March Sadness is back, and it will be as sad as ever

The month of March is finally upon us, and that can only mean great weather, St. Patrick’s Day, and the return of the NCAA Tournament, or March Madness. A little over a week from now, everyone will be filling out brackets again, setting themselves up for disaster.

This March Madness will be a lot different though. There will be very limited fans at the games, and it will all be held in and around the city of Indianapolis. The good thing is that we are actually getting a tournament this year, since we did not get one last year due to the pandemic.

This actually is really sad for a fan like me, however. You see, I am an Illinois Fighting Illini fan. I have been there for the 2005 Final Four team, and the embarrassing years of when John Groce was at the helm when he made us a consistent NIT team. It has been rough being an Illinois fan the past decade, and do not even get me started on Illini football.

So with Illini basketball, the team is very good this year. They are led by the best player in the Big Ten and best guard in the country (Yea, I said it) Ayo Dosunmu. They also have one of the biggest bullies down low in Kofi Cockburn. They are currently #4 in the country and just came off of a stomping of the top team in the Big Ten, Michigan, beating them 76-53. They are a projected 1 seed now. This team could make a legit run for a national title. This team has not made the tournament since I was in 6th grade, and I cannot even experience this season in person. How sad is that?

There are other reasons this tournament will be like no other. There is a chance you will not see Kentucky, North Carolina, and Duke all not make the tournament. The only team projected to make it out of those three right now is UNC, and they are a 10 seed according to Joe Lunardi. And depending on how they do against Michigan, Michigan State might not even make it. This is how crazy this season has been.

So with all of these mind blowing possibilities, like Illinois going from not making a tournament since 2013 to a 1 seed, or Coach K and Coach Calipari not even coaching in March Madness this year, this is a tournament that we will remember for a long time. Buckle up, this is March.