Though the NCAA men’s basketball tournament is designed to produce a national champion, it’s just as effective at creating stars.
The stakes and pressure of a single-elimination tournament can turn once-anonymous figures who spent much of their careers toiling in obscurity into celebrities in an instant, with the fame from their one shining moment staying with them long after they’ve finished playing.
It’s not always players who are immortalized, either. There are coaches, of course, but also unsuspecting fans, student managers and even team chaplains.
March Madness bracketology: Latest NCAA tournament bubble predictions
The 2026 NCAA Tournament will tip off in just over a week, with 68 teams from across the country vying for a national championship — or, if not that, the chance to be remembered forever in the sport. Over three weeks of games, buzzers will be beaten, Goliaths will be toppled and cult heroes will be born.
