March is the best month of the year for any basketball fan, even one who swears by the NBA.
This is where we live one of the best sports tournaments with the March Madness whose objective is to crown the best basketball teams in the NCAA for men and women.
Quebec ball fans have at least seven good reasons to follow the men’s and women’s tournaments closely since four boys and three girls from our region are taking part this year.
Of the lot, we must underline the brother and sister duo composed of Olivier-Maxence and Cassandre Prosper from Montreal. The first plays for the Golden Eagles and Marquette University and the second for the Fighting Irish at Notre Dame University.
taste
Thursday is the official start of the competition with a much changed weekend where we will see the number of teams go from 64 to 16 teams in the space of four days, for both girls and boys. .
But in fact, it all starts on Tuesday and Wednesday with qualifying matches that will allow four teams to join the sixty others already qualified in each of the two tables.
We will pay particular attention to the meeting between Fairleigh Dickinson University and Texas South which will be presented on Wednesday evening.
Two Quebecers are aligned with FDU, Sébastien Lamaute of Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville and Pierre-Olivier Racine of Gatineau.
good posture
Olivier-Maxence Prosper seems to be in a good position to go a long way.
His Marquette Golden Eagles (25 W 6 D) are ranked second in the East Region. A victory Friday once morest Vermont (15) would lead to a showdown once morest Michigan State (7) or Southern California (10).
It will be more complex for Montrealer Luke Hunger. His Northwestern Wildcats (7) (21 W 11 D) will face Boise State (10) first, but a victory will put them once morest UCLA (2) or with a little more luck once morest UNC Asheville (15).
Olivier-Maxence’s sister Cassandre also has a very good chance of progressing in the tournament. Notre-Dame (25 V 6 D) is ranked 3rd in its region and faces the 14th team, Southern Utah.
Kiandra Browne, of Pointe-Claire, plays for the Indiana Hoosiers (23 V 3 D), one of the best teams in the country who will face the winner of the classification game between Tennessee Tech (16) and Monmouth (16) . Browne suffered a hip injury earlier this month, however, and is likely to be seen later in the tournament if her team makes it to the second weekend of competition, the Sweet Sixteen.
Finally, Fatima Diakhate of Gatineau, who wears the colors of the Lady Bulldogs of the University of Georgia (21 V 11 D) ranked 10th, will face Florida State (7) at the curtain raiser.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper
Marquette University Golden Eagles (2)
Striker | Montreal | 20 years
6’ 8’’ 230 lb
Premier match : Friday 2:30 p.m. vs. University of Vermont (15)
Getty Images via AFP
Olivier-Maxence Prosper
Luke Hunger
Northwestern University Wildcats (7)
Striker | Montreal | 20 years
6’ 10’’ 255 lb
Premier match : Thursday 7:25 p.m. vs. Boise State (10)
Picture Northwestern University
Luke Hunger
Sébastien Lamaute
Knights Université Fairleigh Dickinson (16)
Guard | Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville | 22 years old
6’ 1’’ 198 lb
Premier match : Wednesday 6:30 p.m. vs. Texas Southern (16) (Qualifying Game)
Photo Université Fairleigh Dickinson
Sébastien Lamaute
Pierre-Olivier Racine
Knights Université Fairleigh Dickinson (16)
Striker | Gatineau | 23 years
6’ 7’’ 232 lb
Premier match : Wednesday 6:30 p.m. vs. Texas Southern (16) (Qualifying Game)
Photo Université Fairleigh Dickinson
Pierre-Olivier Racine
Cassandra Prosper
Notre Dame University Fighting Irish (3)
Guard | Montreal | 17 years
6’ 2’’
Premier match : Friday 3:30 p.m. vs. Southern Utah (14)
Getty Images via AFP
Cassandre Prosper (No. 4)
Kiandra Browne
Indiana University Hoosiers (1)
Forward | Pointe Claire | 21 years old
6’ 2’’
Premier match : Saturday 11:30 a.m. once morest Tennessee Tech (16) or Monmouth (16)
Indiana University Picture
Kiandra Browne
Fatima Diakhate
University of Georgia Lady Bulldogs (10)
Forward | Gatineau | 19 years old
6’ 5’’
Premier match : Friday 1:30 p.m. vs. Florida State (7)
Photo University of Georgia
Fatima Diakhate
