March Madness: The Elam Ending

It’s that time of year again.  The 2023 NCAA basketball tournament brackets are out, and it’s time to enter a bracket contest and make your picks.  While this will be the third consecutive year that I am posting something on this blog related to March Madness, I wanted to introduce a new concept here for you to think about when you are watching the games.  While the format of college basketball games remains unchanged with two 20-minute halves, an idea regarding a new way to end basketball games in the future seems to be quietly gaining some traction.  This alternative, known as the Elam Ending, has me wondering what would happen if the NCAA used this method at the end of the game.

Before I get into the Elam Ending, I would at least like to take a moment to mention my previous March Madness entries on this blog.  My March Madness post from 2021 focuses on the long-standing tradition between my friend Brian and myself of picking winners based entirely on which school’s mascot would beat the other school’s mascot.  (For example, who would win between a Wildcat and an Aggie?)  And my March Madness post from 2022 provides other lessons on how to predict the winners (such as picking teams that wear blue, or picking the Peacocks to win on National Peacock Day).  Feel free to re-visit these posts for general tips on how to fill out your 2023 bracket.  But, after you fill out your bracket and the games actually start, here’s some more food for thought for when you are watching the end of one of the upcoming NCAA tournament games…

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