March Madness is the greatest tournament in the sporting world. The hatred it brings to people, players, coaches and schools is unrivaled. 

The format of the tournament is based on four different regions. The regions consist of the East, West, South and Midwest. Each region has 16 teams, seeded from 1 to 16, in which the 1 seed will play the 16, the 2 seed will play the 15, and so on. 

This year, the tournament is anybody’s to take. My top three favorite teams to win the tournament are Purdue, UConn and North Carolina. 

Purdue is my number one contender for a reason: Zach Edey. The Boilermaker center is averaging 24 points and 12 rebounds, with a favorable chance to win his second Player of the Year award. He’s surrounded by point guard, Braden Smith, who’s averaging 13 points and 7 assists per game. The combination of Edey and Smith is enough to fuel this team to a national championship. Not to mention, last year, they were the second number 1 seed to ever lose in the first round. The first time that happened was in 2018 when Virginia lost to UMBC. Virginia went on to win the national championship the following year. I see history repeating itself this year. 

UConn is a tight second. They’re fresh off a national championship last year and are led by Coach Dan Hurley. UConn is the most versatile team in the tournament. They have 5 different players averaging double-digit points with Cam Spencer and Tristen Newton averaging 15.2 points apiece. The Huskies have only 3 losses, all being away games. They currently have the 17th-best defensive rating in the nation, which will rank much higher amongst teams who will be in the tournament. Their biggest loss came from fellow Big East powerhouse, Creighton. However, I wouldn’t worry about the lackluster game from the Huskies. Creighton shot 55 percent from the field and 50 percent from deep. It’ll be hard to replicate that performance against UConn come March. 

Armando Bacot and RJ Davis are player of the year nominees for a reason. Bacot is a fifth-year senior and has averaged a double-double over the past 3 years. Davis is a true senior and is a fan favorite to win Player of the Year.  He’s averaging 22 points per game while shooting 41 percent from downtown. His shooting percentages are remarkable considering his volume, nearly 8 threes per game. The combination of Bacot and Davis will propel North Carolina to a national championship. The Tarheels were in the national championship only 2 years ago, losing to Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks. Bacot and Davis will be fueled with revenge throughout March, as it’s their final season together. I expect a fashionable run to the title from North Carolina.