College Basketball

For well over a century, college basketball has been a major part of American sporting culture. College basketball provides young aspiring players the chance to show the world that they have what it takes to make it big in the sport. This level gives them the chance to shine under the spotlight in order to take the next step up to professional leagues. 

How it all began?

Basketball as a sport itself was incepted at an educational institution. James Naismith was a physical education teacher at YMCA International Training School, now known as Springfield College. He was given the task of coming up with a sport to revive interest in students to take physical education classes during the winter season. Naismith put a couple of baskets at opposite ends of a long court and came up with a new sport, basketball, in 1891. 

What happened Next?
The sport was an instant success that was embraced by numerous colleges across the country. Basketball gathered more momentum in 1930’s. The first doubleheader in history pitted New York University against Notre Dame and St.John’s took on Westminster in the year 1934. The last part of that decade saw the arrival of the two most prestigious college basketball tournaments in the country.

The first of those two competitions was the National Invitation Tournament which was formed in 1938. It started off with only six teams and that remained like that for the first three years before the field expanded to eight in the year 1941. More colleges began to take part and now it has a total of thirty two institutions taking part in it. The NIT was a huge hit right from the word go for that was the first proper tournament that gave players the platform they needed the most. A year after the inception of the NIT came the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship also known as the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Other popular names for the event are “March Madness” and the “Big Dance.” 

NCAA College Basketball’s Structure? The NCAA basketball Division I structure consists of a total of thirty two conferences which comprise of a whopping three hundred and forty seven colleges. 

The NCAA basketball tournamenthas an elimination format. There are no second chances, a team loses one game and they are out. The format increases the chances of upsets and keeps everyone on their toes because they know there is no room for error. Thirty-one out of the thirty two conference champions automatically get eligible to take part in the tournament. A committee is formed by the NCAA to select the other thirty seven teams to complete the line-up. The teams are then put in four regions with each of them containing at least seven teams.

The seeding of every side in the tournament is determined by the committee with the highest placed team getting the top spots in each region. The next four sides with the best records get second spots and the entire process ends with every team getting their own seed. The team topping the first region goes up against the number one team in the four regions whereas the other two region’s number one teams take on each other to complete the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament: Final Four line-up. The two winners then headline the NCAA Men’s Basketball Division I Championship game to earn the right to be called the national champion.

The UCLA Bruins hold the record for most wins with eleven titles against their name. They are closely followed by Kentucky Wildcats with eight. Indiana Hoosiers and North Carolina Tar Heels are joint third with five championships.

The NIT and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament have played a huge part in turning college basketball so hugely popular. Under the terms of an agreement signed for ten years in 2005, the NIT is now played under the umbrella of the NCAA. So now that the new season is about to start, this is your opportunity to grab tickets and support your favorite team.

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