Many Highlanders have begun to fill out their March Madness brackets, as the yearly college basketball tournament has returned once again, with plenty of story lines accompanying it. Top seeded Duke is one of the most talked about teams this year, with extraordinary expectations from star freshman Zion Williamson. 

“He’s a generational player that will be dominant in the NBA in the future,” junior Ethan Bacica said. “[He] is vital for Duke to make a run for the championship this year.”

Zion Williamson has led Duke to the number one overall seed in the 64-team tournament. The other three number one seeds are Virginia, North Carolina, and Gonzaga. All four of the top seeded teams have put together impressive seasons, with Gonzaga holding the nation’s best record at 30-3. However, the top seeded teams rarely all make it out. Each of the past two years, only two of the four top seeds have won their section and advanced into the final four.

Other popular upset picks include many 13 seeds, who have had good success against four seeds in the past years, with two of the four 13 seeds pulling off upsets last year. The fourteen seed Yale is also a popular upset pick over the three seed LSU, as Ivy League schools have had success over the years, with Yale, Princeton, and Harvard all winning first round games in the past.

For the champion, the majority of people pick a one seed, but two seeds are also popular. Tennessee and Kentucky have shown themselves to be very powerful two seeds who have the possibility of advancing far during the tournament. Sixth seeded Villanova has shown past success, and could continue that this year.