March Madness: the Olympic fan's guide to the men's and women's NCAA basketball tournament

If you haven’t yet watched March Madness, the nickname for the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, you’re not too late to catch some of it this year. The Sweet 16 starts on 28 March for the men, and 29 March for the women.

The tournament started with Selection Sunday on 17 March and over the course of the last two weeks the teams have been whittled down to 16 per tournament. By the end of the weekend for the men, and 1 April for the women, the Final Fours will have been decided. The men will then head to Phoenix, Arizona, while the women will go to Cleveland, Ohio, for the chance to be crowned winner of the national championships.

Read on to find out which Olympic stars have previously competed in March Madness, who could possible shine this year, and what games could be thrillers as the tournaments reach their climax.

Basketball players who starred in the NCAA tournament before winning Olympic gold

Michael Jordan

As a freshman at North Carolina, Michael Jordan made the game-winning shot against Georgetown to win the championship as a freshman. He was a star for the Tar Heels for the next two seasons before winning Olympic gold at Los Angeles 1984 and Barcelona 1992 for Team USA**, and winning six NBA titles for the Chicago Bulls**.

A’ja Wilson

Before winning gold with Team USA at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, as well as two MVPs and two WNBA titles, A’ja Wilson was a star with the South Carolina Gamecocks. She led them to a national championship in 2017 and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

Carmelo Anthony

In just one season at Syracuse, Carmelo Anthony won the national championship and Most Outstanding Player of the tournament for helping his Orangemen beat Kansas in the final. He left after one year, having achieved his goal, and went on to win three Olympic gold medals, one Olympic bronze and become a 10-time NBA All-Star.

Breanna Stewart

Few collegiate players have ever reached the heights of Breanna Stewart during her four years at UConn. She not only won a championship with the Huskies during all four years of her college career, she also was named the Most Outstanding Player in all four tournaments. It’s not really a surprise that she has gone on to win two Olympic gold medals, two WNBA titles and two MVPs.

Dwyane Wade

Before winning gold and bronze in the Olympic Games and three NBA titles, Dwyane Wade was a star for the Marquette Golden Eagles in the early 2000s. He led his team to the Final Four in 2003 - the school’s first trip there since 1977.

Cheryl Miller

As the star of the Lady Trojans, Cheryl Miller led the team to two dominant national titles for USC and won the tournament MVP both years. She then joined with other collegiate players to win gold at the Olympic Games Los Angeles 1984. It was the first women’s basketball gold won by the US.

Stars to watch

Caitlin Clark, Iowa: Nearly every time Clark steps foot on the court she seems to break a new scoring record. She now owns the NCAA all-time record for scoring and single-season record, as well.

Zach Edey, Purdue: The 7-foot-4 (223.52 cm) senior averaged 24.5 points per game for the Boilermakers. In the opening game of the tournament, he scored 30 and grabbed 21 rebounds.

Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame: Like Watkins, Hidalgo is a freshman who has burst onto the scene this season. She can score - averaging 22.9 points per game, grab boards - 6.2 per game, and make assists - 5.6 per game. Don’t look away for a second, or you’ll miss her flying around the court to make plays.

Jamal Shead, Houston: Shead doesn’t just score, he sets up his teammates, too. Shead scored 21 and dished out 10 assists in the Cougars’ overtime win over Texas A&M.

Juju Watkins, Southern California: The freshman phenom has been impressive all season long, kicking her output up a notch in the tournament. Against Kansas, she scored 28 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and showed why the Trojans had earned their number one seed.

March Madness key fixtures

Of course every game is worth watching, but these four look set to be thrillers:

Women’s tournament:

Notre Dame vs. Oregon State, Friday 29 March, 14:30 ET
LSU vs. UCLA, Saturday 30 March, 14:00 ET

Men’s tournament:

Iowa State vs. Illinois, Thursday 28 March, 22:09 ET
Marquette vs. North Carolina State, Friday 29 March, 19:09 ET