Make sure that bracket is filled out! The highly anticipated NCAA March Madness men’s and women’s basketball tournaments are under way. The men’s tournament include the top 68 teams in the nation and the women’s tournament has the top 64 teams.

Teams will play in a single-game-elimination style tournament all the way through the early rounds, to the Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four and finally the National Championship, captivating fans across the country who watch incredible moments and living legends emerge from the action.

The games are played sporadically throughout the country, depending on the regional bracket which teams are placed in. The Final Four round and National Championship game are always in a new location every year. This year, the men will play in Houston and the women will play in Dallas.

There are four no.1 seeds in each region where games are played. The one-seeds in this year’s men’s tournament are the Alabama Crimson Tide, Houston Cougars, Purdue Boilermakers and  Kansas Jayhawks. The women’s tournament’s one-seeds include the South Carolina Gamecocks, Indiana Hoosiers, Stanford Cardinal  and the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Although the no.1 seeds are understandably often favored to win, one of the many amazing parts of March Madness is the upsets and Cinderella-story runs that teams go on. Teams such as the Loyola Ramblers of Loyola University Chicago famously have gone on runs with the entire nation behind them.

This year’s tournament has already included memorable upsets in the men’s tournament: The 13-seeded Furman Paladins knocked off the four-seeded Virginia Cavaliers on a miraculous buzzer beater, and the Princeton Tigers stunned the Arizona Wildcats. Princeton is a 15-seed and Arizona, previously a heavy favorite to win the National Championship, was a two-seed.

Upsets put the madness in March Madness. Once the tournament begins, seeding for teams is just a number. Teams catch fire and make miraculous runs. Among the teams to keep an eye on in the men’s tournament is the fifth-seeded Miami Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes compiled a 25-7 record this season and were co-champions of the ACC regular season. The Hurricanes have an exceptionally talented roster which includes three men’s all-ACC players and the ACC men’s Player-of-the-Year Isaiah Wong. Look out for the Hurricanes to be real bracket busters.

While an unlikely champion is certainly possible in the women’s tournament, no team has been more dominant-across men’s and women’s basketball-than the South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team.

They are the reigning champions and enter this year’s tournament with an unbelievable 32-0 record. In addition to their perfect record, they are led by legendary coach Dawn Staley and superstar player Aliyah Boston.

Boston possesses a plethora of awards, including the Most Outstanding Player award in the 2022 tournament. She is also a two-time winner of the very prestigious John R. Wooden Award. The Wooden Award is given annually to the best men’s and women’s player in collegiate basketball.

Whether one is a year-round college basketball fan or only pays attention to the tournament, March Madness is a special time of year. It encapsulates all the best parts about sports: team pride, camaraderie, thrill, jubilation, heartbreak and pure fun. Keep track of that bracket and tune into the action.