My dad stayed with us this weekend during his annual trip to Austin for the UIL High School Girls Basketball State Championships. The tournament always falls on the last weekend of February, and my dad’s presence there is about as sure as the sun. He’s been coaching high school basketball for close to 30 years in Texas, and I’m not sure he’s missed a single year of the tournament.

Growing up, it was a tradition. Once I got old enough, I was allowed to take a few days off of school and come to Austin with him to watch the games. I remember when I was younger eating at Red Brick Pizza on Red River in between sessions. Now, as an adult living in Austin, I look forward to him coming, and still try to attend one of the sessions with him to get my fill of high school girls basketball. Because everyone needs some of that in their life, you know what I mean?

The tournament is always a seasonal marker for me- for my dad being in town and also for MARCH.

If you guys weren’t aware, March is my favorite month of the year.

Why? I’ll give you three guesses.

1. It starts to warm up in Austin, and we get these awesome 75 degree days with no clouds.

Nope.

2. Sno beach re-opens for the season and graces Austin with their sno-cones once again.

Nope.

3. SXSW comes to town.

Absolutely not.

What could it be then, you ask? Two words:

College. Basketball.

That’s right. I am that girl. I am that girl who participates in a bracket competition with her family. I’m the girl who has ESPN pulled up while at work, so I can be listening to the games instead of my iTunes. I’m the girl who cries during “One Shining Moment” every. single. year.

You think it would’ve gotten old by now. It hasn’t.

Sixteen games on each day during the first and second rounds, the underdogs, the last second shots, the inevitable Cinderella, the five people in the whole country who have their ESPN brackets still correct after the first weekend, the excitement as you see the field narrowed from 64, 32, 16, 8 to the coveted Final Four. It’s madness, and I freaking love it.

Needless to say, I’m really excited it’s March.

If you need me, I’ll be on my back porch avoiding SXSW, in the 75 degree weather watching basketball and eating Sno-beach.