Let the madness begin … in every sense of the word.

“Madness” is defined in the dictionary as, “The quality or state of being mad as a) Rage, b) Insanity, c) Extreme folly, d) Ecstasy, enthusiasm.”

Indeed, March Madness covers it all.

By the time Monday rolls around, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament field will be whittled down to 16 teams. In the process, millions of fans will shred their brackets in rage.

No one has ever filled out a perfect bracket and this has nothing to do with the world’s basketball IQ. It simply illustrates the 9 quintillion possibilities — and yes, that’s a real number with 18 zeros.

As Mike Breen, a spokesman for the American Mathematical Society in Providence, R.I. told the Kansas City Star: “If you threw a bean bag from space, you’d have a much better chance of hitting your roof than picking your bracket exactly right.”

If the bracket busting doesn’t cause insanity, the basketball will.

March Madness is known for its last-second heroics, emergence of underdogs and overall frantic nature of college kids playing their hearts out in a single-elimination format.

Moments of insanity on the basketball court are just as inevitable as the viewers tearing up brackets in rage.

The erratic tendencies of the tournament lead to the extreme folly of it all. When trying to determine the best team in the sport, this format simply lacks good sense.

There will be many prognosticators — including myself — picking Kentucky as the champion this year. If history over the past decade repeats itself, that’s a very poor pick.

Of the past nine champions, none have been the No. 1 team in the Associated Press Top 25 heading into the tournament. It would be crazy to say the Wildcats aren’t the favorites, but it’s equally insane to wholeheartedly believe Kentucky will be the last team standing.

As far as determining the best team in the country, this tournament provides an epic fail. The BCS is widely criticized — and rightfully so — but it at least guarantees two of the best teams squaring off with a title on the line.

The NCAA tournament renders the regular season meaningless. It delivers two survivors who slapped together a five-game winning streak at just the right time.

The champion, whichever team it might be, will undoubtedly be consumed with ecstasy and enthusiasm. That definition of madness isn’t exclusive to college basketball, though.

It can be applied to Pittsburgh Penguin fans this week, too, as Sidney Crosby will make his long-awaited return Thursday against the New York Rangers.

So Pittsburgh fans, your college basketball team whiffed on the tournament and your brackets will likely fall apart faster than the Panthers’ season. But don’t let it curb your enthusiasm for March.

Crosby is back and chomping at the bit to bring a little madness to the NHL.

Jason Orfao is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.