We are approaching this year’s NCAAB March tournament that everyone loves. The championship kicks off on Tues., Mar. 14 and will end on Mon., Apr. 3. Selection Sunday will be March 12, so make sure to get all of your picks in after then.

The Sycamore Aves boys soccer team is providing a fundraiser for the soccer program this year. Each player is required to sell at least ten brackets. The brackets are $10 a piece, and the buyer will receive an email to join the bracket. Last year, the top three people at the end of the tournament won prize money, with the top prize being $150. The prizes may be increased this year due to the amount of brackets sold.

“This is an amazing fundraiser, and I think there is definitely some competition for that top prize,” said Peter Folz, 10.

This 2017 season, we have an abundance of teams sitting on the bubble and fighting one another for the spots in the bracket. To be fair, there is always competition for the bubble in the bracket, but this year in particular, there are multiple teams fighting to stay above .500 and looking to do their best until the teams are decided.

“March Madness is a very hard tournament to get into because there are so many NCAAB teams,” said Luke Huffer, 11.

Some of the most determinate teams this year to keep your eye on when approaching Selection Sunday include Syracuse, Seton Hall, Illinois State, Wichita State, Wake Forest, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Michigan State, and Michigan. These teams are in the unknown, either just above or just below the line when it comes to picking teams for the tournament.

“I think this will be a very interesting bracket, and I feel some upsets coming,” said Patrick Eigel, 10.

Just on the other end, there is a plethora of great teams that are ranked highly and are believed to perform well in the tournament. The current top five ranking teams are Gonzaga, Villanova, Kansas, Baylor, and Louisville, ranked from first to fifth.