Every March, basketball enthusiasts nationwide prepare for the March Madness rollercoaster. The NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is less about determining a champion and more about experiencing the thrill of upsets. The tournament’s unpredictability makes it iconic by transforming unknown teams into overnight sensations and shattering millions of brackets. But why do upsets become a beloved part of the March Madness experience?
The Thrill of the Underdog
One of the defining elements of the NCAA tournament is the season of the underdog or lower-ranked team. A lower-seeded team knocking off a powerhouse program embodies the heart of competition. Historically, a No. 16 seed had never defeated a No. 1 seed until 2018, when the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) shocked Virginia with a resounding 74-54 victory. Since then, the possibility of monumental upsets has added even more intrigue to the tournament.
The Cinderella story is another essential part of the tournament’s magic. A Cinderella team is a low-seeded squad that unexpectedly advances deep into the tournament, often defeating higher-ranked opponents. Loyola Chicago (2018) reached the Final Four as a No. 11 seed, capturing national attention.
Bracket Busters and Emotional Highs
Filling out a March Madness bracket is a tradition for millions of fans, with ESPN’s Tournament Challenge alone receiving over 20 million entries annually. However, the odds of completing a perfect bracket are astronomically low; mathematicians estimate the chances to be 1 in 9.2 quintillion for a perfect bracket. This is mainly due to the sheer number of upsets that occur each year.
For example, in 2023, only 0.0003% of brackets remained perfect after the first round. with numerous underdog victories, including No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson’s shocking No. 1 seed Purdue. The chaos of March Madness ensures that fans remain engaged, as each unexpected victory alters the course of the tournament, creating emotional highs and devastating lows for those invested in bracket challenges or sports betting, which gather around 3.1 billion American dollars in wagers for March Madness
