68 teams in total played in this year’s NCAA march madness championship. Beginning on March 18 and ending on April 5. Many people participated in bracket tournaments with friends or family, where they predicted which teams would win each game. 

“I started a bracket with 10 other people,” sophomore Tyler Skeen said. “It was a fun experience to start one with my friends.”

One particular March Madness bracket challenge was started by Skeen along with his friends from various schools. He started the tournament with his friends after seeing that the championship would not be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Skeen has been interested in basketball for most of his life.

 “I have been watching basketball for a long time,” Skeen said. “My favorite part of the tournament was being able to compete with other people.”

During the tournament, Skeen and his friends made bets on which teams would win each game. They also watched the games together most weeks and cheered on the teams they voted for in the bracket. 

“My favorite game to watch was the Florida Gators vs. Virginia Tech game,” Skeen said. “It was very fun to watch because it was a long and exciting game.”

Out of all of his friends, Skeen ended up winning the tournament with the most points. He says studying the team’s stats and skills is what earned him the victory of this year’s March Madness tournament with his friends.

“I think the reason I won the tournament was because I spent a lot of time studying the team I chose for each week,” Skeen said. “It felt good winning the tournament because I like beating my friends in challenges.”