The global sports schedule steps up a gear as we head into spring with some mouth-watering fixtures on the calendar. In England, all the talk is about the upcoming Cheltenham Festival. A world-famous horse race meeting which started as the best in Britain against the best in Ireland but has developed into a global affair. In France, organizers are putting the finishing touches on the UEFA Champions League final, which will be played at the Stade de France in Paris after Russia was stripped of its rights to host the soccer event.
Horse racing and soccer are great, but if you are a lover of basketball there’s one tournament that has your full attention and that’s the 2022 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball, affectionately known as March Madness. With 68 teams in attendance, aiming to battle through a straight knockout competition, excitement and drama are guaranteed. You can purchase tickets to the match of your choice, watch them play live or you can follow on television or through a live streaming app.
Basketball fans hold this competition dear to their hearts. They love the unpredictability of it all, the chance to see future stars of the NBA, the grandeur of the final and the March Madness betting offered by online bookmakers. The standout sportsbook apps allow you to make your predictions on the competition winner or the outcome of each match. You can then make your wagers, grab promotions and watch the play through an HD quality, free to view the live stream. Interested in knowing more? You’ve arrived at the correct page. This is a one-stop for all your March Madness needs, with dates, the early favorites, details of the format, and more. If it’s worth knowing about March Madness, you’ll find it in this handy guide.
Dates and locations
We’ll begin with some dates for your diary. March Madness begins on 15th March with the opening rounds, known as the First Four, played over two days. That really gets the ball rolling and then the games come at us thick and fast. The first and second rounds get underway on 17th March with the play divided into subregions. Matches will be played at different venues during the early exchanges with a host already confirmed.
Following the first and second rounds of play, March Madness moves on to the regional semi-finals and finals which are scheduled to begin on 24th March. At the conclusion of the regionals, that’s when things begin to get serious. The national semi-finals and the championship match are then used to cut the field down further, leaving us with a 2022 March Madness champion.
The deciding match goes on 4th April and will be played at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana with Tulane University given the honor of being the host uni. 2022 will be the sixth time that New Orleans hosts the final four with games played there in 1982, 1987, 1993, 2003, 2012.
Some of the country’s best-loved stadiums will be in use during the play. Organizers have made every effort to bring March Madness to the people and with fans back in attendance and capacity crowds expected, there will be at least one game taking place near you. The venues used at March Madness 2022 include the University of Dayton Arena, Keybank Center, Dickies Arena, Chase Center, AT&T Center, Wells Fargo Center, and United Center.
Current champions and early favourites
The current March Madness champions who will be going all out to defend their title in 2022 are the Baylor Bears. Led by coach Scott Drew, the Bears took home their first championship after beating the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the final. That was the Bulldogs’ second title game and their second appearance in the final four stages but they proved no match for a dogged and determined opponent in the final, a team that was desperate to etch their name into the history books with the Bears refusing to give up.
Will the champions make it two in a row? It’s possible, but last season’s beaten finalists are expected to fight back and they begin March Madness as the favorites with most respected pundits and sportsbook traders. Others worth keeping an eye on are the Arizona Wildcats and the Kentucky Wildcats.
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