By Landon Gilbert ’26
Every March, something strange happens at Brother Rice. Grades start slipping, teachers start acting differently, and suddenly everyone becomes a basketball expert. It is called March Madness, and it might be the most stressful time of the school year that has nothing to do with school.
It all starts with the brackets. One minute you are sitting in class, and the next minute your teacher is saying something like, “Winner gets extra credit.” And just like that, nobody is paying attention to the lesson anymore. Everyone is locked in, arguing over upsets, acting like they have insider information, and picking random teams because they “like the mascot.”
The craziest part is how serious it gets. Kids who barely watch basketball suddenly become analysts. A guy who has never watched a full game is now telling you why a 12 seed is “definitely going to upset.” And somehow, that same kid is usually in first place after the first round. Senior Aidan Murillo said, “He was excited to see his Blue Devils (Duke) win it all.”
Teachers are not much better. Some of them are just as invested as the students. They walk into class checking scores, talking about buzzer beaters, and quietly hoping their bracket is still alive. Extra credit becomes a real motivator, and suddenly everyone cares a little more about college basketball than their actual homework. In Mr. Strehlau’s class, each period has a bracket so that students can have a sense of competition along with learning about why people smell like maple syrup when they sweat.
This year’s tournament has even more attention because of the Illinois talent still playing. Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball are still making noise, with players from the state representing on a big stage. Schools like Purdue Boilermakers men’s basketball and Michigan State Spartans men’s basketball also have players with Illinois roots, showing how strong basketball is in this area. Many of these players came from powerhouse high schools around Chicago and the suburbs, proving that the talent here is real.
As the tournament goes on, the chaos only gets worse. Freshman Otis Davis said, “Me and my brother have been rivals since the first tip-off.” Upsets ruin perfect brackets.
Underdogs become everyone’s favorite team, and by the Sweet 16, most people’s brackets are already destroyed. Still, nobody gives up. They keep checking scores, keep talking about games, and keep hoping somehow their picks survive.
At Brother Rice, March Madness is more than just basketball. It is competition, pride, and a little bit of luck. It brings the whole school together in a way that few things can. Whether you win the bracket or finish dead last, everyone is part of the madness.
In the end, the biggest lesson learned might not come from the classroom. It comes from realizing that no matter how confident you are, your bracket is probably already cooked.
