March Madness 2022 has begun. While all Southern California teams have already been knocked out, many Santa Monica College community members continue to watch the game with anticipation.

Every March, the Division I National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Committee selects 68 college basketball teams to play in a single-elimination tournament and ultimately crown a national champion. The event, named March Madness, has a long history of memorable moments which fans cherish.

When asked what his favorite March Madness moment of all time was, Joel Padilla, a 24-year-old Santa Monica College (SMC) student who works in the Student Services Center, said, “As a UCLA fan, last year's run was very memorable.” Padilla was referring to the run in which the team of University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) went to the final four in March Madness of 2021. A game-winning shot in overtime by former Gonzaga point guard Jalen Suggs in a game against UCLA, on March 31, 2021, ended the Los Angeles university’s season.

“I really enjoy the electricity of the event… basketball is one of those sports that any given team can win on any given day,” said Padilla.

30-year-old Robert Escobar, a custodial worker at SMC, also enjoys following March Madness. Escobar's favorite part of the tournament is spending time with his family when watching the games. When asked who he’s rooting for in the basketball tournament, Escobar said, “USC and UCLA, because I am an L.A. guy."

This year's tournament featured four teams from Southern California. UCLA, the University of Southern California (USC), San Diego State University (SDSU) and California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) all received a shot to win it all.

UCLA played Akron in the first round on Thursday, March 17 and pulled out a tight win to 57-53. “It was a good win,” said Padilla. “It was closer than what I would have liked. Luckily, they weren’t one of the teams that was upset.”

UCLA went on to play Saint Mary’s College on Saturday, March 19 in the second round. Unlike the first round’s close win, UCLA won in blow-out fashion with 72-56. UCLA will played North Carolina on Friday, March 25 at the Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia, Pa. at 6:39 p.m. for a spot in the “Elite Eight,” losing 66-73.

Though UCLA did not make it, other Southern California teams featured in this year's tournament did not fare as well as UCLA did. CSUF, SDSU, and USC all lost to their first round opponents, Duke, Creighton and Miami respectively. CSUF lost 78-61, SDSU lost 72-69, and USC lost 68-66. Stanford is the last team from California standing, set to play either the North Carolina State University or the University of Connecticut on Friday, April 1.

Updated March 28, 2022

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