Each spring, excitement is at an all-time high for sports fanatics. The annual NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, referred to fittingly as ‘’March Madness’’, is a phenomenon which captivates the nation. Here 68 college teams clash in a sudden-death showdown. The thrill and the unpredictability of matches are comparable to playing at a fast payout online casino, where you can play exciting games and get your winnings with minimum hassle. This article will shed some light on this basketball extravaganza, its milestones, and some of the key concepts you need to know if you want to join the hype.
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An Overview of the Tournament
Here’s a brief account of the tournament, which will help you put the cultural phenomenon into context.
The History of March Madness
The tournament itself was the idea of Harold Olsen, Ohio State coach, and was operated by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). In 1939, the Oregon Ducks won the first-ever NCAA tournament, marking the start of an incredible journey. From then on, NCAA has established a steady row of basketball milestones. In the period between 1967 and 1973, the UCLA Bruins won an unprecedented 7 consecutive national championships, drawing even more popularity to college ball. In fact, UCLA remains the team with the most championships won to this day.
Source: Statista
In 1985, the competition expanded from 53 to 64 teams. This allowed more schools to participate, diversifying the whole experience and bringing more excitement to the playing field. More history was made in 2018, when Baltimore Country Retrievers from the University of Maryland became the first lower-seeded team to upset the #1 seed, the Virginia Cavaliers.
Team Selection
Right now, the tournament features 68 college basketball teams from the NCAA Division I. Any 32 teams that win their conference’s championships, automatically qualify. The remaining 36 teams need to be awarded an at-large bid by the selection committee. The process takes place on Selection Sunday, when men’s brackets and seeds are released to the public.
Seeding
We’ve mentioned the terms ‘’seed’’ and ‘’seeding’’ several times in this article. When creating the tournament structure, the selection committee assigns numerical seeds to the teams. These are assigned based on their performance during the regular season and tournaments. The idea behind the practice is to ensure balance and it plays a crucial role in determining the matchups.
Cinderella Stories
Everyone loves a story in which the underdog triumphs over the crowd favourite, and March Madness is chock-full of that. Lower-seeded teams often manage to pull off upsets against higher-seeded opponents, and the annual upset average is 12.4 upsets. Unlike the NBA, where smaller market teams are dominated by all-star superteams, March Madness nurtures its underdogs and remains unpredictable.
Gambling on the Underdog; March Madness Bracketology
Bracketology is the art of predicting and analyzing the outcomes of March Madness tournaments. Understanding the logic behind brackets is half the fun. It turns into a game of sorts, reminding us of the many similarities between basketball and gaming. After the Selection Committee releases the brackets for the 68 teams, it’s time for the fans to do some analysis on their own. The process involves considering team strengths, past performances, potential upsets, and, let's face it, personal biases.
More than 80 million brackets are filled each year, and the total bets amount to somewhere around $10 million. Sure, your chances of filling out a perfect bracket are two times lower than winning lotteries back-to-back, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. The overall chaos that ensues, coupled with a sense of community for all that participate in bracketology, is what makes this a cultural phenomenon, rather than just another basketball competition.
Conclusion
NCAA has cracked the code and managed to preserve the very essence of why sports tournaments are so enjoyable to watch. It has transcended its original form as a simple sports event and has captured the heart of the nation. Whether you’re a casual viewer or a die-hard basketball fan, you are unlikely to remain unaffected by the sense of community and the thrill of an unpredictable game.
