This Week is the Real Start of March Madness

College basketball is heading into one of the most exciting parts of not only the College Basketball season but also one of the most exciting parts of the year to be a sports fan. 

When I was a kid, growing up in Canada and being a sports fan really sucked. Unless it was hockey, sports didn't get covered as well as they could until the playoffs. For College Basketball, March Madness was the playoffs. The field of 64 teams was all arranged into four brackets of 16 and to think that the Tournament would be trimmed down to 16 teams in around 80 hours always sent a shiver down my spine. 

In 2009, that all changed. All for the better. Spring break for me got out early that year and I was eagerly on a 9-day countdown to Selection Sunday. That year, my family had subscribed to the ESPN College Hoops Package on our TV, which meant the majority of the conference tournament action historically known, as Champ Week was easy to access.  

To put things lightly, I was in a basketball heaven that week glued to the TV for many hours that week. Most memorable that year was the Syracuse - UConn Marathon at Madison Square Garden that lasted six overtimes. 

After that game, to me it was clear that March Madness actually began that week, not the week after. 

Since than, I have been always excited for Champion Week on ESPN. Some years, I am more busier than others but just the thought of teams on the bubble trying to improve their resume in the final few days leading up to selection Sunday is amazing basketball to watch. 

Lets face it, there are about 290 teams still fighting for 1 National Title. Within six days, we will all be down to 68. About 27-conference tournament Auto bids remain, over the next six days, there will be ample of elimination nail biting games that will end in one teams season coming to an end. In fact, between, Wednesday Morning and Saturday night, there will be upwards of 55 hours of college basketball on TV. 

I'm not lying to you. Thursday and Friday this week for me is almost just as good as Thursday and Friday the next week are. I enjoy watching the underdogs of college basketball and having so many games on knowing if one average team gets hot and wins 3-4 games in a row, they will be going to the Tournament is great to see. 

More importantly, almost all the Tournaments are held at a neutral site and therefore there is no home court advantage. Fans generally route for the underdog and some tournaments have an actual 1st and 2nd round vibe to them.

If your a college basketball fan buckle up. The passion young adults have when they might be playing there was competitive basketball game ever is what makes college basketball so great. If I controlled my life, I would be doing nothing but watch college basketball. It's a great time of year to be a sports fan.