The month of March is known for three things: spring break, St. Patrick's Day and March Madness.
Being at a NCAA Div. III school, March Madness is a little different but still plays a big role on our campus. Student fill out brackets left and right and tune into ESPN almost nonstop, even watching games on their computer in the middle of class.
Something unique for a small school like DePauw is the ability to root for your hometown or life-long favorite team. Attending a larger school eliminates the ability to whole-heartedly cheer for your team.
Because not every student is rooting for the same school, there is more competition among peers and more interest in the tournament. Being a student at DePauw during March Madness is generally just a better atmosphere to be around. There's nothing quite like watching games with die-hard fans.
Being a native of San Diego, I know that I would rather be watching these basketball games with my friends at home. I root against most of their teams, but I like being in the competitive atmosphere. In fact, I need to finish up my bracket tomorrow night after the first round of the tournament.
This year, the NCAA decided to expand the amount of teams in the tournament. Now at 68 teams as opposed to last season's 65, games start today as opposed to the end of the week. The tournament's early start means is more cheering, more upsets, more watching and more excitement in general for the month of March.
I do not know if there is a better place to be at during March Madness than the Hoosier State. When people think of Indiana, one of the first things that comes to mind is basketball. Think about it — they didn't name the movie "Hoosiers" for the heck of it.
Speaking of Indiana teams — who can forget Butler University's run to the championship game last year?
This year, there is a new team for Hoosiers to root for. The Indiana State University Sycamores surprisingly won their conference tournament and even have Larry Bird jumping on the fan bandwagon.
Butler, Notre Dame University and Purdue University join Indiana State in the tournament. Although many would argue that none of those teams will win the title, Hoosiers still have a lot of teams to support.
A great part about DePauw is the fact that we are able to recruit students from all over the U.S. This is never more visible than during March Madness. For me, I will be rooting for my hometown university San Diego State Aztecs, and against University of Kentucky, but I may be the only one doing that. People are cheering for teams all across the country, which really makes this event special.
In a poll on ESPN, the majority of Americans voted the opening round matchups as their favorites. It is where we will see the most upsets and small colleges come to life. Make sure you tune in starting tomorrow to cheer on your favorite team and make sure that you don't forget to complete your brackets. It is going to be an exciting time on campus.