22 Reasons We’re Hyped for March Madness

Here in the US, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament is without a doubt, one of the most exciting events of the year for both diehard and casual sports fans alike. Whether you’re a sports novice who needs a translator to follow sportscaster Dick Vitale’s play-by-play or a Zen Master in the science of Bracketology, (yes, this is a real word) it’s easy for everyone to get in the spirit of “March Madness.

The fact that you never know which team will emerge as this year’s “Cinderella story” only adds to the hoopla.  An undefeated season is no guarantee on the road to the championship – there’s always an unanticipated buzzer beater to get your heart pumping and put sports analysts’ predictions to the test!

Now that the 2014 tournament teams have been selected, the hype has just begun. Here at Echo360, we have even bigger reasons to be excited than just being able to contribute to water cooler banter or the possibility of winning the ever-growing office pool (Shhh – don’t tell the boss).

Of the 68 Division I teams ultimately vying for one of the coveted spots in the elite Final Four, an impressive 22 of them represent Echo360 client institutions!

As the frenzy kicks off in a few days, we want to especially wish the best of luck to “bring home the W” to these 22 teams making their appearance in the Big Dance:

  • Virginia Commonwealth University
  • University of Colorado
  • UCLA
  • Ohio State University
  • Syracuse
  • University of Kansas
  • Oklahoma State
  • Baylor
  • University of Nebraska
  • Creighton
  • George Washington University
  • Harvard
  • Michigan State
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Iowa State
  • Texas Southern
  • University of Kentucky
  • Xavier
  • UMass
  • Mercer University
  • Arizona State University
  • University of Michigan

If you haven’t filled out your tournament brackets, the clock is ticking. Here are a few good tips for choosing a winning bracket and finally beating that annoying guy from Accounting (or insert other relevant Department here). Pick the perfect bracket and you could even win a billion dollars courtesy of Warren Buffet – with odds of 1 in 9 quintillion, you could be a statistician’s dream come true.

Bring on the madness – we’re ready for tip-off!