My husband and three sons are BIG college basketball fans, so March is a sacred month in our house. The NCAA basketball tournament is one of the greatest sporting events in the world and even draws in the casual fan with the annual tradition of filling out a bracket and guessing which Cinderella (small school) can make a run to the Final Four (oooh, I think we were all rootin' for ya, UCLA!). The screams of joy, disbelief, and amazement that were absent during the cancelled 2020 tournament have been back with a vengeance this month as an historic number of upsets has taken place as teams have fought to earn their spot in the Final Four (and maybe just maybe, get to experience the thrill of a buzzer beater as unbelievable as Suggs' last night! wow!).

As I’ve watched games over the last couple of weeks and learned the back stories of many of the schools, players, and coaches, I’ve noted 4 points that have helped many of the teams excel and I think can help each of us...