On Thursday, Mar. 15, sixty-four college basketball teams will compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) March Madness tournament. Out of the 64, two teams will make it to the championship game on April 2. Brackets have been made and bets have been placed. All that’s left to do is sit back and watch.

Three local teams will be participating in the 2018 tournament. The three teams include the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Radford University.

The University of Virginia (UVA) will be going against the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) on Friday, Mar. 16, at 9:20 p.m. With the Virginia team being first seed in the south division, and having an outstanding overall record of 31-2, they have a 98% chance of winning the game. Sophomore Kyle Guy will most likely be leading the team offensively with a season average of 14 points per game, and playing in every game of the regular season. Mamadi Diakite will be the defensive leader averaging 1.5 blocks per game. Statistically, UVA is number one in the country for fewest points per game allowed. Making it to the championship is not (completely) out of sight for the hoo’s. Sports analyst Bart Torvik gives UVA a 22.6% of winning the whole thing. UVA has never made it to the championship game before, but has appeared in the Final Four twice. Overall, UVA has a strong defense that can possibly lead them to victory if they play like they did in their regular season.

The second local team appearing in March Madness is eighth seed holders in the east division, Virginia Tech. Tech will be playing Thursday, Mar. 15, at 9:30 p.m. against the University of Alabama. Tech has had a very inconsistent year for basketball. Although the ball will, no longer metaphorically, be in their court. In the past, Tech has defeated the University of Virginia, Duke University, and the University of North Carolina, which were all in the top ten standings at the time. Tech does play well offensively, averaging 80 points per game, but falls short with averaging around 12 turnovers per game. The Thursday night game will be a neck to neck face-off with Tech having a 64.8% chance of winning. Alabama may fall short offensively with an average of 72 points per game, but their defense is what will be the deciding factor for the game. Alabama averages 5 blocks and 6 steals per game, which will keep Tech on their toes. Tech can also clinch the first round if they play their best offense players, such as Junior Justin Robinson and senior Justin Bibbs. Both players have averages of around 13 points per game. Robinson will ultimately lead in offense with an average of 5.6 assists. While Tech has an even chance to win the first round, going far in the tournament is undetermined with an ending season losing streak of two.

The last Virginian team in the tournament is Radford University. Radford will be competing against Villanova University on Mar. 15 at 6:20 p.m.. This year has been Radford’s first tournament victory by making past the First Four round. The chances of Radford winning are highly unlikely, but there’s always a possibility. It is known that when the last seed goes against the first, that the last is always known to lose. Radford is known this year for having the lowest amount of points per game than any other team in the tournament. Radford will definitely be the underdogs of the Thursday night game, with a 2% chance of winning the game. Although it will be an interesting game to watch, if one is a Highlander fan, he or she shouldn’t set any high expectations for the team’s victory tomorrow night.

The 2018  tournament is an unpredictable one. With a mix of good, bad, and even worse, there’s really no telling who can take home the champion title this year. North Carolinian college, the University of North Carolina, was close to winning the championship last year, but lost to a last second buzzer beater to Villanova (Radford’s opponent).

As much as people rely on stats for game predictions, it all comes down to how well each team wants to play. If schools like Tech can pull through and play like they did against UVA, they will have the chance to make it to at least the Sweet Sixteen round. These college students will be showing their best in this event and will not disappoint sports viewers across the country.

The tournament will be aired on only four channels this year. The four channels are TNT, TBS, CBS, and TRU TV. These channels will dedicate their airtime to the all-day games, starting at 12:15 p.m. on CBS.