The greatest month of college basketball is back and students have come prepared with their bracket predictions.

NCAA’s March Madness tournament has taken the college world by storm ever since 1939. Kettle Run students have actively taken part in prediction brackets.

One sponsored by the school and the other sponsored by Capital One. The winner of the Capital One bracket earns the grand prize of two VIP Passes to one day of the March Madness Music Festival.

Librarian Kim Ritter is running the school bracket. Ritter is known to be quite the basketball fanatic and utilized her love for the sport to develop the in-school event.

“We were always looking for ways to involve students,” said Ritter, “so when March Madness hit us in 2009, we thought why not invite staff and students to participate in a competition utilizing the brackets created by NCAA? And, so it began.”

Ritter insists that fun is around for anyone who decides to create a bracket.

“College basketball enthusiasts, college athletics fans, and even students who know nothing about the teams are invited to fill out a bracket and follow their selections through March Madness. It’s fun to watch how well your bracket does as it competes with your teachers, coaches, administrators and student colleagues. We have always rewarded our winners with prizes—that can be enticing.”

The brackets were made available the day after “Selection Sunday” and were to be turned in before the beginning of the first round. Basketball head coach Troy Washington shared his thoughts on the impending tournament.

“Virginia will be the overall #1 seed,” said Washington, “but even they can be beat if an opposing team is hot and they do not play up to their abilities.”

Virgina was defeated in the first round by University of Maryland Baltimore Campus 74-54.

“I’m already out of it,” Shelly Norden, publications adviser, said. “I had UVA winning it all this year.”

Washington takes time completing his bracket.

“I definitely over-examine the whole thing, but I like to kind of get opinions from the experts on tv and look out for any last minute changes with line-ups, injuries, etc.,” Washington said. “So, I normally turn mine in about an hour before the first tip-off.”

Washington takes the Madness as seriously as one would expect from such an aficionado as himself, but he manages to have fun as well.

“From year to year, I think the first weekend is my favorite because of the anticipation, and I like to see upsets by the underdogs in that initial weekend.”

Senior Andrew Pickett was very confident in the way his bracket was designed, saying it to be “100 percent right, no doubt,” even before he had begun creating it. “I had UNC winning it,” Pickett said. “I took the knowledge I have of college basketball, having watched it with my family for as long as I could remember, looked at the stats of each team, and I threw in a couple of random upsets because they’re always a part of March Madness.”

Pickett said that the creation of brackets has always been a tradition for him and his family, starting when he was young.

“[My favorite parts] are the final four, and I love the upsets.”

Pickett expects to defeat his family in the great March Madness competition, but only time will tell how well he does. March Maddness will come to an end on Monday, April 2.