MARCH BRINGS THE
MADNESS
By PATRICK MURPHY
March means one thing in our country: madness around men’ s and women’ s collegiate basketball tournaments.
For the past 87 years, the National Collegiate Athletic Association has hosted a Division I men’ s basketball tournament. Since that inception, my dad and I have been to three men’ s tournament games and one women’ s tournament contest since 2021.
The first year we went, I was back in Indiana working at the Rochester Sentinel after working down in Natchez, Miss., for a year.
In 2021, when the entire men’ s NCAA Tournament was held in Indiana, COVID-19 restrictions were still in place and there were limited amounts of people( 25 % capacity). Baylor won the tournament that year.
As the country started loosening COVID-19 restrictions in 2022, fans started returning to watch their favorite teams. At Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, we two second-round games— Tennessee versus Michigan and Saint Peter’ s against Murray State. We were longing to see Kentucky play against Murray, but the second-seeded Wildcats had been upset by the 15th-seeded Peacocks in the first round. Michigan won 76-68 over the Volunteers while Saint Peter’ s continued its magical run to the Elite Eight with a 70-60 triumph over the Racers.
I actually enjoyed watching those games. The fans were into both games and we actually sat next near a professor from Saint Peter’ s.
In 2023, we drove down to Louisville to watch the South Regional’ s Sweet 16 games at the KFC Yum! Center. We saw San Diego State knock off top-seeded Alabama 71-64 to continue its surprising run to the
national championship game. After that, we watched Creighton end the Cinderella run of 15th-seeded Princeton, which had upset No. 2 seed Arizona in the first round and No. 7 seed Missouri in the second.
The Yum Center was a pretty cool environment with more Alabama fans than any others. We met an Alabama fan dressed in a redand-white suit wearing a Bear Bryant styled hat, black and white patterned Houndstooth fedora.
In 2024, we decided to switch it up and attend the women’ s NCAA Tournament. My mom, dad, sister and her boyfriend went and saw two first-round games at Indiana University.
First, we saw the fourth-seeded Hoosiers’ 89-56 win over Fairfield before fifth-seeded Oklahoma outlasted Florida Gulf Coast 73-70.
It was an enjoyable experience inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Not surprisingly, the first game was practically sold out. We sat in the balcony for the IU game, but seats emptied for the second game, so we were able to sit closer.
The atmosphere for IU’ s game was louder compared to the second. Watching women’ s basketball, compared to men’ s, is very different. I feel like the men’ s is faster-paced and more physical.
Last year, we did not attend any NCAA Tournament game, as my dad and I went to watch the Vegas Golden Knights, my favorite National Hockey League team, play in Nashville instead. That, as it happened, was the same night that the Jeffersonville boys won the Class 4A state championship.
Basketball is enjoyable to watch regardless of who’ s playing it. I like watching it in person rather than on my computer or TV.
TOP: An empty Gainbridge Fieldhouse hosted some of the rounds of the NCAA Men’ s Div. I basketball tournament with Clemson against Rutgers. This was when restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic were still in effect. BOTTOM: Todd Murphy and Patrick Murphy at the 2023 NCAA Men’ s Div. I basketball
Sweet 16 at the KFC Yum Center in Louisville. The duo watched two games with the stadium filled with fans.
Contributors
Tom May is a freelance writer who has written for the News and Tribune for more than 10 years. An avid sports enthusiast, Tom also teaches as an adjunct instructor at Indiana University Southeast.
Rebecca Carlton-Mielke teaches in communication studies at IU Southeast and serves on the Sellersburg Parks Board.
PAGE NO. 6 NEWS AND TRIBUNE SPORTS MAGAZINE MAR / APR 2026