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What Is March Madness? | Wonderopolis

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• What is March Madness?
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Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by Justin. Justin Wonders, “What is March Madness?” Thanks for WONDERing with us, Justin!

Are you a sports fan? Whether you enjoy football, baseball, soccer, or one of the many other sports around the world, there are many chances each week to sit back and enjoy a game or two on television.

If you're a fan of basketball, in particular, there's a time of year that's extra special. It's that time when everywhere you turn, sports fanatics are talking about bubble teams, brackets, and buzzer beaters. What are we talking about? March Madness, of course!

March Madness refers to that time of year (usually mid-March through the beginning of April) when the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's and women's college basketball tournaments are held.

Why is it madness? That term somehow captures the excitement that swirls around the sports world as tournament time approaches. In the weeks leading up to the "Big Dance," as it is called, hundreds of college basketball teams from all over the United States fight to earn a spot in the tournament.

The NCAA college basketball tournament is a single-elimination tournament that features 68 teams vying to survive three weekends of games to be crowned the national champions. The field used to be 64 teams, but the NCAA has recently added four more teams that play "play in" games to earn a spot in the final field of 64.

Only 16 teams (the "Sweet Sixteen") make it past the first weekend. The second weekend narrows the field first to the "Elite Eight" and then the "Final Four. The final weekend focuses on the four semifinalists. The two semifinal victors move on to play in the national championship game.

Ohio State University coach Harold Olsen is usually credited with developing the idea for the tournament in 1939 with the help of the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

The 68 teams in the tournament include 32 teams that receive automatic bids for winning their respective conferences. The remaining 36 teams are given at-large bids by the NCAA selection committee based upon their performance during the season.

Once the field is set, the teams are divided into four regions (usually spread geographically through the eastern, western, midwestern, and southern U.S.) and placed into a bracket that lays out the path a team must take to reach the finals. Each team is seeded or ranked within its region, from 1 to 16.

Higher-seeded teams generally play lower-seeded teams in the beginning. For example, in the first round, each team seeded #1 plays the team seeded #16. This trend continues until upsets begin to occur, at which time brackets can become hard to predict as unexpectedly-good teams (often called "Cinderella" teams) make a run in the tournament.

At tournament time each year, millions of people fill out their own brackets, attempting to predict the winners of all the games. There are usually enough upsets, however, that it's nearly impossible to predict a perfect bracket. In fact, your chances of correctly guessing the winner of every game is less than 1 in 9.2 quintillion (or more precisely, 9,223,372,036,854,775,808)!

As multiple games are played simultaneously at neutral sites all over the country, millions of sports fans follow the games on television over the course of the three-week tournament. To date, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) holds the record for the most national titles with 11.

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We hope you thought today's Wonder of the Day was a slam dunk! Be sure to explore the following activities with a friend or family member:

• Are you ready to participate in March Madness? The first thing you'll need to do is fill out your very own bracket with your picks for the NCAA basketball tournament. You can find brackets in local newspapers, as well as printable brackets online each year. (Click here to access 2016's.) Ask a friend or family member to help you print and fill out a bracket. Then watch the games to see who wins!
• If you're really into March Madness, plan and host a Final Four party! You'll need a television to watch the games, as well as some tasty and healthy snacks. You might also want to plan some fun games you can play as a group at halftime and between games. Make sure you get permission and help from an adult friend or family member. Have fun!
• Want to learn more about the origins of March Madness? Jump online to read through History's March Madness Is Born article. Do you think the people back in 1939 had any idea what a spectacle their creation would become? Why or why not?

Wonder Sources

• http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/march-madness.htm
• http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-march-madness.htm
• http://www.chicagotribune.com/ct-march-madness-probability-met-20150303-story.html

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Wonder Contributors

We’d like to thank:

ismael and amileo
for contributing questions about today’s Wonder topic!

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NCAA basketball championship betting features

In addition to the most popular basketball championships such as the NBA and the Euroleague, you can find a very strong NCAA student league in the betting line. It does not attract attention, but is worthy of a separate study. The features of bets on this championship will be discussed in our material.

Most bookmakers quote American college basketball. The schedule is the same as for other championships, but the odds are higher, there are quite a few games, which in turn attracts forecasters. However, students have their own specifics of the game, so you need to adhere to certain principles before you start betting in this market segment.

Game pace

Speed ​​characteristics in NCAA fights change much more often than when the pros meet. NBA teams have a lot of different tactics, but the pace is generally kept at the same level. Students, on the other hand, have a difference in the level of basketball players even in a single team. For example, there are physically more powerful and hardy players, while the rest are significantly inferior to them in this.

Students score 80 points in one game, barely reach 40 in the second. The squad differs by a maximum of one or two players throughout the season. The intensity during the first half is admirable, after the break it turns into a terrible sight. Physics and speed sit down very strongly and there is an imbalance.

Small handicaps

Beginning bettors are often led by tempting handicaps. They are significantly less in matches of the strongest NCAA teams than at the professional level. Often, such rates in the absence of high-quality analytics result in a loss of funds. It must be remembered that every point in this league is not easy for teams. That's what really sets students apart from NBA pros. The most gifted students in the league still score fewer points on average. As a result, handicap and "total" break through not so often.

Unreliability of players

A player who has spent several seasons in the best league in the world, the lion's share of matches is at the same level. The condition of each basketball player is monitored by specialists: coaches, medical staff, psychologists. All this allows you to be in optimal tone. Students lack experience in such situations. Also, they do not know how to approach every game so responsibly.

During the off-season, professionals work on themselves using individual programs in the gym in order to be better next season. Young players are much more vulnerable. Basketball may take a backseat to them due to the characteristics of teenagers. All this leads to more failures. It is very difficult to make predictions for the NCAA match, even knowing that the teams have full lineups.

Team level

There are many strong clubs in the NBA and weaker ones, but there is no total difference in the class. When a leader loses to a weaker team, this, of course, is surprising, but it is not perceived as a sensation. The NCAA is different from the professional league. Here the difference can be incredibly large. The best teams play several dozen matches during the season, which they most often win.

In other words, very often basketball players lose their motivation and mood without demonstrating their best qualities. The level of the duel of students essentially depends on how ready both teams are at once. That is why it is vital for a bettor to pay attention to the general heat of passion before the match. It is necessary to understand whether the opposition will be fundamental or not.

Unknown players

Everyone knows NBA stars. We often hear their names in various programs or news. The best NCAA players are only visible to sports agents and very experienced bettors. Data on student groups is much more difficult to find. However, such information will become a real treasure for you.

In order to win bets on this market, you need to find more than a dozen organizations. On the site you need to study the players, view the reviews of the games. We must not forget about social networks. They have pretty good college communities. Actually, there are often discussions of basketball games. All these things are not easy to find. These data will be much more effective than banal statistics from sports sources. Small things in the NCAA carry a lot of weight for a successful bet.

Results

As you can see, student basketball has a number of its own characteristics. It is not popular enough with bookmakers, but many players understand that the market is very promising, although it is difficult to analyze.

To study student basketball, you need to read a lot, especially foreign sites, because in the Russian-speaking space you rarely find worthwhile material. It is always necessary to start small. A responsible approach will help you become a successful player in a market that many are simply afraid to climb into.

NCAA 2022 season review. Coach Kay's last trip - NCAA basketball - Blogs

The first half of the college basketball regular season has come to an end. The NCAA basketball blog tells about all the most significant in the current championship.

• Cinderella

The Colorado team went through the out-of-conference part of the season undefeated, confidently defeating Creighton and St. Mary along the way. The Rams may be in the top 25 seeded up front right now, but they have every opportunity to go through the regular season undefeated as the team looks to outperform all of its Mountian west conference competitors. Thus, at the moment there are only three undefeated teams. The other two are Baylor and Southern California.

• Open season

This year we are witnessing an extremely interesting season. There are about 35 teams in the league that are fighting for getting into the top 25 seeds and are approximately comparable in terms of level. It is also worth noting that the gradual decline in the NCAA over the past few years has resulted in the fact that there are no teams left in college basketball that would stand apart from the rest. First Team of the Nation rotated four times in a row in weeks 4 to 6 - Gonzaga, Duke and Purdue successively abdicated top teams, and only after the most difficult part of the out-of-conference schedule Baylor managed to stay on first line. There are no invincibles. So the Kansas were defeated by the Daytons, and the Peru lost to the Rugters. In the March madness, there will be even more confrontations between mid-majers and favorites, and, accordingly, there will be more upsets.

• NCAA out of control

In the past few years, talk has intensified that student athletes need to pay for their sports activities at universities. The public pressure was getting stronger, and in the meantime, the NCAA front office simply turned a blind eye to the problem. In the end, it all ended with the fact that the Pacific 12 conference, bypassing the NCAA, allowed student athletes to start earning on their behalf. The NCAA had no choice but to extend the innovation to the entire league. Starting this season, players have the right to earn from advertising, sell autographs and monetize their name in any way possible. Talk about paying for the game finally subsided - better, simple, and could not be.

However, while college football continues to develop, college basketball, on the contrary, is deteriorating. The trend towards early draft picks has peaked, with only a handful of prospects staying in college for more than two years, and all the top talent dropping out after one year. To compensate for the decline in the level, the NCAA made good reforms to change the rules of the game. Shot clock has been reduced to 30 seconds, big players are no longer punished for pushing with their backs to the ring, floppers, on the contrary, are fined, it has become easier to score points, and there are fewer pauses in the game. However, this is not enough. The NCAA thinks hardcore fans and the March Madness format will make them profitable, but what about the neutral audience?

• NCAA needs urgent reform

Top recruits are slowly starting to choose the G-league. This season, Jaden Hardy and Michael Foster are opting to start earning college money straight away. As this practice threatens to spread, the NCAA needs to make the student-athlete lifestyle as comfortable as possible. The first step is to cancel the rule of skipping the season after transferring to another educational institution. Yes, the already huge number of transfers (with which top programs close holes in their rosters) will become even more, but this is a necessary evil. Each player should know that if he did not succeed in one team, then he can finish the unsuccessful season and start a new championship as part of another team. The next step is the painstaking work of eliminating all the (lots of!) stupid NCAA rules that make life difficult for student athletes. Conditional Sasha Kaun should not be suspended for several games, because someone unknown paid for his dinner at a restaurant and left before the player could refuse such a “gift”.

Finally, the NCAA front office must by all means convince the NBA management not to reduce the draft threshold to 18 years and modify rookie contracts so that the duration of the contract depends on how old the rookie is. Then, by staying an extra year in college, the prospect would lose the lowest paid year of his rookie contract and become a free agent at the same time as his peers who came to the NBA earlier or later. Fewer financial losses means more reason to keep developing your game in college. Of course, it is unlikely that this idea is feasible, but the NCAA is obliged to reach out to people from the NBA and at least try to do something.

• Very weak conference Atlantic coast

If seven years ago it seemed that the move of Louisville, Syracuse, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh from the Big East to the Atlantic coast would help the ACC become the strongest basketball conference, now we are seeing the opposite situation. At the time of the transition, the listed teams significantly strengthened the league of the Atlantic coast, and at first the conference was really in the lead.

However, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame failed to hold their ground against competitors from old and new locations, Jim Bayheim's recruiting to Syracuse also dipped, and Louisville is now trying to regain ground after Rick Pitino was fired. So it turns out that the struggle in the conference again comes down to the confrontation between Duke and North Carolina, only the third force is not Florida State, but Virginia.

Prior to the start of this season, Virginia was listed as a top 25 team for last season's accomplishments, but those expectations were overstated. Wake Forest lives close to the top 25, and North Carolina also dropped out of the seed, but may soon return there. Duke is currently the only seeded member of the conference. This year ACC is the weakest top conference.

• Coach Kay's last trip

Mike Krzyszewski is in his final 47th season of coaching and 42nd with Duke. And the last off-season in Kay's coaching career went perfectly. The best remaining character from the last championship, Wendell Moore made a huge leap in his game and greatly improved his athleticism. Top-4 recruit Paolo Banquero turned out to be ready to immediately become the leader of the team, another rookie Trevor Keels managed to immediately appear as the third option for the devils to attack, Mark Williams turned into an elite rim protector, and Steve Wojciechowski's connection with Duke allowed the team to acquire a transfer from "Marquette" represented by Big Man Theo John.

Under Krzyszewski's leadership, a very high-quality and balanced clip has been picked up, which has already defeated Kentucky and Gonzaga in the out-of-conference part of the season. Coach Kay has not won the Atlantic coast regular since 2010 (as a rule, Carolina or Virginia were more stable at a distance) and he has a great opportunity to end his career with another conference title - only North Carolina can prevent Duke and COVID. Krzyszewski also has 97 wins in the March Madness so far, and the current Devils roster is capable of reaching the Elite 8 stage to give the coach 100 wins in the big dance.

• Rankings of the top 25 teams at the beginning and end of this segment of the season

Baylor holds first place, while Duke follows.

Meanwhile, Matt Paynter is developing another seven-footer at Purdue. While athlete Jayden Ivey earns himself a top-five pick in the upcoming draft, 7-4 giant Zach Eady has nearly doubled his stats since last season in similar playing time. The "boilermakers" have a very deep rotation with diverse role performers complementing their leaders.

Gonzaga is not playing in the top West coast conference, so the Bulldogs have made a tough out-of-conference schedule for themselves and quite successfully passed it ‒ 3 wins in 5 matches against seeded opponents. Under the direction of Mark Few, a balanced cadre of diverse performers is built around Drew Timmy and will progress through March.

UCLA are somewhat reminiscent of the Golden State of college basketball. Under the leadership of Mick Cronin, there are no slashers, but the "bears" can conduct long-range fire from positions 1-4 with increased efficiency. All four of Johnny Juzenga's main assistants make more than 40% of shots from behind the arch. The team over and over again, without straining, goes to throws from a long distance, but the "bears" live and die on the arc.

Tommy Lloyd has assembled an international gang in Arizona led by Canadian Bennedict Maturin. These guys have been cooked in European basketball and understand how to play their roles well. They have been playing together for the second year and understand each other perfectly. The team from Tucson broke into the seeding at the same high pace, which accelerates on the floor.

The Auburn team suffered their only loss in two overtimes to Connecticut. Bruce Pearl's wards play an interesting flex screen offense and have a diverse line-up led by freshman Jabari Smith.

This season, the Michigan State are a solid team with no big stars, but with a deep rotation of diverse performers. Tom Izzo works great with the available material - before the start of the season, the Spartans were not in the seed.

Houston's top scorer Markus Sasser is out for the rest of the season due to injury. The team is losing national whists but is still the favorite in the American athletics conference.

The Ohio State, under Chris Holtan, is built around a superb power forward, IJ Lidell, who, surrounded by complementary role players, has been doing well for the Chestnuts so far.

Half of the Texas roster is made up of experienced transfers before the start of this season. The team is still playing, and the players are getting used to new roles.

Alabama plays one of the most dynamic offensive styles in the NCAA. Jayden Shackelford has made it to NCAA stardom, but the Crimson have yet to realize their defensive potential.

Providence started the season off-seeded, but the Monks had already beaten Connecticut and Seton Hall, bled dry by losses due to the coronavirus, at the start of the conference battles.

The Tennessees have arguably the best defense in the NCAA. The “volunteers” often stagnate in attack, but competent personal defense will sometimes be replaced by a zone, and the team gets their points by rebounding on both shields.

Villanova demonstrates interesting non-positional basketball. All six main characters can easily replace each other, but the "wild cats" are vulnerable in view of a very short clip. There is only one big player in the rotation, and the seventh player, Chris Arcidiacono, enters the court solely to relieve leader Collin Gillespie.

A very interesting motley gang has gathered at Xavier's. There is an experienced point guard, universal big ones, slashers and shooters. The only thing the Musketeers lack is star power. The team deservedly entered the seeding.

Gregg Gard continues Beau Ryan's work in Wisconsin. The team plays the same swingigng offense, and half of the team's points are scored by the magnificent Jonny Davis and Brad Davison. The badgers also started the season outside the sowing.

Seton Hall have suffered two defeats in their last two shorthand matches, but they are a very interesting team with experienced and diverse players.

I expect Texas Tech to be somewhere in the top 25 all season. The team, like Texas, is half made up of experienced transfers who came before the start of this season and is still playing.

Connecticut is out of the seed but can still get back there. Michigan, Illinois, Memphis, Oregon and Arkansas don't live up to expectations and also drop out of the seed. The position of Florida State, Maryland, St. Bonaventure and Virginia in the top 25 was initially questionable.

• Worth noting

In addition to the rookie contenders for the Rookie of the Year award (discussed below), there are also several other freshmen this year who are highly likely to be selected in the upcoming NBA Draft Lottery.

At 6-11, Jalen Düren is super athletic and extremely agile. He rebounds well on both shields, often blocks shots and at the same time easily goes behind any opponent in an arc. Düren has good hands and is able to catch a difficult pass, which makes him a great finisher with a lightning-fast re-jump. Jaylen fits perfectly into the prototype of the modern NBA center and is listed in the top 5 draft picks.

Trevor Keels stands out for his physique. He has the build of a linebacker and is quite athletic. Keeles defends on the perimeter and inside the arch against larger opponents, completing his power passes with contact and pressing his back to the ring of other defenders. The shot is extremely unstable so far, but Trevor is good at passing and intercepting for a shooting guard, and also has good technique for a player of his plan.

Point guard Tai Tai Washington plays mostly second to John Callipari, but still makes teammates better, demonstrating a very high playing iq and balance as a good facilitator and scorer. Tai Tai changes speeds, but even in high gear he is always in control. Washington lacks athleticism but has good shooting mechanics with a quick release and can get into shooting positions from both receiving and dribbling.

Point guard JD Davison is known for his explosive athleticism and passing ability. A quick first step helps him to be a very dangerous slasher, and a lightning-fast second jump allows him to clean up flaws under someone else's shield with second chance points. Davison has good technique, but prefers to create chances for his partners to throw, although he still sins with losses. JD rebounds fantastically and has a huge upside in his half of the parquet.

• Rookie of the Year Race

Many people think that two characters are competing for the Rookie of the Year award and the first pick of the upcoming draft. However, Jabari Smith will be a real competitor to Chet Holmgren and Paolo Bankero. This year we have three man race.

3. Jabari Smith (Auburn)

Jabari Smith is a perfect fit for the NBA's modern-day big man and is the top shooter of the trio of first-pick contenders. Jabari has a great long-range shot (throws more than 40% from behind the arc) after several hits of the ball on the floor and is a solid rebounder (only) in his own half of the floor. He can take a selection and run coast to coast on his own. Not only is Smith a huge pick-and-pop threat, but he also successfully hits the rim in straight lines thanks to his good athleticism. But what sets Jabari apart is defensive universalism. Smith has amazing mobility, easily trades for swingers on the arc, controls the passing lines and intercepts. Already, he is almost on par with Bankero in the draft picks.

2. Chet Holmgren ("Gonzaga")

Chet Holmgren has a unique skill set in his anthropometry. The semi-footer influences the game in every possible way. Holmgren blocks head-on with his reach, secures with mobility, rebounds on the enemy shield, and scores second chance points with height (although he gets cut off too often from episodes). He sees over the defense and passes well, uses coordination and very good technique in breakaways, where he runs away on his own. Under Chet, no combinations are played in the Gonzaga attack. Holmgren attacks from the spot in a deflection from mid-range, throws threes in a transition, scores close to the rim and is smartly off the ball as a high post cutter. His defensive attitude makes him a favorite in the race for the other characters' Player of the Year, but it's Chet who is the top contender for the 1st pick in the draft.

1. Paolo Bankero (Duke)

Paolo Bankero combines the offensive skills of a defender and a big man. At the size of a real big, Paolo has better ball handling than most guards. He dribbles from behind the arc, uses jab steps and crossovers to position himself for the middle shot, and uses mobility and athleticism close to the rim. Banquero is also effective with roundhouse shots, and when passing under the ring, he uses spin moves and changes in direction. With his back to the hoop, Paolo shows good footwork, scoring points with various pivots. Banquero sometimes flirts with dribbling and only moderately defends, but Paolo passes well and plays for the team. Top candidate for Rookie of the Year award.

• Player of the Year Race

There are about fifteen contenders for the NCAA Player of the Year this season. The race also includes Keegan Murray, Johnny Davis, Oscar Tchibwe, Kofi Cockburn, Johnny Juzeng, Trice Jackson-Davies and Bennedict Maturin. However, the top five, in my opinion, looks like this.

5. Jaden Ivey (Purdue)

Ultra-athlete Jaden Ivey always plays at his own pace. Opponents fail to knock him off the beat. Ivey is extremely dangerous in the pass, where he uses a change of direction on a long stride (in particular, the signature crossover and euro step) and excellent body balance in the unsupported position for completions near the ring. Jayden also knows how to score points from the dribble and opens up under catch and shoot along the entire front of the attack, is a good rebounder for the attacking defender and perfectly creates chances for partners as a playmaker. Ivey has very long arms, is good at pressing opponents in perimeter defense, intercepting and even blocking. And also now boasts an excellent long-range throw.

4. Ochai Agbaji (Kansas)

Ochai Agbaji is another top shooting guard. Agbaci stands out for his actions off the ball. Not only does he have a great arc opening for 3-point shots, but he also works great as a cutter. Ochai picks up a lot of easy points near the rim from passes and crosses, and his athleticism helps in fast runs under the rim. Agbaji's motor never stops. He does a lot of hustle plays on both sides of the floor, rebounds well for position and defends superbly on the perimeter. Shooting, like other aspects of the game, Agbaji has improved every year - now Ochai is an elite shooter. They say about such, he made himself.

3. IJ Lidell (Ohio State)

IJ Lidell is an all-around number four who is an inside/out threat. Our hero's long-range throw is unstable, but EJ is extremely dangerous at medium range. From here, he handles roundhouse and side throws, and (even without good technique) poses a serious threat in the straight line passes due to his good mobility and top athleticism. JJ uses the same throws when playing with his back to the ring, where quick turns and various pivots are also added. Lidell puts up good screens and is very dangerous in pick-and-pop. In defense, JJ is also versatile - he decently defends in the field, rebounds and blocks perfectly. In addition, he is an excellent playmaker for the big one.

2. Paolo Bankero (Duke)

Paolo Bankero's all-around offensive skills have not only served him well in the draft, but also make him the only freshman to actually compete for the John Wooden award.

1. Drew Timmy (Gonzaga)

Drew Timmy is a power forward with a unique low post feel. Drew is calm with his back to the rim and always keeps the situation under control, being a good passer from the post (and not only), where he uses spin moves, drop steps, hooks and finishes with both hands.

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