The underdog is something that the majority of people root for in March Madness. They are what makes March so maddening. The underdog is why some people watch March Madness. They relate extremely well to reality. Successful underdogs give people hope in reality that when the odds are against them they can still achieve their goals. The 2018 NCAA tournament has been maddening, and the upsets have been all over the place.

This year’s March Madness tournament has taught me that nothing is impossible. Who would have thought that something that has never been done in the history of the tournament would be achieved by a school that nobody would even know where they are located. A #16 seed UMBC, which stands for University of Maryland Baltimore County, beat #1 seed Virginia in the Round of 64. Not only was Virginia a #1 seed, they were the #1 team in the entire tournament. The Cavaliers were ranked first at the end of the regular season and had only lost two games all year long. A day before this historical game Loyola-Chicago was making their own destiny. Loyola was a #11 seed taking on the 6th seeded Miami Hurricanes. The Canes lost on a last second buzzer-beating three-pointer. With their 98-year-old nun watching on the sideline, Sister Jean has witnessed history in the making. The Wolves defeated a 3 seeded Tennessee team that showed signs of championship potential. The Wolves are on their way to the Sweet Sixteen after their success. Going to the Sweet Sixteen with them are the Texas A&M Aggies. After beating Providence in a hard-fought Round of 64 battle the Aggies ran into the defending National Champions, North Carolina, in the Round of 32. Everyone said that they were done. They said that the Aggies were not consistent enough to beat the Tar Heels. A&M must have not let the talk get to their heads because they came out, and blew the Heels out of the water. They beat them by 21 points and looked like they were the defending champs.

Throughout all of this madness in March I have learned that nothing is impossible to achieve. No matter how big you are, who you are up against, or where you are anything can be achieved. These games are more than just games; they teach life lessons as well. The underdog is needed and should be valued just as much as who they are up against because time and time again they prove us wrong. Once they step on that court they are just two basketball teams trying to keep their season alive and advance to the next round.