March Madness is a time to create brackets, compete against friends, cheer on one’s favorite teams, and watch upsets occur.

On Monday night, March Madness came to a dramatic conclusion.  In the men’s basketball field, Virginia (no. 1 seed) defeated Texas Tech (no. 3 seed) by a score of 85 to 77 in overtime.

This was the ultimate redemption for Virginia, especially after having lost last year in their opening game against the sixteenth seed, the UMBC golden retrievers.  For the Cavaliers, this made victory all that much sweeter knowing the trials and tribulations they had to overcome to become national champions.

Virginia’s victory also marked the end of March Madness brackets.  More than 17.2 million brackets were submitted to ESPN this year.  While there were no perfect brackets, many can celebrate their victory over family and friends.

One key March Madness victor is Dr. Tisel.  Dr. Tisel was crowned champion among the Holy Family teachers for having the best March Madness bracket.  In fact, he correctly predicted Virginia’s triumph in the national championship game, which he credits with not wanting to go against his daughter (she is a University of Virginia alum).

Ultimately, with March Madness coming to a close, it’s a good time to reflect upon what you did well in regards to predicting whether teams won or loss and what you could improve on to be more successful in your March Madness endeavors next year.  Perhaps you’ll create the best bracket amongst family and friends next year, enabling you to earn bragging rights in the process.  Even better yet, next year, maybe you’ll become the first person to create a perfect bracket.