Laettner is the owner of two NCAA National Championship rings. Victor Baldizon/NBAE/Getty Images

With the brackets set and tip-off right around the corner, it's safe to say that March Madness is in full swing.

"It’s a great experience," former Syracuse Orangemen center Etan Thomas said. "The tournament is what you play for the whole year."

While many fans feel the pressure of trying to decide which team has the best chance of moving on in the tournament, the players face the real pressure of knowing that the game they play could determine whether they prepare for the next round or prepare for the next season.

"It's one of the greatest times to play basketball," former North Carolina Tar Heel Hubert Davis said. "It's awesome to be in a do-or-die situation."

Many of the Wizards are no strangers to playing in the Big Dance with more than half of the team having participated in the field of 64. Three players on the roster, Christian Laettner, Michael Jordan and Richard Hamilton, have gone on to win the whole thing.

Laettner, who possesses one of the most decorated resumes in NCAA basketball history, led Duke to three straight NCAA Championship appearances including back-to-back National Championships in 1991 and '92. In addition, Laettner is the only player in NCAA history to start in four consecutive Final Fours.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Laettner's legendary game-winning basket in overtime against Kentucky in the 1992 East Regional Final which propelled Duke to their fourth straight Final Four.

"It's always been very special to me, but as the years go by and more people talk about it, the more special it becomes," Laettner said. "It's always been way, way up there in my mind."

While Laettner played on a team favored to win, Popeye Jones helped Murray State reach the tournament during his sophomore season. The 16th seed Racers gave number one seed Michigan State all they could handle, taking the contest into overtime. But the Big Ten champion was too much for the Jones and the Racers with the Spartans going on to win the game 75-71.

"That game was my coming out party," Jones said. "It kind of put me on the map."

Wizards center Brendan Haywood played in the tournament in each of his four years at North Carolina and helped the Tar Heels reach the Final Four in 1998 and in 2000.

"When it comes down to the tournament it’s a lot of pressure," Haywood said. "I have experienced the high of the highs in going to the Final Four twice and the low of the lows by losing to Weber State. Every game is important because it could be your last game of the year, so you just have to be ready for the pressure and excel under that pressure."