Nicole Flickinger said there's always a television tuned to war coverage at the sports bar she works at.

"That affects each and every one of us personally, and it's important for all of us to know what's going on," the chemical engineering senior said. "I don't think it's overbearing. It's something that everyone needs to be aware of."

Many students are using the NCAA Tournament as an escape from the bombardment of 24-hour news coverage of the war in Iraq. But even in times of war, it's important to take some time to enjoy other things, she said.

Flickinger said she's an avid basketball fan and probably watches more college basketball to keep track of her brackets than war coverage.

"I switch back and forth between CNN and basketball," she said. "March Madness and the time that it's going on, at this point in the war, it's a good way for the soldiers to have a release."

Flickinger said March Madness is a good thing for the nation as a whole, to be able to have their entertainment even in global crisis.

"I'm glad they didn't cancel it," she said.

Broadcast journalism Professor Kimmerly Piper-Aiken said students need college basketball to relieve the monotony of hour-by-hour war coverage.

"It just reflects the dual role we United States citizens have," she said. "It's not necessarily a bad thing to take a break from the intensity of news."

The news, Piper-Aiken said, might be a little overdone sometimes.

"At times it seems a little bit excessive in terms of specific updates and cut-ins when there hasn't been anything newsworthy," she said, adding CBS, in particular, turns to news coverage when there doesn't appear to be news to report.

"If the coverage is done properly, it's fine," Piper-Aiken said.

MTV has directed some of their programming to war coverage, but aims it at a younger audience who might not understand the events on CNN.

"Demographically targeted news is a good thing," Piper-Aiken said. "And that's exactly what MTV has done."

Interdisciplinary studies in social science senior Chad Jordan said he watched up to two and a half hours daily of news, but overexposure might be harmful.

"As it goes on further and further it's kind of getting more boring," he said. "I don't know if I'm getting desensitized to it, but I don't know if I can take much more."

Jordan, who has also been following his brackets, said he watches just as much basketball as he does news.

"I love to watch sports on television, but these early games I could really care less about," he said. "As the games become more and more important I'll watch more."

Jordan said students shouldn't watch too much of either.

"Just watch what you want to watch and click back and forth if you have to," he said. "Whatever your need is, just fulfill it."