With March Madness tipping off today, millions of Americans are psyched for brackets, booze and b-ball. The first two days of the tournament are always the most exciting, with wall to wall coverage of the tournament starting at noon and going well into the night. College kids will skip classes just to take in the action, while corporations will suffer $4 billion in losses due to unproductive workers watching the games instead of filing TPS reports.
But hey, office pools are good for camaraderie, right?
Growing up in New Jersey led me to become a Rutgers University fan, meaning I never had a team to actually root for in the big dance. It was all about the brackets, baby.
Everyone plays them, even if it’s just twenty bucks.
Good luck trying to pick the perfect bracket. You’ve got better odds of hitting the lottery, TWICE.
Other US cities go wild for March Madness, simply because their teams seem to give themselves a chance every year. If you are wondering what the best March Madness cities are, look no further.
Our friends at WalletHub crunched the numbers on more than 280 cities using nine key metrics. They range from the number of teams per city and the winning percentage of each to stadium capacity and social-media engagement.
| Best Cities for College Hoops Fans | Worst Cities for College Hoops Fans | |||
| 1 | Lawrence, KS | 280 | Bethlehem, PA | |
| 2 | Durham, NC | 281 | Huntsville, AL | |
| 3 | Los Angeles, CA | 282 | Cookeville, TN | |
| 4 | East Lansing, MI | 283 | Jersey City, NJ | |
| 5 | Chapel Hill, NC | 284 | Minneapolis, MN | |
| 6 | Storrs, CT | 285 | Hackensack, NJ | |
| 7 | Philadelphia, PA | 287 | Montgomery, AL | |
| 8 | Lexington, KY | 287 | Daytona Beach, FL | |
| 9 | Fayette, MS | 288 | Pocatello, ID | |
| 10 | Loretto, PA | |||
Best vs. Worst
The Villanova Wildcats have the highest current winning percentage among college basketball teams, 88.80%, which is 6.6 times higher than the Chicago State Cougars, the team with the lowest at 13.54%.
Hamilton, New York, and Jackson, Mississippi, both have the least expensive season tickets, starting at $45, 25.9 times less than a season of hoops in Lexington, Kentucky ($1,166).
Thanks to John Wooden and UCLA, Los Angeles is home to the country’s most national championship banners (11), while Philadelphia has the most regular season titles (91).
Enjoy the tournament today. Hopefully your bracket doesn’t get busted!
-Your Big Bro
