March madness is arguably the best time of the year for many basketball fans. Some fans will do anything possible to get in on all the action of the tournament. Since much of the tournament is played during school, the Commons is a great place to catch up on all the games. Many will recall when Brebeuf students gathered in the Commons to watch Dayton upset Ohio State in an instant classic! After the school day, many people have friends over and enjoy watching intense and often close games between teams that typically do not play against one another in the regular season.

Many basketball fanatics in the state of Indiana consider March Madness a holiday. It looks as if Notre Dame, Butler, Indiana, and Purdue will be representing the state of Indiana in the NCAA tournament this year. All four of these teams look to make some noise in the tournament.

Although one could make an argument for the Boilermakers, head to head and the regular season conference championship indicates that IU is the most highly regarded Division I team in the state. The Hoosiers look to advance to the final four for the first time since 2002. Three wins that built confidence for the Hoosiers: at #16 Iowa, #14 Maryland, and #17 Purdue. Inconsistent shooting leading to a loss like at Penn State is the only factor that concerns some people about picking them to make a run in the tournament.

The Purdue Boilermakers will be seeded the second highest of any Indiana team. This team is good enough to make a Final Four run. With consistent shooting and fantastic play from the big men as of late, the Boilermakers look poised to go far in this year’s tournament. The Boilermakers have key wins over: #8 Michigan State, #10 Maryland, and a key road win at Wisconsin. The one concerning loss for the Boilermakers was against Illinois early on in conference play.

Notre Dame will most likely be the third highest seeded team in the state as of now. The Irish have been up and down all season but with good guard play from Demetrius Jackson and Steve Vasturia combined with solid inside from Zach Auguste. Notre Dame finished sixth in the toughest conference in the country. With wins at Duke, North Carolina, and Louisville, this team has shown a lot of promise. Notre Dame came very close to the Final Four, losing in the Elite Eight to undefeated Kentucky. This year, the Fighting Irish will attempt to make another run at the championship, as the field is wide open.

Butler is predicted to receive the fourth highest seed given to an Indiana team. They have played well of late despite a shaky start at the beginning of conference play. The Bulldogs have three standout wins this year over Iowa, Ohio State, and a sweep of their rival Hoosiers that have all boosted their tournament résumé. However, the losses to North Florida and Gardner-Webb have left their tournament chances in limbo.

As we near selection Sunday, many fans become anxious to see if their team will make the field of 68 college teams. Some end their season bitter that they did not do enough to make the tournament, but these four Indiana teams should find themselves dancing on Sunday, March 13.

FIRST TEAM INDIANA

1- Yogi Ferrell (IU)

2- Raphael Davis (Purdue)

3- Troy Williams (IU)

4- Alec Peters (Valpo)

5- AJ Hammons (Purdue)

SECOND TEAM INDIANA

1- Demetrius Jackson (ND)

2- DJ Balentine (Evansville)

3- Kelan Martin (Butler)

4- Zach Auguste (ND)

5- Thomas Bryant (IU)

THIRD TEAM INDIANA

1- Roosevelt Jones (Butler)

2- Steve Vasturia (ND)

3- Vince Edwards (Purdue)

4- Caleb Swanigan (Purdue)

5- Isaac Haas (Purdue)