Chelsea Ferenando
It’s currently that time of year…that time when basketball fever aka March Madness hits the nation.
Don’t have a clue about March Madness? Whether your friends are setting up brackets or you need to limit the awkward small talk about basketball with your co-workers, here are the important trivia facts to keep you in the know on all things basketball this month.
The history of “March Madness”
March Madness is a college basketball tournament, which was started by the National Association of Basketball Coaches in 1939 — and this year’s tournament is the 79th edition! Long story short, it’s one of the biggest sporting events in the country. The entirety of last year’s competition averaged 11.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen.
What’s the name all about?
It’s pretty self-explanatory. “March Madness” was coined by Illinois teacher and coach Henry V. Porter in 1908 to describe the excitement and hysteria surrounding high school basketball tournaments. Basically, people were “mad” (in a good way) about basketball. It officially became the March Madness we know and love today in 1982.
How does it work?
The tournament operates on a “one-and-done” style. Basically…if you lose, you’re out. The tournament begins with 64 teams. In each round, this number drops, going from 64 to 32 to 16 (the Sweet 16) to 8 (the Elite Eight). The Elite Eight determines the winners in each region. Those winners face off in the Final Four until there’s only one team left standing.
32 teams are decided by winning their conference tournament, and 36 teams are “at large” teams chosen by a selection committee. The same committee ranks (or in basketball lingo, seeds) the teams, one through 16, and sorts them into four regions. These teams are from all around the country from large state schools, ivy leagues, and small private universities. There’s a team for everyone to pull for so you can root for your college team (or against your ex-boyfriend’s home state team — we won’t judge).
By the numbers
20:
You have 20 days to soak up all the madness, March 14 through April 3.
10:
The number of people on the selection committee of teams. So much power in such few hands.
9.2 quintillion:
The odds of picking the perfect bracket. This isn’t for the faint of heart!
35
: The number of different teams that have won the tournament
8
: The lowest seed team to ever win a tournament came in 1985 when Villanova beat Georgetown, 66-64.
Facts to help you build your bracket
- Last year, the Villanova Wildcats won the NCAA Tournament. However, the championship has gone to a different team every year for the last five years.
- Florida, Duke, and Connecticut have each won the NCAA tournament twice in the last 10 years of the tournament.
- Nearly everyone’s bracket was messed up last year after the No. 15 Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders pulled an upset over No. 2 Michigan State Spartans. Some deem it as the biggest upset in NCAA tournament history.
- But don’t always go for the upset. The NCAA explains that a No. 1 seed is still the most likely NCAA champion and Final Four participant.
Now that we’ve given you the lowdown, it’s time to get your bets on! If all else fails, just pick a final team to win it all and act really upset if they don’t make it. At least then you’ll have something to talk about during your lunch break.
Who are you rooting for this March Madness? Weigh in on the comments below!
xx, The FabFitFun Team
