Reacts: NBA fans swept up in March Madness

Mar 19, 2023 - 11:01 PM

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Los Angeles Lakers fans and fans across the country.
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No matter what is going on in the NBA season, March Madness draws the attention of basketball fans across the country year after year. There is no sports event like it and it constantly delivers exciting moments, thrilling games and memorable plays.

While there are many NBA diehards that may not typically watch college basketball, very few can resist the temptation of the excitement of March Madness. This week’s SB Nation Reacts survey asked a number of questions to NBA fans about March Madness, including whether they would even be watching it.

There are a number of reasons for NBA fans to watch March Madness and the NCAA Tournament, and it doesn’t even have to be for the excitement of games. While that’s the main factor for most, some fans choose to watch the games to get a sense of the best players and future NBA prospects.

And some just care about their brackets.

While it may not be a big reason why people watch, there are a number of NBA prospects taking part in the tournament each year with this one being no different. While Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson have been the most-discussed prospects for the vast majority of the last year, there are a handful of lottery picks that will be playing this month.

Miller is perhaps the name fans have heard most often of those listed, but that could also be as much of a result of his off-court issues as his on-court play. But he’s a super-talented player that could be a top-five pick, if not better. And he’s the main reason most fans think someone in the tournament will go in the top four.

The Lakers do have a first round pick this year, though the Pelicans do have the rights to swap it. The tight Western Conference play-in game is going to not only have a big say in postseason hopes, but lottery odds as well. And that’s assuming the Lakers do not look to package that pick in a trade this summer as well.

For that reason and many, many others, fans are likely to tune into the tournament and take in the madness that comes every March.

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