Column | Ari’s aura picks: Fielding the March Madness bracket based on vibes

There are many different ways to fill out a March Madness bracket. Some will study team sheets and try to make 63 educated guesses based on statistics. Others will choose based on what mascot would win in a fight or which team has the better color combination. Personally, I will choose my bracket based on another metric — aura. 

Aura is the intangible aspect surrounding a team — the general vibes given off by a program. I have selected four teams, one from each quadrant, that I believe have the highest aura and, therefore, will have the best shot at winning it all in this year’s National Championship.

McNeese State

Quite possibly the most viral and popular mid-major team in this year’s tournament, McNeese State has taken social media by storm. Led by dynamic head coach Will Wade, McNeese State has played fast-paced, exhilarating basketball all season. However, their presence was elevated by videos of them walking down hallways to enter games, led by team manager Amir “Aura” Khan. His nickname is literally aura.

Khan frequently walks holding a boombox, rapping songs alongside his teammates, which led him to sign NIL deals with TickPick and Insomnia Cookies, among others. I give McNeese a decent shot of beating No. 5 seed Clemson to open their tournament run.

Robert Morris

Naturally, one of the teams with the most aura is from Western Pennsylvania. Robert Morris, which is located just outside of Pittsburgh International Airport in Moon Township, made it to March Madness after rolling through all their opponents in the Horizon League conference tournament.

Robert Morris draws their aura from their three stars — sophomore forward sharpshooter Alvaro Folgueiras, junior guard Josh Omajafo and senior guard Kam Woods. 

All three of them tend to make highlight reel plays. From Folgueiras’ three-point shot to Woods’ drives to the hoop and Omajafo’s dunks, Robert Morris games became appointment viewing this season. 

Despite their matchup against No. 2 seed Alabama in the first round, Robert Morris’ dynamic playstyle could cause problems for any team in the tournament.

Omaha

Omaha, officially the University of Nebraska Omaha, enters the tournament following their Summit League regular season and tournament championship victories. 

Their aura lies within two factors. First, their celebration following wins is elite. Omaha, following every victory, takes a trash can and smashes it. Initially started by assistant coach Kyan Brown to hype the team up ahead of a game against Cal Poly, it is now used to keep the energy going after a win. 

Second, current Omaha assistant athletic director Jordan Sarnoff has a history with March Madness. Sarnoff was a senior in college when he was the basketball sports information director for Fairleigh Dickinson in 2023, helping communications when they upset Purdue in the first round of that year’s tournament. He now helps to lead an Omaha team that will take on No. 2 seed St. John’s to open their tournament run. 

New Mexico

New Mexico is a leader in the aura category for multiple reasons. One of them is their head coach, Richard Pitino. Son of current St. John’s Rick Pitino, Pitino has improved his team year over year, going from a losing record in 2021-22 to back-to-back tournament bids in the last two years. 

Not only that, but the stadium New Mexico plays in boasts one of the best environments in the country. New Mexico decided to build their stadium partially underground, with the playing surface 37 feet below street level. For that reason, it is officially known as The Pit and provides an intimidating environment for all away teams. Hopefully, they can bring a piece of The Pit with them as they take on No. 7 seed Marquette in Cleveland to open their tournament run.