Two-time NCAA champion Jalen Brunson reveals what it takes to be great in March Madness

The 68-team bracket has been filled out, arsenic the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments are acceptable to statesman this week. 

While sports fans are excited for this year’s games, determination are those who reminisce astir their clip connected that March Madness court. Emotions, flashbacks, and much flood backmost erstwhile a year, particularly for those who were capable to marque the tally each kid dreams of successful March. 

New York Knicks constituent defender Jalen Brunson is 1 of those players. 

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Jalen Brunson isn't conscionable an All-Star with the New York Knicks, but a two-time March Madness victor with Villanova.  (GETTY)

"Yeah. I mean, it was 1 of the astir aggravated times successful my life," helium told Fox News Digital erstwhile asked astir his thoughts this clip of year, portion discussing his concern with BODYARMOR. "Whenever you get into the playoffs successful thing – precocious school, college, and present astatine the nonrecreational level – everything gets turned up a small bit. Even though everyone says, ‘Just support it different game. Try to support that mindset,’ there’s conscionable thing antithetic astir it.

"Those times backmost successful assemblage and those championships, those were immoderate of my favourite times."

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It’s hard for Brunson not to deliberation backmost to those times playing for the Villanova Wildcats, wherever helium didn’t conscionable triumph 1 NCAA rubric – helium had 2 successful his 3 assemblage seasons earlier leaving for the 2018 NBA Draft. 

So, for those players astir to embark connected what they anticipation is simply a agelong tally successful the tournament, Brunson is the cleanable idiosyncratic to inquire the ineffable question: What does it instrumentality to beryllium large successful March? 

Jalen Brunson of the Villanova Wildcats cuts down the nett aft defeating the Michigan Wolverines during the 2018 NCAA Men's Final Four National Championship crippled astatine the Alamodome connected April 2, 2018 successful San Antonio, Texas. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

"I deliberation astir importantly, adjacent though it’s not, you person to hole and dainty it similar different game," Brunson said aft speedy contemplation. "If anything, dainty it similar your last, due to the fact that it could be. I think, astir importantly, don’t deviate from your routine. Yes, it mightiness not beryllium conscionable different game, but your mentation and everything going into it is precise similar. 

"You bash thing that’s not successful your mean routine, subconsciously things tin beryllium different. Just effort to support it the aforesaid arsenic imaginable and bash your champion to prepare."

Of course, Brunson’s proposal is easier said than done. The stakes are higher, the possessions are much tense, and the ambiance tin beryllium overwhelming. But Brunson and his Wildcats teammates, which see his chap Knicks Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges, ignored each the sound and tried their hardest to dainty everything similar conscionable different crippled astatine the extremity of the day. 

As the tourney begins with the First Four connected Tuesday nighttime to whittle the excavation down toed 64 teams, Brunson knows speech successful the locker country volition commencement to vigor up astir the tournament. He does person each close to brag astir ‘Nova considering his history, but helium doesn’t. 

New York Knicks defender Jalen Brunson takes the shot upcourt during the archetypal fractional of an NBA hoops crippled against the Orlando Magic, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, successful New York.  (AP Photo/John Munson)

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However, that doesn’t mean helium and his chap Wildcats are not listening.

"No, we don’t speech astir Nova that much, but whenever idiosyncratic says, ‘Oh, my squad successful assemblage was this,’ we kinda conscionable look implicit and smirk," Brunson said, smiling. "They’re like, ‘All right, you guys are retired of this conversation.’ We ever get butted out, but needless to say, we person an precocious manus connected everybody else."

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