Why I think there are so many upsets this year
By Vincent DiGeronimo
What a tournament this has been. Without a doubt, this is the most upsets I have ever seen in a single year. Here are the reasons why I think that this year’s tournament is as crazy as ever:
There was no time. Teams spent little time with each other before having to immediately get into conference games and have everything figured out. Yes, talent is talent, but chemistry is also really important, and with such little time, it was really hard for teams to develop any sort of chemistry amongst themselves.
The freshmen. Every year, we are usually accustomed to several powerhouses, such as Duke, UNC, or Kentucky, who recruit all of the freshmen and run with them to the tournament. Incorporating all of this with time, the freshmen had to come together, move into a new school, and try to have immediate effects. In my opinion, the team with the most freshmen who is having the most success is Michigan. However, Michigan had to deal with several COVID breaks and even they had problems with chemistry and several other looming issues.
The venues. Each year, the venues are normally packed with fans, and there could be almost a home court advantage. This year, with capacity being limited, these players have the ability to “just play” and not have to worry about screaming fans and potentially gaining or losing as much momentum as they would if fans were there.
Basketball is just getting better. More and more kids are putting in extra hours and even the not-so-great schools still have a bunch of athletic kids who can excel at basketball. As a result, even though there will still be better players, the playing field is getting more leveled.
I am excited to see how the rest of the tournament plays out. I am rooting for several more upsets but a little less annihilation of my bracket #GoBlue