March Madness, or the Big Dance, is one of the most electric times of the year for college sports. This year Florida has won it all, taking home their 3rd national championship in school history.
The Florida Gators were led by senior transfer Walter Clayton Jr. who is second in points per game with a game average of 23 points. Clayton Jr. and the Gators also are 3rd place in points scored per game with 85.4 points. Walter Clayton Jr. was one of the best players throughout the tournament and really pushed the Gators to victory throughout March Madness. Ranked 5th in the Associated Press (AP) rankings, the Gators were 36-4 going into the playoffs, with losses to Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky, and they were not the favorites to win the tournament going into it.
Next: the runner up, the Houston Cougars. Starting out with a prominent player, LJ Cryer, who averaged 15.7 PPG, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game according to ESPN. After starting his college career at Baylor and winning a national championship in 2021, he transferred to Houton seeking a “fresh start.” In the Final Four game against Duke, he scored 26 points and led the team in scoring that game. Then in the national championship he scored 19 points and grabbed 6 boards at only 6 ‘1.
Duke Blue Devils were the favorites to win the tournament as a whole, with a likeness of winning being 30.97% which is almost double the percentage of the second placed team. Duke was led by two incredible freshmen, Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, Flagg being named AP Player of the Year and Knueppel winning ACC MVP award. Cooper Flagg has taken the nation by storm and has increased some ticket prices by almost 45%.
The final team is the Auburn Tigers who unfortunately lost to Florida in the FInal Four. Led by Johni Broome who averaged a double double throughout the season with 18.6 PPG and 10.8 RPG. Bruce Pearl, Auburn head coach, said it is one of the best transfer stories in college basketball history. After starting out his career at Morehead State, a low Division 1 school, he entered the transfer portal and looked to attend higher ranked schools. Auburn and Florida being of the highest, he decided to transfer to Auburn.
With March Madness comes big upsets. The biggest games came in the first round, with huge performances by McNeese State and Colorado State, both 12 seeds beating 5 seeds. Colorado State then played a thriller of a game to Maryland, with a buzzer beater loss 72-71 to the Terps. Another upset coming from the McNeese State Cowboys who sent the Clemson Tigers home early in the first round. They then lost to fourth- seeded Purdue in the second round after shocking the basketball world with its win over Clemson.
Another huge team that shocked the world with a big run was the Arkansas Razorbacks, led by renowned coach John Calipari. After 15 seasons at Kentucky and a national championship in 2012, he decided to switch up the scenery and leave to go to Arkansas. After starting out 0-5 in the SEC, during March Madness they were not expected to go very far. However, after defeating seventh-seeded Kansas in the first round, they were met with the defending Big East title champs, the second-seeded St. John’s Red Storm. With a 25% chance of beating St. Johns, the Razorbacks pulled out the win by 9 to advance to their 15th Sweet 16.
This season’s March Madness was pretty good compared to others over the years, with the right amount of upsets, key players, and even some big transfer news. However, with all the madness of March, playoff college basketball is still one of the best times of the year.
