Do you like basketball? The NBA?

Well, maybe the best tournament in sports, including the Stanley Cup Playoffs is happening this month. It starts with 68 teams. Ugh, OK, get over that number because it used to make sense that there were 64 teams. And the brackets workout with 64 teams.

But 68 teams aside, this tournament is what basketball is all about. So what makes this tournament so cool? It’s three weeks of win or go home. In football, the saying is, ‘On any given Sunday’, but during March Madness, it’s any given night!

And that’s why the Madness is the ultimate tournament.

To win the tourney you have to win six games. That’s it! Six measly games! But they will be the toughest games to win in sports. You could be a number five seed playing a 12th seed, miss a few shots and you could find yourself on the wrong end of the scoreboard.

Basketball is a sissy sport you say? Not during March Madness. There’s contact. The crowds are raucous. And you can bet on it! This is one of the few tournament pools that are truly unpredictable and fun. Just watch the first round, I guarantee you’ll be hooked. As long as you’re a sports fan!

Now the easiest upset to pick is the fifth seed losing to the 12th seed.

Statistically, the fifth seed is most likely to be upset. So, you have to make that prediction. But of the four regions and four 12th seeds last year, there was only one team that actually upset the fifth seed. That was Richmond over Vanderbilt.

Seriously, one of the most enjoyable elements of this tournament is the upsets. Picking them is not easy. Last year, in 2011, of all the 11th seeded teams, three of those 11th seeds, defeated the sixth seeds in their first round games.

You just never know. Statistics tell you one thing, and then reality will prove another.

So go out there, get your brackets and start filling them out. Remember, upsets are fun but the favourites always win out. The lowest seeded team to go all the way was #8 Villanova, but that was back in 1985.

sports@reddeerexpress.com