As Selection Sunday nears, students start studying... brackets, that is
Sharpen those pencils; it’s almost time to fill out some brackets.
On Sunday, the NCAA will announce the official March Madness field. Sixty-eight college basketball teams will compete for the championship as fans across the country play along – madly filling and re-filling their pre-tournament predictions for the winner of each game and eventual champion.
Some – like Ithaca College senior Gavin Cote – have become seasoned bracket veterans. The 21-year-old has been making March Madness predictions for over 10 years and will begin studying teams during conference tournaments this week.
“It’s midterms week, so I’ll watch when I can,” he said. “If it’s a really big matchup like (Syracuse) and UConn at (Madison Square Garden), I’ll make time to watch no matter what.”
Kris Mason, 19, has a similar mindset. The University of Delaware freshman’s television will be constantly on during the next few weeks.
“I will watch around 10 hours this week,” said Mason. “I will try to watch as many games as possible. I need to fit it in around my classes and homework.”
Christa Leutz – a recent graduate of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo – will watch games at the gym this week. Leutz, 24, observes teams during their conference tournaments and will use this information when it comes time to fill out her bracket.
“(The tournaments) can show you teams’ weak points and strong points,” she said. “You try to see how they would match up with teams from other conferences, if they were to ever meet.”
University of Miami freshman Danny Briggi, 18, will have his eyes fixed on the Atlantic Coast Conference.
“Duke’s loss to (North Carolina) last week raised some questions about their strength,” he said. “North Carolina has the potential to make a run, as does Florida State. The tournament should provide some answers.”
Georgetown University sophomore Eric Johnson will direct his focus on the Big East Tournament, with a particular interest in the matchup between UConn and Syracuse.
Cote, however, isn’t convinced teams’ conference showings hold much weight.
“I’ve learned over the years that conference tournaments aren’t necessarily indicative of how the tournament will play out,” he said. “Last year I thought UConn was burnt out because of its Big East run, but that clearly wasn’t the case.”
And there are some college students who aren’t caught up in the March Madness craze. Westfield State University sophomore Molly Miller, 19, doesn’t have time to dedicate March toward watching basketball.
“I usually do not keep up with the basketball games,” she said. “I would like to but I’m just too busy with (track) practice and school.”
Briggi will make time to watch games; he’s got money riding on his bracket.
“I try to do something that will separate me from the masses,” he said. “By no means do I have a 12 seed winning it all, but picking the winners based solely on ESPN’s Bracketology won’t win you any money… I try to mix it up, even if just a little bit.”
Chris Shores is a Spring 2012 USA TODAY Collegiate Correspondent. Learn more about him here.
This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.