“In One Shining Moment, it's all on the line. One Shining Moment, there frozen in time.”
Those lyrics come from “One Shining Moment,” the song that has become synonymous with March Madness.
It is officially that time of year. Every game matters, Cinderella stories are written and each shot seems to stop time.
As the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament begins, fans across the country fill out their brackets, hoping this could be their team’s year.
Entering tournament play, Michigan emerged as a title favorite, led by senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg. The Wolverines dominated the Big Ten during the regular season, rolling to a 19-1 conference record.
The Big Ten was a juggernaut this year, with 11 of its 18 teams finishing above .500. One of those teams was Michigan State, led by sophomore guard Jeremy Fears Jr. Fears averaged 15.3 points and 9.1 assists per game, making him a leading candidate for Big Ten Player of the Year.
As usual, Duke made headlines this year. Freshman forward Cameron Boozer led them to a 29-2 record and a No. 1 seed in the tournament. Boozer is the odds-on favorite to win the Naismith Player of the Year award, leading the Blue Devils into the tournament as another title favorite.
For many fans, March Madness is more than just basketball. It’s tradition.
“Growing up, we'd always watch,” Jake Wallbaum, Taylor assistant sports information director, said. “We'd stay at a hotel that was across the street from where the Illinois boys basketball game was, and so we watched all the games there.”
The tournament creates lifelong memories. As players have career-defining performances and teams suffer heartbreaking losses, confetti falls from the rafters while friends and family celebrate together.
Jackson Umthum, a freshman finance major at Taylor, said his best March Madness memories were made with his dad when watching Purdue play.
“I remember that I was in a hotel on our way back from spring break with my family when Carsen Edwards and Ryan Cline just kept draining threes,” Umthum said. “It just felt magical. That's by far my favorite March Madness moment.”
In the 2019 game Umthum referred to, Virginia defeated Purdue in an overtime shootout. Edwards led the Boilermakers’ scoring attack with 42 points, but ultimately fell short as Mamadi Diakite’s floater at the end of regulation forced overtime, where Virginia eventually won.
This year, the Boilermakers began the season ranked No. 1, but stumbled to the finish line, losing six of their final 12 games. If they make a run in the tournament, they will need a strong performance from senior guard Braden Smith.
Despite winning the 2024-25 Bob Cousy Award, Smith had an inconsistent regular season, but Purdue needs its star to shine in the tournament.
In classic March Madness fashion, an underdog story took hold of many headlines this year. The undefeated Miami RedHawks are dancing. Two years ago, Miami finished its third straight losing season.
This year, they etched themselves into college basketball history, becoming the eighth team ever to finish the regular season undefeated. Entering the tournament, the RedHawks will face their stiffest competition yet, having not played a single Quadrant 1 team all season.
Taylor sophomore Grant Ford is not predicting a storybook ending.
“They don't have any experience against those good teams,” said Ford. “I think it would be really cool if they did (win), but it's hard to imagine that happening.”
One of the greatest traditions in sports begins on March 17 in Dayton, Ohio and ends on April 6 in Indianapolis. A new champion will be crowned, records will be broken and memories will be made.
“That One Shining Moment, you reached deep inside. One Shining Moment, you knew you were alive.”
