Students go crazy for March Madness
Pictured here is the Virginia basketball team as they celebrate their national championship.
On Monday, April 8, the University of Virginia defeated Texas Tech University in overtime for the NCAA National Championship. Virginia was seeded first in the tournament, while Texas Tech University was a three seed. The game ended in overtime with a final score of 85-77.
The game marked the conclusion of March Madness, which is a 68-team single elimination tournament. The field is split into four regions, and from there they are seeded from first to sixteen in each individual region. The winners of each region compete in the Final Four, which consisted of Michigan State, Auburn, Texas Tech, and Virginia.
![](https://hcdevilsadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/virginia-475x267.jpg)
Moments after the game’s conclusion, Virginia players rush the court in celebration after winning the NCAA Championship.
Many students created tournament brackets, a popular tradition, where they try to predict as many games as they can. One of the most popular groups at the school, conducted by Andrew Harzich, senior, had 86 students participating.
“It was all pretty fun and exciting. It was pretty competitive with a close ending,” Harzich said.
The top three finishers in the tournament all received a prize. In first place was David Chu, junior. In second was Luca Ripani, senior, and in third was Patrick O’Day, senior.
“I didn’t expect to win, to be honest. I don’t know too much about basketball, so I guess I just got lucky,” Chu said.
Seniors had the following day off due to underclassmen testing, so many of them were able to meet up and watch the championship game.
“My friends all went to my house and we ordered some wings. Basketball is my favorite sport, so we had a really good time. The game went into overtime so it was really thrilling,” said Matthew Lorenz, senior. “March is one of the best months for this reason, and I’m happy with how it ended.”
![Photo of Brandon Belgrad](https://hcdevilsadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/download-2-1-475x317.jpg)
Brandon Belgrad, senior, is often spotted running through the streets of Hinsdale. He is a part of the cross-country and track and field teams. Along with...