Mens College Basketball

1 Ohio State (52) 29-2 1,612
2 Kansas (13) 29-2 1,569
3 Pittsburgh 27-4 1,493
4 Notre Dame 25-5 1,416
5 Duke 27-4 1,265
6 North Carolina 24-6 1,209
7 San Diego State 29-2 1,197
8 Brigham Young 28-3 1,187
9 Purdue 25-6 1,108
10 Texas 25-6 1,081
11 Syracuse 25-6 984
12 Florida 24-6 931
13 Wisconsin 23-7 870
14 Louisville 23-8 794
15 Kentucky 22-8 639
16 Arizona 25-6 562
17 St. John's 20-10 462
18 Xavier 24-6 437
19 Kansas State 22-9 345
20 West Virginia 20-10 294
21 Connecticut 21-9 281
22 Georgetown 21-9 244
23 Utah State 28-3 234
24 Temple 24-6 209
25 Cincinnati 24-7 202

NCAA® March Madness® Championship Key Dates

2011 NCAA® March Madness® Schedule

Date Event
March 13: Selection Sunday
March 15 & 16: First Four
March 17 & 18: Second Round
March 19 & 20: Third Round
March 24 & 25: NCAA Sweet Sixteen
March 26 & 27: Elite Eight®
April 2: Final Four®
April 4: National Championship

By Darren W Chow

If you are a basket ball fanatic, you would be familiar with "March Madness" as it is popularly called. In a nutshell, it refers to basket ball competitions between scores of teams that usually takes place during the month of March. It is also sometimes known as Big Dance.

When these competitions get underway, basket ball fever grips players and sports lovers alike. This championship is conducted by NCAA or the National Collegiate Athletic Association. In fact, the phrase is a registered trademark by NCAA. The tournament is based on single elimination principle and is normally help each spring and is characterized by the thump of basket balls and the roaring of the crowds. Millions of fans watch avidly with bated breaths as this event unfolds.

March Madness traces its origins to Illinois from 1908 when it was a small affair sponsored by Illinois High School Association through invitations. Various high school boys' basket ball teams participated in this annual tournament. From those humble origins, the event grew to a statewide institution engulfing 900 schools in the competition in the late 1930s. In fact, there were several teams known as "sweet sixteen" that became popular attracting sellout crowds.



Interestingly, all this transpired before professional teams gained a foot hold in the nation. Even more surprising is the fact, this was all before television and still gripped the average fan. Obviously, the basket ball fever had transformed itself into epidemic proportions!

When did the term first appear on paper? Way back in 1939, Henry V. Porter, impressed by this sports fever wrote an essay "March Madness" which appeared in Illinois Interscholastic, an IHSA magazine. Henry Porter was an Assistant Executive Secretary of the Illinois High School Association at that time. Newspapermen caught onto it immediately and used it often in their newspapers. This finally crystallized as a popular event name during the Golden Era of 1940s and 1950s.

In 1973, the IHSA began to use the term officially through its programs and merchandising. Around 1977, an official history of the boys basket ball championship was written by Jim Enright and appeared as "March Madness: The Story of High School Basketball in Illinois". Another publication "March Madness: The Official Video History of the IHSA Basketball Tournament" followed suit in 1989. Both book and video were marketed and sold across the nation. Shortly thereafter, the IHSA trademarked the phrase as "America's Original March Madness."

At present, both NCAA and the IHSA jointly own the registered trademark of March Madness. The term is now often connected with the NCAA popularized largely by Brent Musburger during annual broadcasts of the tournament. Interestingly, in the 1960s, Intersport Inc., had actually trademarked the term before IHSA and NCAA. However, both of them bought it back.

"March Madness" is no longer confined to boys basket ball tournament and has been extended to girl's basket ball championships too by NCAA. The tournaments are regarded now as part of the national psyche that send millions of Americans into a frenzy every year.

2009
2010 DUKE BLUE DEVILS BASKETBALL TEAM SIGNED AUTOGRAPHED 8x10 RP PHOTO