Analyzing the Twitter Buzz Around NCAA March Madness
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, more popularly known as March Madness, is a captivating sporting event that ignites passionate discussions and reactions across social media platforms. Twitter, in particular, serves as a dynamic hub for fans, analysts, and even players to share their thoughts, predictions, and emotions in real-time. Analyzing this Twitter activity can offer valuable insights into fan sentiment, trending topics, and the overall narrative of the tournament.
Absence of a Clear Fan Favorite
One notable observation from social media analysis is the apparent lack of a dominant fan favorite in the tournament. While several teams garner significant support, no single team overwhelmingly captures the hearts of the nation. This parity is reflected in the distribution of states favoring different teams. Alabama is favored in eight states, while Purdue ranks third with seven states. Here are the full results:
- No. 1 Kansas: 9 states
- No. 1 Alabama: 8 states
- No. 1 Purdue: 7 states
- No. 4 UConn: 5 states
- No. 3 Gonzaga: 4 states
- No. 4 Virginia: 3 states
- No. 5 Duke: 3 states
- No. 1 Houston: 2 states
- No. 2 Marquette: 2 states
- No. 2 UCLA: 2 states
- No. 3 Xavier: 1 state
- No. 6 Kentucky: 1 state
- No. 4 Tennessee: 1 state
- No. 2 Texas: 1 state
This distribution suggests a wide-open tournament with numerous teams capable of making a deep run, contributing to the excitement and unpredictability that defines March Madness.
Degree's Partnership with Monmouth University
Brands recognize the immense potential for engagement during March Madness. Degree, through its corporate partnership with the NCAA, teamed up with the Monmouth University bench squad, known for their sideline theatrical antics. Degree/Monmouth reaction videos had the largest share of brand voice during the activation days of the NCAA tournament. Weeks before the tip off to the 2019 NCAA tournament , we scheduled two days of shooting to capture over 80 pieces of short form video reaction in anticipation of expected notable basketball plays during the tournament. The team conceptualized as many basketball plays, fouls, calls they could imagine occurring throughout the duration of the NCAA tournament.
Upsets and Reactions: The Harvard Example
Big upsets drive big reactions. The tournament is renowned for its Cinderella stories, where lower-seeded teams defy expectations and topple basketball giants. These upsets generate significant buzz on Twitter, as fans express their shock, disbelief, and elation.
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A prime example of this phenomenon is No. 14 Harvard's improbable 68-62 win over No. 3 New Mexico in Salt Lake City. Fielding a unique four-guard lineup, No. 14 Harvard squeaked out an improbable 68-62 win over New Mexico, a 3-seed, in Salt Lake City on Thursday, giving the Crimson their first NCAA tournament victory in program history. Coupled with New Mexico, the game generated over 418 million total impressions. The victory marked the Crimson's first NCAA tournament win in program history and sent shockwaves through the bracket predictions. Of the 8.15 million brackets submitted on ESPN's Tournament Challenge, only 5.6 percent of the entries picked Harvard to knock off the Lobos. Nineteen percent of brackets had New Mexico advancing to the Sweet 16 and 9.1 percent reaching Final Four.
Despite the bracket-busting upset, social media sentiment towards Harvard was surprisingly positive. Ashley Read of London-based sports social media agency, We Play, ran the numbers using Topsy Pro Analytics, which provides a sentiment score between 0-100, with 100 being most positive. Harvard scored a 75; New Mexico drew a 57. Perhaps the happiest reaction of them all came from the one player that helped put Harvard on the national map, Jeremy Lin. Known for his own meteoric rise, the Houston Rockets' floor leader tweeted out this dose of post-game Madness. Lin's former coach and current Harvard skipper, Tommy Amaker, has steered the Crimson to a 111-64 (.634) ledger in his six years at the helm, including three Ivy League titles and two-thirds of the program's tournament bids. The Crimson will remain in Salt Lake City to meet No. 6 Arizona in the Round of 32 on Saturday. This illustrates the unpredictable nature of social media sentiment, where underdog stories can often garner widespread support and admiration.
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tags: #NCAA #March #Madness #Twitter #analysis
