Soo Line: March, the Month that Can’t Make Up Its Mind — Thankfully it Has Madness in It

By Soo Greiman

March is a fascinating month, full of surprises. Whether we’re battling the wind, adapting to unpredictable forecasts, losing an hour, counting shamrocks, remembering Ag Day or waiting for the event of Madness to get underway, we manage to get through it. 

This year, ever since it arrived, March has been showing us how it can serve up dramatic swings — warm one day, wintry and terribly windy the next. 

“In like a lion, out like a lamb” is one of the most famous sayings in weather lore. It reflects how this month can begin with fierce, stormy conditions and end with calm, spring-like weather. It’s only half over and already we’ve seen great examples of what March can do. If you’re like me, the tornado watches and warnings are  the scariest. 

Other good — but not always reliable — bits of folklore about March include sayings such as, “When March has April weather, April will have March weather,” and “Thunder in March bespeaks a fruitful year.” Another claims, “Dust in March brings grass and foliage.” That one makes sense — if we get winds and storms, there will soon be plenty of grass popping up and trees beginning to bloom. 

One bit of folklore I still can’t quite figure out is the saying, “A March sun sticks like a lock of wool.” How exactly does a lock of wool stick? Oh well. 

We can also be grateful for two events beginning in March that have much of the country watching, filling out brackets and cheering. They help make the month’s fickle reputation worth tolerating. March Madness has a way of turning the whole month electric. I feel the energy already. For dedicated fans, casual viewers and entire communities, March Madness is more than just the annual men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments. It has become one of the pinnacles of sports entertainment, rivaling even the Super Bowl in intensity and appeal. 

But why do millions of people — many with no direct connection to the teams — eagerly follow the action? 

I think the answer lies in how the tournaments become more than just basketball games. March Madness taps into something deeper: our love for competition, the thrill of the underdog story and the sense of belonging that sports can bring. 

The NCAA single-elimination basketball tournaments — one for men’s teams and one for women’s teams — create plenty of drama. The unpredictability of upsets, buzzer-beaters and Cinderella teams fuels the excitement every year and keeps fans on the edge of their seats. 

Hope you get a chance to watch. It certainly helps make fickle March weather a little less noticeable. 

Here is a look at the schedule for this year’s NCAA men’s tournament, shown on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV: First Four: March 17–18 

First Round: March 19–20 

Second Round: March 21–22 

Sweet 16: March 26–27 

Elite Eight: March 28–29 

Final Four: Saturday, April 4, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis 

National Championship Game: Monday, April 6 

The Women’s 2026 March Madness NCAA Basketball Tournament is also underway (shown primarily on  ESPN networks and some games on ABC). Its schedule is: 

First Four: March 18–19 

First Round: March 20–21 

Second Round: March 22–23 

Sweet 16: March 27–28 (Fort Worth and Sacramento)

Elite Eight: March 29–30 (Fort Worth and Sacramento) Final Four: April 3 (Phoenix) 

National Championship Game: April 5 (Phoenix)