The tournament is usually played in March and as such is informally called March Madness or the Big Dance. Over the years it has become one of the most famous sports events in the country and anticipation is always running high for the next edition.
History:
The tournament is said to be envisioned by Ohio State University’s legendary coach Harold Olsen in 1939. He pitched the idea to the National Association of Basketball coaches, where it was met with support and the NCAA decided to incorporate the tournament into their calendar. The first tournament was played in 1939 and was won by Oregon.
Format:
Since 2011, the tournament comprises sixty eight teams out of which, thirty two conference champions appear from division I conferences via automatic bids. The remaining thirty six teams are selected “at-large” by a NCAA selection committee which seeds and places teams in regions depending on their previous performances. Four teams are seeded as number one and spread over four regions and the same is the case with the second seeded teams and so on.
The tournament is a single elimination tournament and each weekend three quarters of the teams are eliminated. Lower seeded teams are matched with higher seeded teams to ensure that there is a higher probability that the best teams meet each other in the later rounds, making for a more interesting competition. However, since this a single elimination tournament, there are good chances that an upset takes place and a lower team goes on a potential “Cinderella” run.
The last major rounds of the tournament are titled Sweet Sixteen (last sixteen or regional semifinals), Elite Eight (last eight or regional finals), Final Four (national semifinals) and the last game of the tournament is the national championship match.
Influence on the NBA Draft:
The NBA draft is slated to take place just three months after the tournament, so NBA executives have a keen eye on the players and results of the tournament. Draft decisions are sometimes drastically effected by the performance of players over the course of the seven-game tournament.
Studies have proven that players, who perform better in the tournament as compared to the regular season are usually drafted higher and vice versa. Similarly a player is likely to be drafted earlier, if his team puts in a strong performance at the tournament. So in terms of the NBA, the tournament holds special meaning too.
Since this is the premier college basketball tournament in the country, NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament tickets are high in demand. So make sure to reserve your own tickets as soon as possible if you want to catch live action from the entire tournament.