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March Madness is on.
The beloved annual tradition that is the NCAA Tournament opened with bracket busters and overnight stars — Oakland's Jack Gohlke and Oregon's Jermaine Couisnard, anyone? — emerging out of nowhere.
Who will win it all? UConn is the No. 1 overall seed and the trendy pick to claim a sixth overall title and become the first team to repeat as NCAA champion since Florida in 2006-07. Other top seeds are Houston, Purdue and North Carolina.
There are no obviously dominant teams this year and it could be a wild ending again; last year's Final Four, remember, included two 5 seeds (Miami and San Diego State), the fourth-seeded Huskies and 9 seed Florida Atlantic.
One thing is for sure: The Big East and the ACC rolled in Week 1. Will it continue?
1 UConn vs. 5 San Diego State, Thursday. This is a rematch of last season's national championship game won by UConn in a 17-point cruiser. The defending champions have won their first two tournament games by an average of 28 points. The Aztecs have faced UAB and Yale so far; the challenge is far greater against the Huskies, who will have plenty of fans on hand in Boston.
3 Illinois vs. 2 Iowa State, Thursday. The Illini have one of the most exciting players in the tournament leading their explosive offense in Terrence Shannon Jr. They will face a rugged defense this time in the Cyclones, who have wins this season over the likes of Houston and Baylor. A clash of styles.
1 Houston vs. 4 Duke, Friday. Houston has to quickly forget the thriller over Texas A&M with the Blue Devils up next. Duke is coming off a 38-point win over James Madison, but will face an outstanding Cougars defense. Depth and foul trouble could be key in this one.
5 Gonzaga vs. 1 Purdue, Friday. The Boilermakers are rolling behind big man Zach Edey. The Zags will try to figure out ways around Edey — literally — with their crafty offense that emphasizes assists and kick-out 3-pointers. On defense, Gonzaga will try to limit Edey and force other players — Trey Kaufman-Renn or Fletcher Loyer, perhaps — to step up.
Every game of the men's tournament will be aired — here is a schedule — either on CBS, TBS, TNT or TruTV and their digital platforms, including Paramount+. TBS will handle the Final Four and national title game this year. The NCAA is streaming games via its March Madness Live option.
The top three betting favorites (in order) are UConn, Houston, Purdue and Arizona, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Sweet 16 weekend will see games March 28-31 in Boston (East Regional), Dallas (South), Detroit (Midwest) and Los Angeles (West). The Final Four is in Glendale, Arizona, on Saturday, April 6, with the championship game the night of Monday, April 8.
March Madness as we know it could be on the way out amid all the changes in college athletics. There is a lot of talk about expanding the tournament beyond 68 teams, a format that's been in place since 2011.
For now, enjoy the show and if it seems like everyone can score, there is a reason. Offense has evolved. Just take a look at UConn.
Everyone loves those buzzer beaters and late-game winners. A lot of the guys who hit those last year came back for more.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
