March Madness swept across the Long Beach community like a tornado last week. Current and former students, along with members of the faculty, were trying to find time in their busy schedules to watch the game, which had a start time of noon on channel 2. The Alumni Association even put together a game watch at Champs Bar and Restaurant in Irvine, with more than 100 Cal State Long Beach alumni in attendance.
“Everybody was excited about it,” said Assistant Director of Communications Tony Alves of the Alumni Association. “It was great to see so many people show up on such short notice.”
While most Long Beach State basketball fans are still sulking over the 86-121 loss to Tennessee, many are gearing up for the rest of the tournament. The March Madness tournament is a single-elimination, nationwide college basketball tournament, which starts with 64 teams and tapers down to two teams over a span of three weeks. Fans, players, coaches and advertisers alike work themselves into a frenzy preparing for this annual do-or-die tournament.
Throughout campus there is anticipation in the air, with tables of students playfully arguing about which teams will come out on top while they feverishly fill out their brackets. Many fans at CSULB and all over the country will be joining competitive pools to add individual excitement to each game.
With the first round hopes of CSULB upsetting Tennessee now gone, students participating in pools are looking forward to the rest of the tournament. The NCAA March Madness tournament pool is set up with 64 teams in brackets. It is up to the fans to select winners through to the championship game. For each game you select correctly, you are awarded a certain number of points with the later rounds receiving more points than the early rounds.
Many students are now looking beyond the first round and focusing on the final four and the championship games, for which they can earn the most points in their pools. Many will continue to watch every game, praying to the bracket gods to favor them in hopes of gaining bragging rights or a chance to win big prizes online.
The popularity of March Madness has grown over the years, becoming one of the most-watched college sporting events in the country.
“It’s a single-elimination tournament, so it’s fair,” said student Sergio Ascencio. “It’s not like the BCS [Bowl Championship Series], where your fate gets decided by a computer. Every team has a chance to play for the championship.”
There are a variety of ways for students to participate in NCAA March Madness pools. Some are making their own pools among friends and co-workers while others have entered online pools at Web sites like Facebook.com and Myspace.com. Such sites allow students to enter their selections and not have to worry about keeping up with every game during their busy school schedules.
“I like using the online pools,” said student Riley Brady. “All you have to do is just type in your picks along with a bunch of friends and then sit back and see if you come out on top.”
