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The History of the Ncaa Men's Basketball Tournament
Author: Grant Eckert  | Posted: 03-04-2008 | Comments: 0 | Views: 54 | Rating: (63)  (?) 
The culmination of the NCAA Men's basketball tournament is a championship game that is played at the end of a dramatic single elimination tournament. This tournament is played each spring. There are 65 college basketball teams that participate in the tournament. It takes place in March, which is why it has earned the nickname "March Madness". The tournament takes 3 weeks, and the national semifinals, which are called the Final Four, have become a sporting event that is extremely popular.
The NCAA Men's basketball tournament began in 1939. Since that time, it has built an upstanding legacy and history. This is partly because of the many inspiring stories of underdog teams who ended up winning the championship. Through the years, more and more people began to follow the tournament, and it is now one of the most highly anticipated sporting events held in the United States. Many people do friendly wagering or betting with their families, peers, or work colleagues, based on the outcome of the game. The tournament is also broadcast on CBS across the country.
The tournament is organized in a bracket format. The bracket for the entire format is made up of the teams who are included in the tournament. Some teams are regional tournament champions from various Division I conference games. There are also teams that are chosen, who are not Division I conference championship teams, which make up the remainder of the spots in the bracket. These teams are chosen by the NCAA selection committee.
The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament has gone through several changes since its inception in 1939. It has expanded several times. From 1939 to 1950, there were only eight teams that participated in the tournament. In 1951, for one year, the tournament expanded to 16 teams. This was a doubling of the tournament, which meant twice as many games, as well as twice as many chances for a person to see a winning team.
During the years from 1953 to 1974, the tournament varied in size. At times, there were 22 teams, and other years there were 25 teams. This fluxuation depended on different methods of counting the teams who were winning their respective brackets, as well as on the various ideas of those that were in charge of the NCAA at that time. The expansion of teams included was largely due to the fact that, as time progressed, more college teams were playing in the United States, and also due to the fact that college sports were becoming more and more popular with fans.
From 1975 to 1978, the tournament settled on 32 teams. However, in 1979, 8 more teams were added. By 1980, there were 48 teams. At this time the NCAA decided to make an adjustment in the rules of the tournament. In 1983, the tournament expanded to 52 teams. However, they had four of the teams participate in play-in games before the tournament began. These games determined who would go on to compete in the actual tournament. A year later, they expanded by one more team. These games would determine who was actually included in the brackets for the tournament.
From 1985 to 2000, there were 64 teams that played in the tournament. In 2001, they expanded that to the current number, 65 teams. In order to determine whether the 64th or 65th team plays in the first round of the tournament, these two teams play an "opening round" game. The winner of this opening game is the one who advances to play in the first round of the tournament.
The 65 teams that participate in the NCAA Men's basketball tournament are not always the same. They are chosen by a special selection committee. This is a committee that is appointed by the NCAA. They also decide where each team will be seeded in the brackets. There is also an automatic bid, which means that the committee only actually chooses 34 teams. The rest of the teams are conference champions. These champions are automatically entered into the tournament.
In recent years, the NCAA Men's basketball tournament has become widely popular. Therefore, it is one of the most watched, most anticipated, and most widely talked about sporting events in the United States. There is no telling whether or not the tournament will continue to increase in number, or if it will stay the same. The continuing growth depends on support for the sport of college basketball, as well as for the NCAA in general.
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About the Author:Grant Eckert is a freelance writer who writes about sports and leisure activities, similar to what consumers read in ESPN Magazine | ESPN the Magazine
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