March Madness

Joakim Noah, University of Florida Gators

It’s the time of year in the US when everyone grabs a playoff charts and fills in the brackets with the names of college basketball teams. What two teams will make it to the final round to be crowned the NCAA champions this year? It’s the only game in town during this month. Basketball. Everyone talks about it at work. It’s on the radio. It’s on the news. People wear their team’s colors and logos until their team is eliminated. Then they go back into the closet until next year.

Right now the University of Florida is the defending champion. They won last year. Ohio State University is currently ranked number 1 in the US with the best record and best team. Both of these teams are picked to do well in the playoffs. I am mentioning the University of Florida for two reasons. First, my step brother graduated from this school. My parents live in Florida and they always cheer for this team in every sport! Second, whenever you see a picture of a player from the University of Florida, it is usually of Joakim Noah. Why do I mention him? Because he’s FRENCH! That’s right! One of the big basketball stars in the USA is French. Noah is the son of Yannick Noah, France's most prominent tennis hero who in 1983, became the first Frenchman in 37 years to win the French Open. Since then he has become a popular singer in France. Together with his then wife Cécilia Rhode (Miss Sweden 1978), they had Joakim.

Who will win the contest this year? As of today, no one knows. But as March Madness continues of the next few weeks the outcome will be known. I will tell you how my teams do!

http://cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/mayhem/brackets/viewable_men
Printable Playoff Brackets Link