What is March Madness
Every year a single-elimination tournament, informally named March Madness, is played by college basketball teams. At the end of the mania, one team from the in the Men’s Division I and the Women’s Division I are crowned champions. The tournament is organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). March Madness started in 1939 and is currently followed by millions of people. Every year March Madness fans fill out brackets in an attempt to correctly predict the outcome of all 68 games of the tournament.
When all the Madness Started
In 1939 The University of Oregon defeated The Ohio State University to win the first NCAA Men’s basketball championship tournament. Only eight teams competed for the title for the first twelve years. Soon after, the number of teams invited to compete began to grow. The tournament is divided into four regions, with teams in those regions playing elimination rounds until a Final Four is created. The Final Four has one winning team from each region.
Diversity in the Games
While African Americans played in some of the early games, many schools refused to integrate well into the sixties. It was not until 1966 when Texas Western (now UTEP) became the first team to have an all-black starting line-up which win the championship that some diversity barriers began to fall. For women, the journey took longer. It wasn’t until 1982, that the NCAA held its first women’s basketball tournament. Today the Women’s Division I basketball championship mirrors the brackets of the Men’s Division I with 64 teams competing.
March Madness in 2016
This year the Men’s Division I tournament begins with the first round on March 15-16, 2016, in Dayton, Ohio and ends with the championship game on April 4, 2016, in Houston, Texas. The Women’s I Division tournament starts on March 18-21, 2016 and the Final Four play in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 3-5, 2016. Get ready to for the mania to begin!
Join in the Mania!
Join March Madness with our 2016 March Mania Bracket Challenge Promotions because our contests add excitement to your events! Just call Advantage Hole-in-One at 800-440-5070 today!
