Reasons for Less Amount of Upsets During March Madness

March Madness is in full swing, but many viewers, like me, are feeling a little disappointed. Every year, sportscasters, players, and coaches say there will be a Cinderella that crashes the party, but this year has been a letdown.

In the East and the South brackets, seeds one through four make up the top four teams. In the West, seeds one, two, three, and five are the last four teams. The only surprise team is Arizona, seeded twelfth, coming out of the Midwest region. So what causes the lack of upsets?

Good Teams are Good

Earlier in the season, it seemed like fifteen teams had a legitimate shot at being a number one seed. This means that teams that are ranked three or four in the bracket had a chance of being at the top. This lends the idea that the good teams are just better. The bracket, this year, is very top heavy. With no definite best team in the league, it seems like anyone has a chance in winning the big dance. This does not mean that the higher seeds are not good. This simply means they are overmatched.

Everyone Does Have A Chance

Keeping this in mind, this provides extra motivation for the other teams. In the past, there may be a handful of teams have had a shot at winning the championship. However, that is not the case this year. Looking at the brackets, even the four seeds have a good chance of winning because they have a great squad. Because they are not expecting to be eliminated by a certain team, they can project that they can go far, boosting their team's morale. With each team knowing they have a chance at winning, this will increase focus and make their game play stronger.

Location of Games

It may seem like no big deal, but the location of the games played will have a major impact of the outcome of the game. North Carolina won by 43 points and played right in their backyard. Duke won by 24 in the first round in their backyard. More and more of the top seeds had games within a couple states of their home city. This means a larger fan base that travel, meaning the game could potentially turn from a neutral site to a home game.

No Such Thing As A Surprise

You can almost count how many times you hear it - there will be a twelve seed that wins and will get into the sweet sixteen. As history continues to build up, more and more teams will take double-digit seeds seriously. Eight double digit teams won in the first round, but only one was able to move on (Arizona defeated another double-digit team). Teams realize they must play competitive each game, regardless of the seeding their opponent has.

ESPN, NCAA Tournament Bracket