Buzzer-beating three-pointers. Rich championship heritages to uphold. Underdog teams looking to prove themselves. This encompasses just some of the excitement of the yearly NCAA Basketball Tournaments.

For the past few years, college basketball for both men and women has sparked new levels of interest among people throughout the country, even sometimes surpassing interest in the NBA. As the tournament approaches and people get ready to prepare their brackets, here is a look into the upcoming tournament draws for both the men and women.

The final game of last year’s men’s tournament was simply unforgettable, with some even calling it the single best championship game in NCAA tournament history. The stage was set for overtime as the number one seed, North Carolina, and the number two seed, Villanova, were tied up at 74-74 with just 4.7 seconds left in regulation. This came right after UNC’s Marcus Paige hit an insane three pointer over a defender to tie the score. Villanova, after a timeout, quickly inbounded the ball, and Wildcat Kris Jenkins hoisted the final shot of the championship. With the buzzer ringing, Jenkins’ shot went in to clinch Villanova’s championship. People stormed the court in an absolute frenzy to wildly conclude the tournament.

Coming into the 2017 tournament, Villanova definitely poses as a threat, as it is currently one of the top-ranked teams in the nation. With All-American Josh Hart and other talented players such as Kris Jenkins, Jalen Brunson, and Mikal Bridges, the defending champions seem quite eager for another Wildcat appearance in the final four.

“I don’t think Villanova has a chance to win the championship game this year,” Oliver Trujillo ’20 stated when asked about the Wildcats’ chances. “You definitely have to watch out for teams like Kentucky and Duke.”

While Trujillo is correct in saying that Kentucky and Duke pose as threats to the defending champions, many would argue that Villanova stands a very good chance to be one of the final teams standing this year.

Other ranked teams such as Kansas, Gonzaga, Baylor, Arizona, UCLA, North Carolina, Louisville, Notre Dame, and Creighton have emerged as possible contenders, and this tournament, like last year’s, looks like one filled with talented teams.

In addition, fans can always look forward to upsets in the tournament. A great example of this is last season’s upset of second-ranked Michigan State’s against Middle Tennessee State in the opening round of the tournament. Other upsets from last year’s tournament included eleventh seed Northern Iowa’s thrilling win over sixth seed Texas, and Yale’s victory over Baylor.

Krishi Akenapalli ‘20 shares, “I correctly predicted Yale over Baylor and Northern Iowa over Texas, which was a miracle in and of itself. Unfortunately, I never thought Middle Tennessee State would beat the Spartans. That pretty much ruined my bracket.”

Akenapalli was not alone in belief: many had predicted Michigan State advancing far into the tournaments, only to see their brackets and dreams crushed with the upset. As always, this year’s tournament will likely feature similarly unpredictable and exciting outcomes.

As for women’s basketball, there really is not much to say due to UConn’s dominance in recent years. The Huskies have won the tournament a ridiculous four years in a row, and appear poised to extend this streak to five. Holding the top ranking in this 2016-2017 season, Coach Geno Auriemma’s Lady Huskies appear to simply be on an echelon above all other teams. This nationally recognized team has had eleven championship titles in the past twenty-two years, including last year’s win against Syracuse by a score of 82-51. With star players such as Natalie Butler, Molly Bent, Saniya Chong, Napheesa Collier, and Crystal Dangerfield, this team will definitely be the one to beat going into March Madness.

Other ranked teams that will likely enter the tournament include Notre Dame, a team that has made the finals twice in recent years only to lose to Connecticut, Baylor, Oregon State, Duke, Maryland, Florida State, and Louisville. While these teams are talented, a win by any of these teams over the juggernaut Huskies would be completely unprecedented.

Overall, this upcoming March Madness seems to hold quite the excitement for sports fans and for teams all over the nation. Though it may be difficult to replace last year’s buzzer beater shot for Villanova against North Carolina in men’s basketball, or UConn’s complete blowout against Syracuse in women’s basketball, basketball fans all over can look forward to two very exciting tournaments in March. With sixty-four teams each with a shot to make dreams come true and to hoist the trophy, the NCAA tournament truly is a beautiful thing.