March Madness brings excitement to students at Liberty Middle School as the annual college basketball tournament unfolds. From close games to unexpected upsets, many students are following the action closely—some even during school hours on their Chromebooks. “I love it! Great basketball, great upsets, and I love March,” said eighth grader Dayton “Dookie” Coates. “My bracket might be cooked though.” His fellow eighth grader Colin Huber also shared his thoughts. “It’s a great tournament, very fun to watch in school, and there are a lot of games to watch,” he said. 

Both of these gentlemen talked about SLU’s performance, as they are a very local team, and they were impressed. “They did very good. They beat Georgia, who’s an SEC team, and they played Michigan close until the end,” Huber said. Coates agreed, adding, “I didn’t think they would win the first round. They lost to Michigan, but they got one win, so that’s great.” Huber talked about his bracket “I picked Duke, but I don’t think they’re going to win. Illinois has a better shot,” Huber said, noting standout player Cameron Boozer as a key reason for his original choice. Coates had similar thoughts. “I had Duke, but I really regret it because they almost lost to Siena,” he said. 

Upsets are a major part of March Madness and were a topic of discussion. Huber said he thought High Point would upset Wisconsin, while Coates chose McNeese over Vanderbilt, hoping they would repeat their performance from last year. Although not all their predictions were correct, both students agreed that the unpredictability is what makes the tournament so enjoyable. March Madness continues to capture the attention of Liberty Middle School students.