NBA All-Star Trae Young shares March Madness wisdom he hopes college players use ahead of NCAA Tournament

Trae Young, the four-time NBA All-Star, is focused connected getting acclimated with his caller Washington Wizards teammates and finishing the 2025-26 NBA play strong. 

But it's hard to disregard the feelings that travel astir this clip each twelvemonth arsenic the NCAA Tournament returns, particularly if you've played successful it. 

They telephone it March Madness for a reason. Raucous crowds, tense atmospheres connected the court, late-second heroics, David versus Goliath moments – you sanction it, this tourney is what players and fans alike look guardant to each year. 

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Oklahoma Sooners defender Trae Young successful the archetypal fractional of a archetypal circular matchup successful the Big 12 Basketball Championship betwixt the Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowboys connected March 7, 2018 astatine Sprint Center successful Kansas City, MO. (Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire)

For Young, it was a one-and-done infinitesimal with the Oklahoma Sooners successful 2018, a play that enactment the freshman constituent defender connected the representation was 1 of the champion players successful the state contempt the result. Of course, Young ne'er intended to conscionable play 1 March Madness game, but Rhode Island got the champion of Oklahoma that time successful 2018, and the archetypal subordinate to ever pb the NCAA successful points and assists successful a azygous season, aboriginal declared for the NBA Draft. 

So, arsenic helium looks up to this year's tournament, Young has a cardinal portion of proposal for each those astir to embark connected their March Madness journeys, whether they're from a large programme oregon made "The Dance" arsenic a league champion.

"I deliberation the main happening I learned was conscionable knowing that you whitethorn oregon whitethorn not get different accidental astatine this," helium told Fox News portion discussing his breathtaking concern with Sling TV and its amusive promotion for assemblage hoops fans up of the NCAA Tournament. "Going into my freshman year, I thought I was going to person a mates chances. The mode the play panned out, I conscionable got the one.

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"So, you ne'er cognize however galore shots you’re going to get to beryllium capable to adjacent person a accidental to play successful the tournament. Just to marque definite you’re focused and locked successful connected each portion of this journey, due to the fact that you ne'er cognize erstwhile you person to determination connected to the adjacent one."

For players, it tin surely beryllium hard to instrumentality a measurement backmost and admit the infinitesimal each hoopers imagination of. Young understands it, too, arsenic helium inactive remembers the emotions helium felt erstwhile helium took the court. 

"I don’t cognize if tense is needfully the word, but I had truthful galore emotions. It was astir apt successful there, but I was anxious and acceptable to play," helium reminisced. "But I retrieve everything, from the autobus ride, walking to the autobus and each the fans being there, and being specified a large woody for the university. 

Trae Young of the Oklahoma Sooners drives to the handbasket against Fatts Russell #2 of the Rhode Island Rams successful the 2nd fractional during the archetypal circular of the 2018 NCAA Photos via Getty Images Men's Basketball Tournament held astatine PPG Paints Arena connected March 15, 2018 successful Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

"Everything astir that full experience, adjacent if it was conscionable 1 game, I’ll ne'er hide that full acquisition and being a portion of March Madness for sure."

Young went connected to people 28 points, portion dishing retired 7 assists with 5 rebounds. But Rhode Island took the first-round triumph successful overtime, ending immoderate accidental the No. 10 Sooners could spell connected an underdog run. 

But underdogs are who Young hasn't stopped rooting for successful the tourney since then, and that conscionable mightiness see his Sooners if they tin marque a tally successful the SEC Tournament. Oklahoma, ranked 11th for the league tournament, defeated the No. 14 South Carolina Gamecocks connected Wednesday nighttime to commencement disconnected connected the close foot.

"We’re getting blistery astatine the close clip and that’s each that matters. If we triumph a mates wins here, find our mode to person much of a ft successful for the tournament, I’m going to beryllium truly excited," helium said astir his erstwhile team. 

UNDERDOGS WIN WITH SLING TV

Speaking of those higher seeds successful the tournament, Young’s concern with Sling TV is rewarding assemblage hoops fans with a promotion that mirrors the excitement of each unexpected upset successful March Madness. 

Young and Sling TV person invited fans to research a flexible viewing acquisition with newly-launched 1-, 3- and 7-Day Pass subscriptions to ticker March Madness games live. 

Trae Young partnered with Sling TV to assistance present flexibility for assemblage hoops fans up of March Madness. (Sling TV)

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And, from March 19-22, if immoderate No. 12-16 effect advances to the Sweet 16 successful either the men’s oregon women’s tournaments, eligible customers tin assertion their adjacent 1-Day Pass for conscionable 1 dollar. 

"It’s ace chill conscionable being capable to beryllium a portion of thing [with Sling TV], and the fans are specified a large portion of doing thing similar this," Young explained. "To beryllium capable to person much fans engaged connected it and beryllium adjacent much acceptable to ticker these games, sitting connected their couches and watching these games. It’s ace chill to beryllium a portion of this with Sling TV and rooting for the underdogs."

If that underdog makes it to the Sweet 16, fans volition beryllium capable to redeem their 1-Day Pass astatine immoderate clip done the title game, which volition instrumentality astatine Lucas Oil Stadium successful Indianapolis connected April 6. 

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