If you were to ask me what my favorite month of the year is, one of the top answers would have to be March. The beginning blooms of spring, warmer weather, and most importantly, the thrill of college basketball. Any sports fan knows how exciting the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, otherwise known as March Madness, can be, and the win-or-go-home format plays a huge role in this, unlike the longer format of the NBA Finals.

When every game leads to one of the teams packing their bags, emotions run high and everything matters more. In a best-of-seven format, similar to what is used during the NBA Finals, while every game is important, there’s a good chance a team can recover and win the series even after losing the first game. There’s not as much on the line, and a game-winning shot doesn’t mean as much as it does in college.

Take UConn’s win over Duke in the Elite Eight of this year’s tournament. With under 10 seconds remaining, Duke led by two and had control of the ball. Within seconds, UConn was able to tip the ball out of the hands of Duke guard Cayden Boozer, set up a quick three-pointer and hit the buzzer-beater to advance UConn to the Final Four. UConn was ecstatic after punching a ticket to the Final Four; Duke was crushed after blowing its chances, and it was all decided in one game.

Not only does this format provide excitement for the teams, but it keeps all of the fans watching on the edge of their seats. There’s nothing more exciting than watching a buzzer-beater, especially when it has such huge implications on the tournament. Any team could have just one amazing game and force an unbelievable upset, but to win four is a much more daunting task. Watching a game-winning shot but then proceeding to watch the same two teams go at it again two days later just doesn’t provide that same level of excitement.

In addition to the thrill of each game, March Madness having the format it does allows it to be more special for the brief amount of time that it occurs. A tournament like the NBA Finals, consisting of multiple different best-of-seven rounds, takes months. It starts in April and a champion isn’t crowned until June. Although I’m never one who will oppose watching more basketball, a tournament that continues for months with only 16 teams can lose its level of excitement, whereas March Madness being only three weeks long makes it a special time of year for fans and players alike.

Whether it’s a casual basketball fan or a die-hard fan of their favorite team, most would agree that March Madness is one of the best times of year to love basketball. The win-or-go-home format plays a massive role in this, given how thrilling the tournament is due to it.