How to enjoy the NCAA Tournament

The NCAA Tournament tips off tonight with the first two play-in games. You’ll still have a couple more days to get your bracket in, though, before the first round starts on Thursday. And while there may be fewer Cinderellas now than in the past, the best teams have seldom been better. And there’s a lesson in that truth that goes well beyond the basketball court.

Why it matters: I usually dedicate this space to an extended look at some issue in the world or our culture, with the hope of helping us understand how to navigate it in ways that honor God and draw us closer to him. I think most of us would agree that the NCAA Tournament does not quite rise to that level. However, few things unite this country like the chance to compete with friends, family, and coworkers in trying (and often failing) to predict how the Tournament will play out. And given everything else going on in our world, it would be a shame if we failed to take a moment to stop and appreciate that opportunity.

The backstory: One of 80 million

The NCAA Tournament—also known as March Madness—kicks off tonight with the first two play-in games. If you’re one of the estimated 80 million people who plan to fill out a bracket for this year’s festivities, though, don’t worry. The games tonight and tomorrow don’t usually count toward your score.

Chances are good that you still have a couple more days to get your bracket sorted, since the first round doesn’t start until Thursday. And, if you’d like a little help in deciding who will win, I—or, more accurately, the host of experts I will be citing in today’s newsletter—am here to help.

To begin, while filling out a bracket can dramatically increase the fun to be had by giving you a stake in every game, that will only be the case if you don’t take it too seriously.

No matter how much research you put into your picks, you will get some wrong. Everyone does. There has never been a perfect bracket, and you’re roughly 410 times more likely to win the Powerball than to be the first to get every game right.

That’s good news, because it means when your bracket busts, you can shrug it off and go on to the next game. And with 32 games over the first two days of the tournament, it’s likely that finding the next game won’t be too difficult.

That said, shrugging off those losses becomes more challenging if you plan to contribute to the $3.3 billion projected to be bet on these games.

Is gambling a sin?

I don’t want to go too far into the gambling side of the tournament today, mostly because it’s something I’ve written about and discussed fairly extensively in the past, and I still stand by what I’ve said in those previous entries.

To put it briefly, though, gambling is not a sin so long as it’s done responsibly. The problem is that many of us—myself included, if I’m being honest—are going to struggle to maintain the “done responsibly” part of that criterion. For me, gambling on these games would be a sin because I know myself well enough to understand that this is an area where I’m liable to be more vulnerable to temptation and addiction.

If you are considering placing a bet on these games—or any others—please take a moment to pray and ask the Lord to help you understand if you are capable of doing so without losing yourself to sin. And if you have any doubt as to what that answer may be, it’s far better to err on the side of caution than to give the Devil a foothold in your life. After all, playing for bragging rights among friends, family, and coworkers can add just as much as a parlay or Polymarket bet.

So, now that we’ve gotten into the right mindset to really enjoy March Madness, where do we go from here?

Don’t trust Cinderella 

The first step is deciding how much work you want to put into making your selections. If you want to go game by game, The Athletic and ESPN have solid write-ups on each team. And if you’re trying to parse which of those teams has the best shot at emerging on top by the tournament’s end, analyst Ken Pomeroy can at least help you narrow it down some.

If you’d prefer to go a more unconventional route in picking your winners, though, Sach Chandan has a helpful compilation of each team’s school colors, mascot, fight song, and notable alumni for your perusal.

But regardless of how you make your selections, sticking with the higher seeds more often than not is the best way to go. And that’s become even more true in recent years.

Last season, for example, only 13 teams that went into a game as underdogs emerged as victors. That was tied for the fewest since the tournament expanded to 64 teams back in 1985. Moreover, no team outside of the top 12 made it to the Elite Eight, while the Final Four was comprised entirely of top seeds.

And last season was no fluke. It’s been four years since a double-digit seed made it even so far as the Sweet 16. Cinderella’s carriage has turned back into a pumpkin pretty quickly of late, and the advent of NIL money is seen as the leading cause.

More than 90 percent of players who earn over $100,000 through NIL play in one of the five major conferences. As such, most of the mid-majors and longshots that used to make for the tournament’s best stories have become more of a training ground for the teams that can afford to pay players more.

It’s not all bad, though. That concentration of talent at the upper echelons of the sport means that the best teams have seldom been better. So, while there may not be as many upsets, the quality of the basketball—especially as you advance deeper into the tournament—is going to be great.

And that’s worth celebrating.

Spiritual application: You’re not the underdog

As Christians, it can be tempting at times to see ourselves as the underdog. Whether it’s David and Goliath, Jonathan storming an entire Philistine camp, or even the disciples standing up to the Sanhedrin and refusing to compromise their calling to share the gospel, some of our most beloved stories in the Bible feature God’s chosen in a fight they couldn’t possibly win without the Lord’s help.

I wonder sometimes if we take that identification with the underdog too far, though.

When we look at the world around us and see a culture moving further away from God, it’s easy to feel like we’re the ones at a disadvantage. And in those moments where we try to defeat Goliath alone, we are. But that’s not how it’s supposed to work.

One of the last promises Jesus made to his disciples before his arrest and crucifixion was that when he left, God would send the Holy Spirit and he would enable those who follow Christ to do even “greater works” than they’d seen over their years of walking with him (John 14:12–16). And, if you’ve placed your faith in Jesus as your savior and Lord, that same Spirit resides within you as well.

You see, as long as we’re walking in God’s power and presence, we’re never underdogs. It may feel like it, and there may be plenty of reasons to deceive ourselves into thinking we are, but as long as we’re on the Lord’s side, then we’ll never have a reason to fear anyone or anything else.

So, where do you need that reminder today? Are there any giants in your life that the Lord has called you to face? Know that as long as you are walking according to his will, God’s greatness will always trump your weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Now, that will cease to be the case as soon as you set off down your own path or begin to work in your own strength, so don’t make the mistake of thinking the Holy Spirit is ever yours to command. But as long as God is the one doing the leading, you don’t have any reason to worry about the path he’s taking you down.

And that too is worth celebrating.

News worth knowing

1. Two more key Iranian leaders killed in Israeli strike

Iranian Supreme National Security Council secretary Ari Larijani and Basij Commander Gholamreza Soleimani were both killed in a recent Israeli strike against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Both were considered high-value targets in the war against Iran and played key roles in repressing the civilian protests over recent months.

Why it matters

With the status of Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, unknown, reports indicate that Larijani had essentially been leading the government. And while Soleimani did not play as large a role in the governing of Iran, his Basij—a volunteer paramilitary force that operated under the direction of the IRGC—was essentially responsible for spying on civilians and carrying out the oppression ordered by the nation’s leaders.

What to watch

Both Larijani and Soleimani played key roles in keeping the people of Iran suppressed. Will their deaths give room for the people to rise up again? And will Larijani’s death in particular further destabilize an already reeling government, or are there others prepared to take his place?

Fox News has more on the story

2. The SAVE America Act gets a hearing in the Senate

The Senate is expected to formally begin debates on the SAVE America Act later today, following pressure from the White House to force a vote on the controversial bill. Senate Majority Leader John Thune is hoping to organize the process so Republicans maintain as much control as possible, but there are already signs it will not go smoothly.

Why it matters

I discussed the SAVE America Act and why it’s so controversial in one of last month’s editions of The Focus, and little has changed in the weeks since. The voter ID requirement piece of the legislation remains popular among a majority of Americans, but the bill also attempts to tackle controversial topics like mail-in ballots. Most importantly, it does not include additional funding or time to phase in the new regulations before the upcoming election, which would likely create a host of problems before the midterms.

What to watch

With DHS still technically shut down, a war in Iran, and other legislative priorities waiting for their day on the floor, how much time and attention will need to be spent on the SAVE America Act before a final decision is rendered? And will Republicans be willing to adjust the rules surrounding the filibuster or other measures that have been a red line to this point to try to get it passed?

Punchbowl News has more on the story

3. America and Venezuela play in the World Baseball Classic championship tonight

I warned y’all last week that the World Baseball Classic may make a return to this space if the games went in America’s favor, and while the process to get here has been far from smooth, their 2–1 win over the Dominican Republic on Sunday night punched their ticket to the WBC finale. They’ll meet Venezuela, which rallied late to knock off a surprisingly tough Italy yesterday.

Why it matters

It’ll be four years before your next chance to watch the world compete—a shift from the more recent three-year intervals—though international baseball will make a comeback for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles as well. The games have been great so far, and if you like baseball or simply enjoy watching nations compete, tonight’s matchup should be a great one.

What to watch

The game starts at 8 pm ET/7 pm CT on Fox, with Mets rookie Nolan McLean pitching for the US while Diamondbacks veteran Eduardo Rodriguez starts for Venezuela. The US used its best pitcher to reach the Championship, while Venezuela opted for a bullpen game, with six pitchers throwing at least one inning. Will that mean tonight’s affair will feature more scoring? If so, which of these loaded lineups stands to benefit more?

MLB.com has more on the story

God is good

While Christianity remains a minority religion in India, the gospel is moving in some exciting ways through the work of believers. As in many regions of the world, though, helping people to experience the good news of Jesus in their native language has often remained a barrier. However, at least for the Christians in Rajasthan—a state in western India—that’s no longer the case. A homegrown mission organization began translating the New Testament into Hadoti nearly a decade ago, and since then has distributed more than 2,500 copies and 250 audio versions to believers and churches in the region.

Kingdom impact

While Hindi is the official language throughout India, Hadoti is the native tongue for many in the western part of the nation. As one pastor described, “Many did not truly understand Hindi. Yet churches continued using it. We assumed this was normal.” Moreover, since books are seldom written in Hadoti, even non-Christians have expressed gratitude for the chance to read something in their mother tongue.

Prayer point

Will you pray that God uses the Hadoti translation of his word to draw people into a deeper relationship with him? Will you pray that those who don’t know Jesus will be saved through the chance to hear the gospel in their own language? And will you pray for the translators to remain faithful to the truth of Scripture and for the Holy Spirit to continue guiding the process as they seek to translate the Old Testament into Hadoti as well?

Christianity Today has more on the story

 

Denison Forum