March Madness History
First held in 1939, the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball Tournament is a single-elimination event which crowns college basketball’s national champion. The tournament, referred to popularly as “March Madness” is due to it starting in March and concluding in the first week of April, has become one of the most popular sporting events in the United States. One of the event’s unique features is the “Cinderella” potential, meaning a relatively unknown/underdog team can get on a hot streak and shock the basketball world. Butler and Virginia Commonwealth from the 2011 Final Four are perfect examples.
The March Madness basketball tournament consisted of only 8 teams from 1939 to 1950, doubled to 16 participants in 1951-52, and, beginning in 1975, multiple teams from individual conferences were allowed. In 1985, the field was expanded to 64 teams, where it remained until 2001, when a 65th ream was added. In 2011, three more teams were added, bringing the field’s total to its present number of 68 participante. I have my 2012 March Madness Picks all set and ready to go!
Teams are seeded (or ranked) by the NCAA, from #1 through #16, and then placed in one of four regionals. Winners of each game advance to the next round, with the eventual goal being to reach the Final Four, which consists of the winners of the four regionals. In the 2012 tournament, the four regional finals will be held in Boston (East), Phoenix (West), St. Louis (Midwest), and Atlanta (South). The 2012 Final Four is being held at the New Orleans Superdome, with the championship game scheduled for April 2nd. This will be the fifth time New Orleans has hosted the event.
Connecticut is the defending national champion, having defeated Butler last April 4th at Houston’s Reliant Stadium. The 2011 tournament was the first time in the event’s history that neither a #1 or #2 seed advanced to the Final Four, with Connecticut, a #3 seed, being the highest-seeded survivor.
UCLA has won the most national championships (11), followed by Kentucky (7), Indiana and North Carolina (5 apiece), and Duke (4). You can find March Madness favorites and picks from SportsGamblingWebsites.com.