College Basketball March Madness is a Welcomed Yearly Tradition

In businesses all over the country yesterday, tournament bracket sheets were passed out and another year of trying to pick the Final Four and eventual national champion is underway.

The long-standing post-season tournament has a new wrinkle this season. The field was expanded from 64 teams to 68. That means there are four first-round "play-in" games between tonight and tomorrow night in Dayton, Ohio.

As the tournament gets underway, I am reminded of the conversation I had with for the Mid-American Conference post-season tournament.

Shreve talked about the tension and intensity each game possesses because a loss for any team sends them home. The NCAA tournament works the same way.  There are no best-of-three or anything like that.

Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena is hosting second- and third-round games this weekend on Friday and Sunday. Ohio State University fans won't have far to travel to watch their beloved Buckeyes who were assigned there to play.

As part of figuring out who we think will make it to the Final Four in Houston we wonder if there is another improbable low seed team out there who will advance deep into the tournament and gain new fans with each game they win. Unheralded Butler University in Indiana made it all the way to the finals last year before losing to Duke in the championship game.

With March Madness occurring at the time of year we yearn to get outside, it is a common practice to leave the house and travel to local restaurants and bars to watch the games with friends or just other basketball fans who show up as well.

I would guess that workplace attendance dips on Thursday and Friday of the first week of the tournament. Fans will literally watch basketball all day and night. It turns into a tradition like missing work to go watch the Cleveland Indians play at home on opening day.

Not long ago in 2002, local university Kent State captured the national basketball spotlight as a 10th seed advancing all the way to the Elite Eight before losing to Indiana. They were led by Antonio Gates, who turned in his basketball shoes for football cleats and is destined for Hall of Fame status as a tight end.

Many pundits express criticism that the "one-and-done" rule allowing players to jump to the pros after their freshman year has depleted the skill level of NCAA basketball. I can assure you, fans will still be living and dying with their favorite teams over the next three weeks.

Once again, let the tournament begin and get those brackets turned in today. Go a little easy on those who don't come to work Thursday or Friday. After all, it's March Madness and there is no cure to curb the interest and excitement.

Overtime: Congratulations to Coach Scott Giammarco and his GlenOak Golden Eagles basketball team. They captured a District title Saturday night. Giammarco is the son of North Canton Little League's president Dr. Gary Giammarco.