This week is the start of one of the biggest tournaments in all of college sports: March Madness. With there being a grand total of 68 teams, there are many to choose some. Growing up a swimmer whose only connection to basketball is her aunt who coached out in California and won state championships, I am overly qualified to state my predictions. However, don’t worry, I will give you an insight into who I chose, with some of those having reason behind them, for this year’s 2024 NCAA March Madness tournament.

Starting off, there are a couple of teams that I’m truly rooting for, one of those being Purdue. Purdue in my mind is the best due to the fact that me and my teammates snuck onto the basketball court when we were at a swim meet there. So I have a deep connection with them because it’s basically like I was part of their team. 

Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama were teams that I chose mainly because I am going to those places over spring break. If they need any help training, they can always give me a call. However, I feel like Alabama won’t need to because I know they are good in football, so I feel like that should migrate over to basketball, right?

In the west, there is a battle between the four corners with New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona—no Colorado though because they weren’t good enough, so I guess one could say more like a battle between the three corners. Nonetheless, New Mexico will come out victorious because some of my family lives there and the power of family is extraordinary. 

Illinois, in my book, will be one of the powerhouses. How can they not? They have one of the biggest cities in that state and the mighty Chicago Cubs. With that insane baseball team and large fan base, there is no way that team can’t go far. If not, I will be a bit disappointed. 

Another team that I believe in is Houston. Even though they are seeded first in the south, there are so many other reasons why they will blow teams out of the water. One of those is the queen of pop herself, Beyonce. Since her announcement and performances with her world tour, the adrenaline rush I have obtained from it has been out of this world and I have no doubt that Houston is feeling the same way. I mean how can they not, the queen is from their city. If I were them, I’d make sure that I play and fight for HER. 

Although there are many reasons why I picked each team that I did to advance to each round, I don’t think I have all the time in the world to explain, so I’m going to fast-forward to the final four. The teams that I chose are Illinois vs New Mexico and Houston vs Purdue. I have a feeling that the power of the Cubbies will pull through for Illinois allowing them to advance to the championship. 

For Houston and Purdue, it was a bit of a challenge to decide between the two, but for me, I picked Purdue. That connection that I have to that court that I was on for a solid three seconds before running off scared for my life really pulled through on this pick. I have Purdue coming out on top in the final game.

So overall, Purdue will win it all despite the sad loss of last year, due to the overall vibes I am getting from them and also because of my special connection to not only the court but the team, as well.