With March Madness right around the corner, the excitement is starting to spread to the students of Black River Falls.

March Madness is a college basketball tournament where 68 teams are divided into separate divisions to find the national champion for the year. Teams complete until all teams are eliminated besides the final two, where the two teams compete for the national championship. March Madness is a very heavily watched sport around the country.

“According to the NCAA, 181 million viewers tune in throughout the tournament across television, online and out-of-home platforms,” said website Forbes.com.

Many students in Black River Falls become very dedicated and prepared for March Madness. Preparations for March Madness can vary from casual fans, watching to games to the hardcore fans, printing off a couple brackets making sure they can have the best chance for their predictions.

“I spend most of the day on the weekends watching March Madness. I keep a bracket of all the teams so I can be ready for the championship,” said sophomore Nate Parker.

Keeping brackets for March Madness is a big part of it. Fans keep track of the wins; some people make winner predictions. Brackets are also a very popular for gambling with many people.

“I print off like four different brackets so I can get as many different matchups, so I can get as close to the Final Four as I possibly can, “ said sophomore Ryan Guenther.

Students have their own opinions on who is going to be the champion. With so many options and possibilities of upsets, students have many ideas who will win each game. There is a lot of differences between different students’ brackets.

“Every year I create the best bracket ever just so I can sit and watch the games,” said sophomore Jack Roou.

With all the excitement building, students are anxiously waiting for the selections to be made on the divisions so they can start creating their brackets. Once the selection is made, then the excitement can begin.

Infographic by Brian Gulbronson, Jr.