke the two front runners, with the former priced as the +290 favorite and the latter a narrow +340 second favorite. Folks looking to bet on a March Madness bracket might consider one of these, or might look a little further afield, depending on their personal preferences!
The favored Tigers have never won the title before, but this season looks to be different, thanks to the emergence of versatile big man Johni Broome. He has averaged some 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game this term, and he could be a difference-maker once the action gets underway. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils have sensational freshman Cooper Flagg in their ranks, a player who is already being tipped as one of the brightest prospects ever, thanks to his ability to seemingly win games on his own.
Why Is It So Popular?
March Madness holds an almost mythical level of popularity in the U.S., and it’s not just because Americans love basketball. It’s deeper than that. Unlike the NBA, where teams have millions of followers from distant corners of the globe and which has many partnerships with various companies as a result of its fame, each team competing has a local fanbase and is critical to a local community. When a team wins, its supporters erupt in delight. When they lose, it’s like the end of the world.
With such passion on display, it’s to be expected that a tournament will skyrocket in popularity. But March Madness is still more than even that. It taps into something primal: everyone loves a good story and craves a little chaos, something that only sport can deliver.
The Bracket
The bracket we touched on earlier is also part of the magic. Nigerian football fans will resonate with this one. Every four years, when the Super Eagles embark upon a FIFA World Cup campaign, supporters plot out their tournament predictions, guessing who will finish in the top two of each group and ultimately make their way to the final. Americans are no different, but their bracket takes off in regular life, at least for a month.
Friends challenge each other, coworkers compete for bragging rights, and even those who barely understand what’s happening find themselves swept into the action. In fact, the bracket is so popular that those same aforementioned betting sites roll out the red carpet with a stellar lineup of promotions and tournaments. Bovada, for example, offers big prizes to the player that racks up the most points throughout March Madness, with points able to be claimed by predicting outcomes from the round of 62 onward, with the level of points increasing as the action progresses.
As you will surely find out in a matter of weeks, though, crafting the perfect route to the finals is nigh-on impossible. Well, about one in 120 billion, but close enough. And this is because the underdogs have been known to rise to the occasion and upset the big boys.
Back in 2022, the unheard-of 15th-ranked Saint Peter’s Peacocks reveled in the role of underdogs. They upset the number two ranked Kentucky Wildcats in overtime in the first round before pulling off another shocker against the number three Purdue to reach the regional final. This year, someone will be sure to follow in their footsteps.
Traditional Heavyweights
Programs like the ones at Kentucky, Kansas, Duke, and North Carolina are always teams to watch. These schools are armed with storied traditions, and rosters jam-packed with star recruits. They have become staples of the tournament, and it’s a huge moment each year when one of them is sent packing.
Take Duke, for instance—a program forever associated with legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski. Or Kansas, which just clinched a national title in 2022, proving that their blue-blood status is alive and well. Kentucky’s success stretches back decades, while North Carolina’s Tar Heels inspire fierce devotion thanks to unforgettable alumni like Michael Jordan.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnW0OJKv2JA
In recent years, it’s been the Uconn Huskies that have emerged as the dominant force. They claimed their first crown nine years back in 2023 with a 76-59 victory against San Diego State, thanks to 19 points from current Minnesota Timberwolf Triston Newton. Then, last season, they successfully went back-to-back.
They first beat the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Final Four, before dismantling the Purdue Boilermakers in the championship game. Their triumph made them the first team since 2007 to successfully defend their title and in 2025, they are on the hunt to become the first team since the dominant UCLA program of the ’60s and ’70s to complete the coveted three-peat.
