What Is March Madness?
Every March, the NCAA holds its Division I men’s basketball tournament to crown the national champion. The name “March Madness” describes this thrilling event perfectly. Because it is single-elimination, every game is a must-win, no matter the seed.
Over the years, the tournament has seen both glory and heartbreak, and that is the beauty of March Madness. In fact, even if your team didn’t make it, you will be on the edge of your seat for every game.
The format creates incredible games full of suspense. As a result, the tournament has become an annual classic in American sports. Millions of people fill out a bracket every year, and every team in the field has a shot at an upset. So, here is March Madness explained, in all its glory.
March Madness Breakdown
March Madness runs for three weeks. It starts on March 14 with the First Four and ends with the National Championship Game on April 3. The winner is crowned the champion of men’s Division I college basketball. Here is how the tournament works:
68 Teams: Selection Sunday, on March 12, decides the 68 teams in the tournament. The teams are then seeded 1 to 16 based on their season.
Automatic Bids: Every conference champion earns an automatic bid. In total, automatic bids make up 32 of the 68 teams. Because small conferences also get an automatic bid, Cinderella stories are possible every year.
At-Large Berths: The other 36 teams receive “at-large” berths. To choose them, the NCAA selection committee uses a set of criteria.
Seeding: Teams are seeded 1 to 16, with 1 playing 16, 2 playing 15 and so on. The biggest upset in tournament history came in 2018, when 16 seed UMBC beat 1 seed Virginia. However, Virginia bounced back and won the title in 2019.
Single-Elimination: As in any single-elimination tournament, one loss and you’re out. As a result, any seed can pull off a miracle win. It also means even the favorite must play hard for every minute.
“March” Madness: The tournament starts in mid-March and ends in the first week of April. In 2020, it was cancelled for the first time since it began in 1939.
March Madness Bracket Explained
Bracket Origins: Today, around 10 million people fill out a bracket each year. Together with the thrill of single elimination, the bracket has made the tournament one of America’s most-watched sporting events. The very first tournament took place in 1939, and Oregon won it.
“March Madness”: The term comes from Henry V. Porter, an Illinois high school basketball official. Later, CBS sportscaster Brent Musburger used it while covering the 1982 NCAA tournament. Since then, “March Madness” has been another name for the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament.
Team Selection
Automatic Bids
Each of the 32 Division I conferences holds a tournament at the end of the season. The winners earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. This means even teams with average seasons can make it, as long as they win their conference tournament. The Ivy League was the last conference to adopt this rule, in the 2016-17 season.
Independent teams could only get in through an at-large bid. However, since 2015, there have been no independent teams, after NJIT joined the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Usually, a small conference’s automatic qualifier is its only team in the field. In addition, the NCAA pays money to each conference based on how its teams perform. So, a small conference team reaching the Sweet 16 could mean a big payday.
At-Large Berths
The other way to make the field of 68 is with an at-large berth. In other words, the NCAA Selection Committee can invite teams that didn’t win their conference. The committee weighs many factors. For example, in 2018, the NCAA adopted the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), which looks at these metrics:
- Game results
- Strength of schedule
- Location
- Scoring margin
- Net offensive and defensive efficiency
- Equal weight for every game, no matter when it is played
- Quality wins and losses (Quadrants)
The goal is always to be as transparent and fair as possible. However, this sometimes means leaving out a small school with a great record and inviting a major-conference team with an average record.
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