March Madness: Who's in My Championship?

March started, and now it’s ending. It seemed to have came and went faster than Usain Bolt on a bullet train. The NCAA tournament started with madness and never broke continuity as upsets kept happening, and happening, and happening. 11-seed Loyola-Chicago and Sister Jean are playing through a higher-power as they have done the unthinkable throughout this extravagant dance. Michigan has shown that they can keep up with any team defensively with their well-rounded gameplay coached by the godly John Beilein. Kansas showed their dominance over Coach K and his star-studded lineup in a showdown that was NOT ultimately decided by the final seconds. Finally, Villanova easily danced their way into the Final Four after a complete collapse in efficiency from the Texas Tech squad.

Who do I have in my final game? I did the usual nervous tinker with my bracket before they locked in mid-March. My roommate and I were comparing brackets and giving each other our takes on the other’s picks. At the end of that night, my Final Four was set in stone: Arizona v. Michigan, and Villanova v. Kansas. Arizona, obviously a favorite among other picks, busted brackets everywhere when they lost to Buffalo in the Round of 64 by 21 points!

After the Round of 64, one-fourth of my Final Four was taken from me, like a fellow squad member in Fortnite. Surprisingly, my other three Final Four squad members survived and made their way through the storm, with their eyes set on the final circle.

Who do I have in my final game? I am nothing but proud and ecstatic that my Michigan Wolverines are on their way to another NCAA Tournament championship game. It tore me apart when they lost in 2013 to the now-removed champions, Louisville, after a scandal involving players and Rick Pitino stripped them of more than just that championship. If they were to win the tournament this year, I could care less about winning my bracket group. Because I picked Villanova to make another championship appearance this year as they did in 2016. After watching the way they have been playing leading up to the big game, I can see it happening.

The other team I have playing for the trophy are my BIG10 representatives, the victors valiant, the block-M gems, Michigan Wolverines. With Jordan Poole as their silent leader, playing in all but two-minutes of their Elite Eight matchup, their elite post-defender in Jon Teske, and second-half Wagner, I can see the Wolverines giving ‘Nova a run for their money. You also can't forget about Duncan Robinson and his butter-shot, he D-III transfer has shown he is much more than a role player on this team.

The madness isn’t over yet, one must be crowned champions. For bracket sake, I’d like to see Villanova win, but seeing how Michigan has come this far in the tournament, I have to keep the maize and blue on. GO BLUE!!!