Men’s March Madness

Mens+March+Madness

Olivia Thomsen, writer

Men’s March Madness is when the NCAA Division 1 basketball team plays for a championship. This tournament involves 68 teams, and lasts for 7 rounds. There are 4 sections of the brackets that include: West, South, Midwest, and East. The first games start on March 16th, and 2 games will be played. The next games will be as follows during this week. 

 

This tournament was created by the National Association of Basketball Coaches in the year 1939. The idea for this tournament came about when Ohio State coach Harold Olsen. The first tournament only consisted of 8 teams. The first championship game was played by Oregon and Ohio State, and Oregon came out with the first championship. In 1951 they gained 8 more teams in the tournament. In 1975 it gained more teams, making a total of 32 teams. Then in 1985 the tournament consisted of 64 teams. This tournament did not become a part of the NCAA until in 1982 when Brent Musberger used it for coverage. The title of the tournament “March Madness” first came about in 1939 when Henry V. Porter, an Illinois high school official, used it. 

 

What to expect this year? The first 3 teams in the East are Baylor (looking for a back to back championship win), Kentucky, and Purdue. In the West we have the top 3 ranked teams coming into the tournament and that includes Gonzaga  (always a tough competitor), Duke, and Texas Tech. The Midwest top teams are Kansas, Auburn, and Wisconsin. Finishing off the top three teams are the South which includes Arizona, Villanova, and Tennessee. But don’t worry, Illinois is not too far away taking 4th in the South bracket.

 

What does your bracket look like this year? Who will win this year’s tournament?

Source: https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2021-03-14/march-madness-history-ultimate-guide