When the calendar rolls over to March, there are two events to look forward to.As a college kid, the first one’s pretty obvious. Spring break. But now, the dirty clothes full of sand are nearly all clean and the process of catching up on lost sleep will remain ongoing.And so will the memories. But with spring break behind us, it’s now time for the Big Dance. In the words of Dick Vitale, “March Madness, baby!”
Hopefully you filled out a bracket for this year’s tourney. If you didn’t, come on, man. No worries, though. There is always next year to join the madness I suppose.
The phrase March Madness, used to describe the NCAA men’s basketball road to the championship, actually has a pretty interesting story behind it.
The saying was initially used in 1939 to describe the Illinois State high school tournament.H.V. Porter was a high school principal who published an article, “March Madness,” about high school basketball and the phrase caught on.He proceeded to become a member of the National Basketball Committee and made recommendations regarding the sport.He is responsible for changes to the backboard shape and most importantly for designing a molded basketball free of laces that made dribbling nearly impossible.
In the early 1980s, CBS sportscaster Brent Musburger redifined the phrase while calling the men’s NCAA tournament. It went viral.The phrase was owned by the state of Illinois’ basketball association, but they agreed to share the popular description with the NCAA.Viewers of the games will hear this phrase over and over again in the weeks to come.
Also referred to as the Big Dance, the 68 teams invited to the tournament will all battle it out on their way to the final four. The first stop is the Sweet 16 though, and then on to the Elite 8.The single elimination format paves the way for major upsets and the birth of a Cinderella team that usually comes from a small school that people have never heard of.
This tournament is a true playoff system that allows for the two teams who have had the stamina to withstand playing many games in a short period of time to meet in the final championship game.The system is a fan favorite for sure. And by nature, we love rooting for the underdogs.
Basketball fans as well as those who did not watch a single game all season fill out multiple brackets apiece and join pools with their friends and co-workers, hoping to be lucky enough to pick the winners of each game and ultimately who will be cutting down the nets on April 2.
UCLA still has the throne with 11 titles, the most championships won by a single program. The school’s storied coach, John Wooden, was the coach for 10 of the crowns. But with UCLA no where in sight, it’s time for a new champ.
Three of this year’s four top seeds caused chaos last weekend by losing their conference championship games.And now Syracuse is vulnerable with the loss of their big man, Fab Melo. It looks like the madness has already begun.
