Local Teams Look to Make Noise: Previewing March Madness 

On March 20th, one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year kicks off: March Madness. March Madness features 64 division 1 college basketball teams competing in a single elimination tournament to crown a national champion. With a decent number of local teams in the tournament, generational players competing, and historically good teams, the hype surrounding March Madness is at an all-time high.

Local Teams

Sitting in the fourth seed in the South region is the University of Maryland. Maryland finished with a 24-7 record and was runner-up in the Big Ten tournament. Led by projected lottery pick in the 2025 NBA draft freshman big man Derrick Queen, who averaged an elite 15.7 ppg (points per game) and 9.2 rpg (rebounds per game), Maryland looks to make a deep run in this year’s tournament. 

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), positioned as the eleven seed in the east region, finished its regular season with a 25-6 record and won the A10 championship. Led by the senior duo of guard Max Shula, averaging 15 ppg and 6 rpg, and forward Jack Clark, averaging 9.2 ppg and 7rpg, VCU aims to upset 6 seed BYU in the first round.

In one of the more interesting storylines of the tournament, two local teams are facing off for the 16th seed in the East region: American vs Mount St.Mary’s. Led by 17 ppg scorer Matt Rogers, American, located in DC, is looking to make its fifth March Madness in the past 12 years.On the other hand, Mount St.Mary’s located in MD, has five players averaging over nine ppg. The game will be Thursday, March 19th, at 6:40 PM.

Players To Watch

Duke freshman Cooper Flagg is the projected number-one overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft and for a good reason. The 6 ‘9 forward is averaging 19.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg, and 4.2 apg (assists per game) and has led Duke to a 28-3 record and a one-seed. Flagg won ACC Player of the Year,  ACC Rookie of the Year, and set the ACC freshman and Duke freshman scoring records with a 42-point game.  

Senior center Johni Broome for Auburn has been one of the more dominant players in college basketball this year. Averaging an 18.6 ppg and 10.2 rpg double-double, Broome was awarded SEC player of the year and looks to take number one ranked Auburn all the way this year.

Junior Braden Smith is statistically one of the best guards in college basketball. Averaging 16ppg 4.7rpg and an elite 8.8 apg, which is second in college basketball, Smith looks to lead four-seeded Purdue back to the championship, where they fell short last year to Uconn.

Teams to Watch

Auburn: Auburn finished with a 27-4 record, which puts them at #1 in the SEC and the 1 seed in the South region. They were led by Johni Broome, who won player of the year in the SEC, and Bruce Alan Pearl, who won coach of the year in the SEC. Statistically, Auburn has the best offense in college basketball, scoring 104.7 points per 100 possessions. 

Duke: Duke went 28-3, 1st in the ACC, led by freshman trio of Kon Kunnepel (13.7 ppg), Khaman Maluach (8 ppg 6.6 rpg), and Cooper Flagg. All three are projected lottery picks in the upcoming NBA draft. Duke sits at the 1 seed in the East and looks to make a strong title run. 

Houston: Houston had a 27-4 record this season, landing them 1st in Big 12, led by senior guard LJ Cryer, averaging 15.3 ppg. Houston has statistically the best defense in the NCAA, consistently holding teams under 60 ppg. Houston is the 1 seed in the Midwest and looks to redeem themselves after a disappointing early exit last year.

Florida: The Florida Gators finished 27-4, second in the SEC, led by senior guard Walter Clayton Jr., who averaged a team-high 17.2 ppg and 4.3 apg. However, this team is very well-rounded, with 5 players averaging over 9 ppg. This is the best Florida has been in over a decade, putting them at the 1 seed in the West region. 

If history can tell us anything, it’s that March Madness is wildly unpredictable. Out of the millions of brackets created, there has never been a perfect one in the tournament’s entire history. One seeds have lost to 16th seeds, NBA legends have fizzled out and struggled, and unknown names carried their teams to Cinderella runs. You can endlessly collect research, crunch numbers, and watch every game, but at the end of the day, nobody knows what will happen. That’s the beauty of March.