14, that is the number of AP top ten teams that have lost since January 1. Now don’t get this twisted–the NCAA tournament has always produced its share of big-time upsets. Take Mercer vs. Duke in 2014; it had the makings of an easy Duke win and the Bears were a lowly 14 seed. Many thought they couldn’t do it, but Mercer had different plans. They took on Duke and won 78-71, with Jakob Gollon scoring 20 points. For the many people that filled out that year’s bracket, it was shocking that one loss, and one shot from some unknown kid from some unknown school could bust the brackets of thousands.

It is fascinating to see how America is so tuned in to the Big Dance. It is not necessarily the champion that we watch for; it is the little guy taking down the big kid. We love the underdog. There is something about the 16-seed taking down the number one and blowing up the betting world that is incredibly frustrating and satisfying at the same time.

This last Powerball lottery gave participants a one in 292 million chance of winning. Picking the perfect, no-lose bracket is just a little bit harder–your chances sit at about one in 9 quintillion. So why do we do it if it’s nearly impossible? It is for the same reason that we play the lottery; an extremely minuscule chance is better than no chance at all.

When March Madness started in Illinois in the year 1908, it was a small invitational, but eventually grew to a tournament for about 900 high school basketball teams. The event was called the “Sweet Sixteen” (hence the name for the last 16 teams still in the tourney). Hall of Fame-worthy announcer Brent Musburger first coined the term “March Madness” while commentating an NCAA basketball game. The lowest seed team to make it into the prestigious competition has been the 11 seed, as LSU did in 1986, George Mason in 2006 and, most recently, VCU in 2011.

This year kicked off with a HUGE upset when #2 Michigan State lost to Middle Tennessee State 90-81. In that one loss, 1/3 of the submitted brackets were knocked out, providing a fitting end to the first couple days of basketball bedlam. In the Sweet 16, all those who should have won did win and in the Midwest, 11-seed Gonzaga lost to 10-seed Syracuse.

In the Elite Eight, Kansas, the favorite at that point, was upset by Villanova 64-59, OU dismantled Oregon 80-68, UNC took care of Notre Dame 88-74 and, in the biggest upset of the round, 10-seed Syracuse stunned the country by beating the number one seeded Virginia Cavilers 68-62.

The Final Four once again had intriguing match ups such as Syracuse vs. the UNC Tar Heels. The head coaches of the teams, Jim Boeheim for the ‘Cuse and Roy Williams for UNC, are two of college basketball’s finest coaches, with nearly 1,800 wins between them.

Then there were two. Led by guards Ryan Arcidiacono and Josh Hart, Villanova was coming off a hot streak after a record-breaking game against Oklahoma, in which they pulled off a 95-51 victory, and was the hottest shooting team in the tournament. But the competition was far from settled–the UNC Tar heels, lead by guard Marcus Paige and forward Brice Johnson, were ready to challenge Nova. North Carolina, after beating Syracuse 83-66 had many sport analysts picking them, but there was concern about the Heels’ inability to shoot from the outside. Against Syracuse, they were a dismal 0-10 from the three point line.

The game was largely controlled by UNC, until near the end of the second half when Nova pushed their lead to 10 with 4:42 to go. UNC and their senior leadership stormed back, shrinking the lead to three with 0:28 left in the game. Then, with six seconds left, Marcus Paige made a forced, double clutch three to tie the game 74-74. What followed was perhaps the biggest Villanova shot in the last 20 years. Ryan Arcidiacono dribbled down the left side of the floor while being double teamed by two Tar Heels. He then came to the top of the three point line and scooped the ball to Kris Jenkins who lined up a deep three. Nothing but net. When the ball went in, the crowd leaped up from the stands and the Wildcats stormed Jenkins in the middle of the floor. Villanova captured the Natty and UNC was sent home with tears in their eyes, and fire burning for next year.

Well March Madness, it was a fabulous tournament. Filled with upsets, blowouts, the emergence of unknown stars like Ryan Arcidiacono and the solidification of others like Buddy Hield. This crazy thing called Madness has captivated the country, making everyone young and old tune in to the event of the spring. The Big Dance will be back, and the brackets will keep being filled out. See you next year.