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How Much Americans Are Really Gambling on March Madness

We are tracking tens of millions of brackets at five major bracket games, including the Capital One March Madness Bracket Challenge Game, and we will update this story after every game, giving a whole number as soon as possible.

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Mix that talent with the likes of future National Basketball Association studs freshman forwards Marvin Bagley III and Wendell Carter Jr., and you’ve got yourself a team that can do some damage this March. In fact, capital “M” March Madness now should refer exclusively to the accusations swirling around so numerous sport’s programs. You can also watch recaps after the games, in VR of course. This is Bennett’s most accomplished regular season team, the top overall seed in the tournament, and they’ve been placed in a fairly forgiving region. The women’s NCAA Tournament tips at noon ET on Friday.

NF: They may be a 12-seed, but NMSU is an elite, well-rounded defensive team, among the country’s best in blocks, steals and opponent field goal percentage. The best was the Final Four two years ago. It’s happened four times since 2012. The 6-foot-9 forward, who joined the team after graduating from high school in December, had 16 points and 10 rebounds against West Virginia in the title game. Seeing those guys do it made it more real. His Spartans, picked to win in the second-highest amounts of brackets, were bounced in the first round by No. 15 Middle Tennessee-just the eighth time in 132 games a two seed has bowed out on the first day of games.

In a tournament full of upsets and fairytale finishes with a draining schedule in a daily atmosphere of grueling pressure and great expectation, “March Madness” lives up to it’s name.

One could argue that all four First Four teams have a shot to do it this year.

Lo and behold, his team consists of men who embrace moments others shrink from, be they on the court or in the classroom.

College basketball fans are gearing up for March Madness, when Men’s Division 1 teams block, dribble and dunk for three weeks to be the national champions. Wright’s team doesn’t have “plays”, per se; instead, he talks about giving his players “the freedom to make plays”.

A ideal example of this are the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, who used a run-and-gun style of play against the Georgetown Hoyas’ methodical Princeton offense in the Round of 64 in the 2013 NCAA tournament. But even at the No. 5 seed, the Buckeyes have proven that they can roll with the big dogs, after wins over Michigan State, Michigan and Purdue earlier this year.

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Matthew Moyer: For me it was growing up watching Ohio State play. Maybe if Penn was taking on Xavier-the weakest of the one seeds-it’d be just the fifth single-digit loss to a one seed in history.

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