That something is the NCAA basketball tournament — better known as March Madness.

It’s hard to believe something this exciting even exists. 68 teams, one bracket, one ultimate goal: the NCAA national championship.

Simply put, March Madness has an unmatched energy.

But why? Why do I — and others — speak so highly of this tournament? Well, that’s a simple question, and one that can be answered in many ways.

One common goal 

Oh, to be a national champion. Kids dream of it, coaches desire it, programs need it. It’s something that brings a university prosperity and wealth, no matter what division. The one kicker to being a national champion though, is that it’s only for winners, and one must be the winner of all winners. 

This is what makes the NCAA tournament so brutal. The 68 best teams, carefully seeded and ranked, battling for one ultimate goal: a national championship.

It’s madness. March Madness. And this is exactly what we get. This isn’t the NBA where you get a seven-game series. This is the winner takes all, go big or go home, fight or flight. It’s the art of single-elimination. 

Because of this one common goal, the tournament brings out the best in every fan, every player, every coach, and every program. No matter where a team is seeded, there is hope to compete, hope to be the best of the 68. 

Then there's the emotion, the energy, the competitiveness. Everyone on and around the court cares. They have a deep desire to win, and everything they’ve worked for comes down to one game — and if they’re lucky, five more. 

If you want evidence of this overall passion, go back and watch any March Madness game ever. I did this — selecting one of all time favorites in Wisconsin versus Kentucky 2015 – and found that every person in that arena cared. I did this again — watching Houston versus Northern Kentucky 2023 – and again, found that the passion was through the roof, regardless of seeding. 

So yes, while it seems obvious, the hunt for the national championship is one thing that makes the NCAA tournament that much more riveting. 

Bracket culture 

This is the year ladies and gentlemen. I will create a perfect bracket. While I’ve said this for the past decade and have always gotten so close to perfection (I never make it past the first round), this year it’s bound to happen. 

This delusion is part of the madness. Sitting down, staring at my fresh bracket, thinking this is the year — only to make the worst possible picks—adds more fun than it should.

The simplicity of brackets is what really makes them work. Unless you’re a die-hard basketball fan or some sports analyst, creating a bracket doesn’t require much research or thought. All one needs is a pen, a bracket and the ability to spend five minutes predicting who moves on to the next round. 

This then allows the fans to play and stay engaged throughout the tournament. Because of the bracket, you know what teams are playing each other, staying updated as each game elapses. It also serves as a competition. Bracket challenges all across the country gather thousands upon thousands of entries each year, creating more joy for the game – or sadness depending on how quickly your bracket gets busted.  

Brackets are also unique. Look around any other sporting league, and one will be reluctant to find a playoff format so expansive. Sure, you can predict the MLB playoffs, but I’ve tried that, and it’s nowhere near as exhilarating as a March Madness bracket. Creating a bracket is like opening the biggest Christmas present under the tree: it only happens once a year. 

So, like I said, this is the year. Come Sunday night, my perfect bracket will be created, and this will only add to the fun that is March Madness.  

Cinderellas

Does the slipper fit? UMBC asked that in 2018 when they played Virginia, and the answer was yes. The ultimate bracket buster. A 16-seed over a 1-seed. It doesn’t get better than that.

That game is the perfect example of why it’s called March Madness. It proves anything can happen. The lowest seed can take down the best.

To put it simply, unpredictability is what rules this tournament, because in the sport of basketball, you just never know. In any given game, a lower seed can pull off the unthinkable and upset a higher seed. For example, last year I predicted that Kentucky would win the national championship. Seemed like a good prediction, right? Nope. They were bounced in the first round to 14-seed Oakland. Serves me right for picking against an in-state team. 

It’s also not just random one game upsets either. Teams go on runs, constantly knocking off higher powered teams. George Mason did this in 2006. VCU in 2011. Florida Gulf Coast — my favorite Cinderella — in 2013. Loyola Chicago in 2018. Last year it was N.C. State, and the year before that was FAU. 

Every year this happens. There’s the one-and-done Cinderellas, and then there's the multiple game Cinderellas. And the thing is, you never know what team is going to do it. It’s unpredictable, leaving one to wonder, who will the slipper fit for in this tournament? 

"One Shining Moment"

I can hear it now. That three-minute song and video after every tournament, capturing the most unforgettable moments. It may be small in the grand scheme, but "One Shining Moment" lives in my heart — and in millions of others.

There’s a couple reasons why this is worth mentioning. For starters, this video captures all the emotion, energy and competitiveness players and teams have worked so tirelessly for, all in around three minutes. It's the perfect montage to capture the importance and meaning of such a tournament. 

Then there's the tradition behind it. Starting in 1987 after Indiana’s national championship, the video was available to the public a few hours after the final buzzer sounded. Since then, after every national championship, the video is played for all to see, creating a feel good moment no matter how your team did in the tournament.

The montage captures it all. It’s the archive of March Madness, preserving each year’s tournament for generations.

If you don’t believe me, go watch for yourself. The 2016 One Shining Moment video is my favorite, closely followed by 2018. It’s a reminder of the passion, effort and unforgettable moments that make March Madness the greatest event in sports.