Now that Selection Sunday is behind us, the real March Madness can begin. The NCAA men’s basketball tournament officially begins tomorrow, but the field of 64 action tips off on Thursday. Along with rooting for upsets, buzzer beaters and your bracket picks, you’ll most likely be cheering on your hometown team if they were lucky enough to make the “Big Dance.” But is your favorite college hoops program the same as the majority of your state? Thanks to TicketCity we can find out. Using engagement metrics such as Google search, social media following and game attendance over the past year, they created the state map below to show which teams are the most popular in the U.S. Take a look:
One thing that stands out about the map right away is that certain traditional college football powerhouses don’t see that popularity translate to the basketball programs. That’s why schools like Alabama, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, Nebraska and USC are not on it.
Furthermore, universities with smaller enrollments than big state colleges — like Gonzaga, Creighton and Villanova — have overcome that and won the popularity contest due to their hoops programs enjoying consistent success over the past several years.
Finally, it’s fun to check out battleground states like North Carolina and see which school came out victorious. Sorry Tar Heels fans.
For tickets to March Madness and more of your favorite sporting events, visit TicketCity.com.
