It’s March, and for any college basketball fan, that means watching games nonstop, including during school hours.

The first round of the NCAA basketball tournament, better known as March Madness, tipped off March 16 and the excitement around WHS is palpable, just as it was with the World Cup late last year. March Madness, which drew 10.7 million viewers last year according to ncaa.com, has first round games spanning from early afternoon until late at night, with 10 first round games beginning during school hours.

WHS senior Michael Liebermann has a deep affinity for not only the tournament, but college basketball in general. Liebermann said, “March Madness has a special level of excitement because it’s just anarchy. Anything can happen. You get crazy buzzer beaters, crazy plays and Cinderella stories. There are always so many cool storylines. It’s so exciting.”

This love that Liebermann has for the tournament that began in 1939 is not uncommon. WHS senior Connor Loggie echoed Liebermann’s statements. Loggie said, “[The tournament is] just a great thing that everyone is into. Every team is well-matched, so anything can happen.”

One of the best parts of March Madness for many is the continuous action. Liebermann said, “It’s on from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. Twelve hours in a row to sit in front of televisions and watch college basketball.” However, for Liebermann and many other students, it is not always a television that they watch games on.

Due to the fact that many games take place during school hours, students can’t resist the urge to tune in one way or another. Liebermann shared his personal method of watching in class, explaining, “The March Madness Live app is very useful. Sometimes teachers turn a blind eye when you try to watch games. I feel like I’ve become pretty well-practiced at hiding my computer and staying up to date on the games.”

Despite many students doing their best to watch a game live, some teachers make it more difficult to do so. Health Teacher and former college basketball player Kevin Everly, who does not believe that students should be watching the tournament during school, said, “They should be paying attention to important lessons.” Everly also said the level of professionalism for students should be higher in school, and believes “students have plenty of time outside of school to watch college basketball.”

Physical Education Teacher and Boys Basketball Coach James McKeon agrees with this statement, even though he pointed out, “It’s the best time in sports. There is nothing better than March Madness.”

Loggie said his teachers have done a good job creating a balance between giving work and screening games, but he believes there are some ways the school can make it easier for students to stay up-to-date without having to look at their computers during class. “I think if the school made announcements for major updates for local team games, it would be really cool. But at the end of the day, everyone ends up finding out what happened,” Loggie said.

Anything can happen during the NCAA tournament, and the WHS community can stay up to date with it on hiseye.org, where recaps will be posted after each round.