March madness is finally upon us and for many, this is the best time of the year. The start of the conference tournaments and the beginning of the NCAA tournament brings excitement to any sports fan looking for upsets and good games.

This year has been filled with many ups and downs as well as freshman sensations have been matched with experienced seniors. Highlights are made every night but the start of the real magic is about to happen.

As everyone knows, Duke with a healthy is the team to beat with freshman sensations Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish. They have held the number one ranked position for most of the year but the injury to Williamson has set the Blue Devils back. They have looked like the team to beat all year.

Top teams this year and likely number one seeds in the tournament include UVA, Tennessee, Gonzaga and Duke or UNC. There has been a pretty big gap between the top teams and the middle tier teams. The top teams have dominated all of basketball this year and those top 5-7 teams all have the same goal. That goal is to win the National Championship.

But as we all know, there is always that one or two teams that make a long run into the tournament as a low seed. Last years cinderella story included Loyola Chicago who went to the final 4.

“I would love to see a low seed make it to the final 4 again,” senior Ryan Eisner said. “As much as I’d love to see UVA win it all, I’d love to see smaller team knock off a powerhouse” said Eisner.

This tournament is going to be filled with talent on so many levels. Senior power forward for Tennessee, Grant Williams, is a top player in the country and a finalist for the wooden award. He looks to lead the Volunteers to a final 4 after getting bounced early last year in the tournament.

“I think Tennessee can be a final 4 team, they have everything that you need to win” senior Jackson Davis said. I wouldn’t be surprised if they came away with the trophy.”

Top picks for a championship would have to be centered around Duke. Duke, when healthy is very difficult to beat. The key for them is to hit three point shots and be healthy.

There are many sleeper teams this year that are really good that get no publicity. One of those teams includes Texas Tech. They will probably win the Big 12 as well have about a 2 seed going into the tournament. They will look to make a big run for the title as well as the other 63 teams.

The excitement surrounding this tournament is unmatched and it never disappoints and there are always many unexpected things will happen.