Yes, college basketball fans, it’s that time of the year! March Madness is here! As of Sunday, March 13, the NCAA College basketball tournament officially commenced with “Selection Sunday” as the selection committee announced and seeded the participating teams.

For those who are unfamiliar, March Madness is an ongoing NCAA basketball phenomenon and a national sports attraction for the last 77 years that stretches from the second week of March through the first week of April. It is composed of a nationwide tournament that includes 68 men’s and 64 women’s collegiate basketball teams. There are seven rounds in March Madness: the First Four (the play – in games), the Round of 64, the Round of 32, the Sweet Sixteen, the Elite Eight, the Final Four, and the Championship Game.

The teams who emerge as champions out of the notable power conference tournaments (AAC, ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, MVC, Pac 12, and SEC, WCC),  earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. These teams this year include (in order of conference): Connecticut, North Carolina, Seton Hall, Michigan State, Kansas, Northern Iowa, Oregon, Kentucky, and Gonzaga. However, even if a team does not win its conference tournament, it still can be selected to play in the NCAA tournament based on its regular season win percentage, (there is a regular season champion as well as a playoff champion), the type of conference it’s in, conference play (record), and the number of votes it receives from the NCAA selection committee.

Many predict that this year’s tournament will be unlike any previous one. After a chaotic regular season filled with upsets and six different teams occupying the No. 1 spot in the country, this tournament will be as unpredictable as ever. This is great because it only adds to the excitement throughout the tournament since there is no clear-cut favorite.

In the field of 68 teams, there are four regions: the South, East, West, and Midwest. Each of these regions includes the teams that were selected by the committee and seeded from the best to the worst teams in the tournament (#1-16). The teams are then matched and play each other to determine rank.  The official and overall No. 1 seed in the tournament is the Kansas Jayhawks out of the South region, followed by the No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels from the East region, then the No. 1 Oregon Ducks from the West region, and lastly the final No 1. seed Virginia Cavaliers out of the Midwest region.

Although Kansas is this year’s favorite to win it all (even President Obama’s pick), I strongly believe that North Carolina will be cutting down the nets in Houston and bringing its sixth Division I trophy back to Chapel Hill (which would tie UNC with Indiana as the 3rd most all time championships). I predict that UNC will prevail because of its dominance and impact on both sides of the ball, along with the team’s relentless athleticism and will to get to the rim.

If UNC falls short, my sleepers would be Baylor(#5) and Seton Hall (#6). I like Baylor to dominate on the offensive and defensive glass led by senior forward Rico Gathers. Seton Hall exemplifies this mentality as well, from sophomore forward Angel Delgado along with extraordinary guard play from Isaiah Whitehead. Not to mention, they also won the Big East tournament by steamrolling through Xavier and Villanova. WOW!

Now it’s time for the best first round matchup: Seton Hall (#6) vs. Gonzaga (#11). I cannot believe that this is a first round game. Both teams have been red hot of late, with Seton Hall winning 12 of its last 14 regular season games and Gonzaga winning 10 of its last 12. Both also went on to win their conference tournaments. The Pirates’ point guard, Isaiah Whitehead, lately has been playing like one of the best guards in the country, while the Zags look to counter with a high scoring offense led by senior Kyle Wiltjer and sophomore Domantas Sabonis.

The most likely first round potential upset goes to the Wichita State Shockers (#11) over the Arizona Wildcats (#6). The Shockers, under head coach Gregg Marshall, are experienced, poised, and successful. They have shown that all season. They have the best defense in the country efficiency-wise. It will definitely show during this game due to Arizona’s season-long stretches of inconsistent defensive play and frequent lapses on offense.

In all, due to uncertainties of even the top seeded teams securing their spot in the Final Four, this year’s tournament will not disappoint. I believe that this year we will witness more upsets than ever before. That is the beauty of March Madness; it brings people together during this time. No matter who you are or where you are from, any team, from any conference has the ability to obtain that “One Shining Moment.”