Every year around mid-March, there seems to be a certain feeling in the air. And each year, that feeling is one of excitement and hope stirred by the highly anticipated March Madness college basketball tournament.  Every year, people always have a hunch that this year will finally be the year that they win their bracket pool.

There are many different strategies one can use to create their final brackets. Some people constantly change their brackets throughout the week, while others wait until the last minute to fill out theirs, relying on their “gut instincts.”  Some do intense hours of research to try to come up with the “perfect” bracket, while others make their picks by trying their luck, such as choosing simply by picking out of a hat.

No matter the strategy in creating a bracket, people always feel confident going into the first games, believing that their bracket has all of the correct picks and that this is “the” year that they’ll achieve March Madness perfection. However, hopes are quickly dashed with the first major upset of the tournament, and this is the point when they realize that this tournament has nothing to do with knowledge or research, but seemingly complete luck. In fact, there is only a 1 in 9.2 quintillion chance that someone’s bracket will be perfect. Although this tournament always seems to be random year after year, people continue to try their luck nevertheless.

To make matters worse, this tournament has been described as one that is especially wide open, as the selection pool lacks a single, dominant team.  The teams below are the favorites in an especially unpredictable year of the annual college basketball tournament.

Louisville (#1-Midwest)- After a dominant Big East tournament, the Cardinals looks to ride their momentum all the way to the Final Four. Although the team is the number one overall seed, its portion of the bracket is easily the most competitive. With possibly the best defense in the country, Rick Pitino seems to have a great shot to win his second national championship.

Duke (#2-Midwest)- The Blue Devils have been inconsistent all season and are coming off of a Round-of-64 loss last year to Lehigh. Although the team has its setbacks, its pure talent and great coaching may be enough to carry it all the way to its second national championship in four years.

Kansas (#1-South)- Despite winning a Big 12 Championship and having Ben McLemore, one of the most talented players in the country, the Jayhawks are the least discussed one seed in the tournament. They have been vulnerable at times, but they are a very well-rounded team that can cause trouble for any opponent in the tournament.

Indiana (#1-east)- The pre-season national championship favorites had an incredibly successful regular season, but the Hoosiers are only 3-3 in their last six games. Both their offense and defense is ranked in the top fifteen in the country, and they have won seven games against RPI top 20 opponents. For most of the regular season, they have proven they can compete with any team in the country. They should be considered the favorite to win it all.

Miami (#2-east)- The Hurricanes are by far the favorite to win among Pine Crest students and have had their most successful year in their program’s history. With a great backcourt of Shane Larkin and Durand Scott paired with a strong frontcourt led by Kenny Kadji, Miami seems tough enough to make a big run in the tournament.