This March was total madness around the world. Although we call it March Madness, this year it was a safe haven for most basketball fans. This NCAA basketball championship resulted in the usual upsets, the usual annihilations, some pretty close calls, and some history made. My overall favorite was Dawn Staley becoming the first black coach to win multiple D1 championships, male or female. She did this with the University of South Carolina Women’s basketball team. After the team’s win, Coach Staley proceeded to clip the last piece of rope from the net, hang it around her neck, and dance to “Just Fine” by Mary J. Blige, all before even coming down from the ladder.

During the men’s finals, Kansas won over the number 8 University of South Carolina. During this game UNC’s star center, Armando Bacot allegedly rolled his ankle on a loose floorboard, but later it was ruled that the floor had no loose boards. This final game was most certainly swayed by several injuries, including a blow to Puff Johnson’s abdomen (Cam Johnson from the Suns’ little brother) that resulted in him throwing up mid-game. Brady Manek also suffered several hits to the face that most likely resulted in a concussion. He was not removed from the game permanently at any point, but it was clear that he was not feeling his best. At halftime, the score was 40-25, with UNC up, but Kansas made a great comeback, destroying UNC head coach Hubert Davis’ 22-0 record of winning while up at halftime.

Back to the women’s side, the Final Four MVP, or as it’s called in NCAA, Most Outstanding Player, was awarded to Aliyah Boston. Watching this game, my opinion was that it should have been awarded to Destanni Henderson, because no, it is not all about the points, but it is about the impact that a player has on the game. In the finals, Henderson scored crucial points that got the game going again. She didn’t have many scoring droughts in that game, but when the rest of the team did, she was the first to pick them back up and move them into a run. She got her game-high score, and that shows how much she wanted that win for the team.

As for the men’s Final Four MOP, Ochai Agbaji was given that title. This is yet another award I cannot agree with. Agbaji scored only 12 points, had one assist, and 3 rebounds in his 37-minute game. During this game (which I was much intrigued by due to a breakfast bet with my grandfather, that I happened to lose) Agbaji just wasn’t a name that stuck out to me. Dropping one assist as a guard does not say MOP to me. One that did stick out to me was David McCormack, who in his 29 minutes dropped a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

Without Coach K next season, Duke’s future seems to be hanging in the balance, but predictions have already come out favoring Duke yet again. Although these predictions are mere guesses due to the fact that the 2022-2023 three season has yet to begin, the odds are still favoring Duke. Overall, this March was a sufficient break, and provided joy to my family (aka T.V. dinners). March Madness brings communities, families, and friends together.