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What Is March Madness? | Wonderopolis

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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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March Madness | The TwinSpires Edge

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college basketball

Since 1939, the men’s NCAA Division I basketball tournament, or March Madness, has been held annually at the end of college basketball’s regular season. The single-elimination tournament is one of the most watched sporting events in the United States and generates a ton of betting action across the country.

Below you will find all the stats and info you need to gear up for college basketball’s highly anticipated postseason competition.  

Gonzaga Bulldogs

+500

Kentucky Wildcats

+850

Arizona Wildcats

+900

Auburn Tigers

+900

Purdue Boilermakers

+1050

Baylor Bears

+1200

Duke Blue Devils

+1200

Kansas Jayhawks

+1500

UCLA Bruins

+2200

Illinois Fighting Illini

+2300

When is the 2022 NCAA tournament?

March Madness will begin on Tuesday, March 15 at 4 p.m. ET, with the First Four—or play-in—stage of competition. The official first round, featuring 64 teams, will take place Thursday and Friday, March 17-18, before the round of 32 on Saturday and Sunday, March 19-20.

The Sweet 16 and Elite 8 occur the following weekend, March 24 through March 27. Caesars Superdome in New Orleans will host the Final Four, which includes the national semifinal championship game on the evening of Monday, April 4.

Who can make the NCAA tournament?

In order to qualify for March Madness, a Division I college basketball team must either win its conference tournament or receive an “at-large” bid from the NCAA tournament selection committee.

A total of 68 teams play in the tournament, with 32 of those teams earning an automatic bid by winning their conference tournament. The 36 remaining tournament bids are granted by the selection committee and are revealed on Selection Sunday.

The committee is also in charge of seeding and placing each team in one of four regions of the tournament bracket: the East, West, Midwest and South. Each region will be seeded 1-16.

The selection committee is currently comprised of eight athletic directors and two conference commissioners in Division I men’s and women’s athletics. Members serve a five-year term.

Duncan Robinson (22) of the Michigan Wolverines cuts down the net to celebrate the victory during the NCAA Division I Men's Championship Elite Eight round basketball game between the Florida State Seminoles and the Michigan Wolverines. (Photo by Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire)

How can I watch the NCAA tournament?

truTV and TBS will air the First Four, then split first- and second-round coverage with CBS, TBS, and TNT.  

TBS and CBS will televise the Sweet 16 and Elite, while the Final Four and NCAA National Championship Game can be found exclusively on CBS.

How long are March Madness games?

March Madness will follow the standard rules of a regular-season college basketball game, with two 20-minute halves. The overtime period is five minutes long and may be repeated as many times as necessary to determine a winner.

What is the Final Four?

The Elite Eight will decide the champion of each of the four regions in the NCAA tournament. The winner from the East, West, Midwest and South move on to the Final Four to play in the national semifinal games. 

The Final Four includes both the semifinal round and the championship game on Monday, April 5.

Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Shutterstock)

Where is the Final Four?

Caesars Superdome, home to the New Orleans Saints, will host the Final Four from April 2-4.

What time is the national championship game?

Tipoff of the national championship game is scheduled for 9 p. m. ET Eastern on Monday, April 4.

From 1964 to 1995, the UCLA Bruins accumulated 11 national championship titles, 10 of those under head coach John Wooden.

The University of Kentucky, a longtime elite program in college basketball, earned its first championship in 1948 and most recent in 2012. ACC schools North Carolina and Duke are neck-and-neck for titles, with six and five, respectively, and have each won one in the last five years.

The Indiana Hoosiers also rank high with five championships, but the school hasn't experienced the NCAA's ultimate glory since 1987, with head coach Bob Knight.

The University of Louisville hung championship banners in 1980 and 1986 with head coach Denny Crum, and again in 2013 with Rick Pitino. However, because of NCAA violations, the school had to vacate its 2013 championship and two Final Four appearances. Louisville is the only school in NCAA history to have a men's basketball championship vacated.

UCLA head coach John Wooden's record of 10 national championships may never be touched, but "Coach K" (Mike Krzyzewski) is hot on his track, with five. The Duke basketball coach's teams regularly rank in the AP Top 25 poll and are often considered one of the favorites in the NCAA tournament each year.

A statue of former Purdue Boilermaker player John Wooden is seen outside of Mackey Arena. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire)

Kentucky legend Adolph Rupp led the school to the Promised Land four times (1948, 1949, 1951 and 1958) during his tenure. There is a three-way tie for fourth-most wins, as UConn's Jim Calhoun, Indiana's Bob Knight, and Roy Williams each own three titles. Williams collected his trio of banners with North Carolina in 2005, 2009 and 2017. He also guided the Kansas Jayhawks to a national title game, where they fell to Syracuse in 2003.

Based on current conference membership, the ACC owns the most NCAA titles. North Carolina, Duke, North Carolina State, Louisville, Syracuse and Virginia have each claimed at least one national championship. The Cavaliers most recently won the tournament in 2019.

The Oregon Ducks of the Pac-12 triumphed in the first national championship game in 1939. Since then, the Pac-12 has earned 16 titles among Stanford, Utah, Cal, UCLA and Arizona. UCLA won seven in a row from 1967-1973, then again in 1975, the last season Wooden coached for the Bruins. Wooden also achieved back-to-back titles in 1964 and 1965.

When is Selection Sunday?

Selection Sunday will take place on Sunday, March 13 at 6 p.m. ET,  and will air on CBS.

How does seeding work?

The selection committee will offer 36 at-large bids to the NCAA tournament in addition to 32 automatic bids for those teams that won their conference tournament. 

The committee will look at record, strength of schedule and quality of wins and losses, among other factors, to rank the field of teams from 1 to 68. Theoretically, the top four teams will earn the No. 1 seeds, and the next four on the list will receive the No. 2 seeds, and so on.

The committee strives for balance in each of the East, West, Midwest and South regions. The overall No. 1 seed should play the weakest No. 2 seed, and that pattern should follow down the line from the No. 3 seeds to No. 16 seeds for each region. 

What is the First Four?  

In 2011, the NCAA expanded the men's tournament to 68 teams and added a "First Four" play-in stage that included eight teams. Those eight teams hold the four lowest-seeded automatic bids and four lowest-seeded at-large bids.

The four winners of the First Four games move on to the field of 64 to compete in the first round of the tournament.

From 1985 to 2001, the NCAA tournament followed a 64-team format, until the Mountain West Conference joined Division I. To accomodate an additional automatic bid, which bumped the field to 65, the NCAA created one play-in game before the opening round. Since the arrival of the First Four in 2011, the tournament has maintained the same 68-team format.

The University of Dayton Arena in Ohio is the annual host site of the First Four games.

How many rounds are in the NCAA tournament?

There are six rounds of the NCAA tournament, not including the First Four play-in round.

Sixty-four teams participate in the first round. From there, the field is narrowed down to 32 for the second round of competition.

The third round is referred to as the Sweet 16, or regional semifinal, and the fourth round is best known as the Elite Eight or regional final. 

The fifth round, or national semifinal, is part of the Final Four, as is the sixth round, the national championship game.

Where can I download a March Madness bracket?

You can fill our our official TwinSpires Sports downloadable March Madness bracket by clicking here.

It's been estimated that around 70 million brackets are filled out each year across the country for company or family pools and nationwide contests.

The odds of filling out a perfect bracket are about 1 in 120.6 billion—if you know something about basketball. If you filled out your bracket by flipping a coin or blindly guessing, your odds are much higher.

No one has filled out a perfect bracket—that we know of—in the history of the NCAA tournament.

NCAA Final Four Betting Trends

20 of the last 21 Final Four Champions Have Been East Coast Teams

The only team that could be considered following in this trend for this year’s Final Four is Virginia. With a state that does touch the East Coast, does the basketball world truly count Virginia as an East Coast team? Michigan State is from the Midwest, while Auburn is from the South and Texas Tech is a Southwest team, thus they would not come as close to fitting the mold. If the Cavaliers fit the narrative of East Coast, then the trend could very well continue to prove true.

Favorites Usually Dominate in Final Four Semifinals

If this trend holds, Michigan State will beat Texas Tech and Virginia will beat Auburn. I’ve got Texas Tech upsetting MSU and Auburn upsetting UVA. So, I’ve thrown out this trend!

Underdogs Have Performed Well in the Finals

UNC won as a favorite in 2017. Last year, Villanova won as the favorite. But, before those two chalked it up, Nova beat North Carolina as a dog in 2016, Duke upset Wisconsin as a slight dog in 2015, and Connecticut upset Kentucky as a major underdog in 2014.

Will any of the three trends listed above hold? Or, will Auburn and Texas Tech prove best? Get your popcorn ready and watch one of the greatest sports events in the U.S., the annual NCAA College Basketball Final Four!

NCAA Final Four Notable Games

1975 National Championship – UCLA 92, Kentucky 85

The great John Wooden won his final championship. It was the Wizard of Westwood’s 10th title.

1979 National Championship – Michigan State 75, Indiana State 64

Magic and Bird started one of the most important rivalries in NBA history while still in college.

1983 National Championship – NC State 54, Houston 52

NC State upset Phi Slamma Jamma with a last-second shot, handing Jimmy Valvano the NCAA Final Four trophy. Valvano would end up starting the Jimmy V. Foundation, one of the most important cancer research non-profit organizations in the world.

1985 National Championship – Villanova 66, Georgetown 64

Villanova beats Georgetown in one of the biggest upsets in Final Four history.

1991 National Championship – Duke 72, Kansas 65

Coach Mike Krzyzewski wins his first of five national championships by beating Roy Williams- coached Kansas. The Blue Devils upset heavily favored UNLV in the semifinals. Today, Williams coaches North Carolina, which means Coach K and Williams have continued the rivalry that started in 1991.

2022 College Basketball Championship Regions and Dates

• Regions: South, East, West, Midwest
• Inaugural Game: March 17, 1939
• Current Number of Teams Participating: 68
• 2022 NCAA National Championship Location: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
• 2022 NCAA National Championship Date: Monday, April 4, 2022

Euroleague 2022/2023 Table, Schedule, Results

Euroleague is a prestigious basketball tournament in which the best men's clubs from FIBA ​​Europe member countries participate. The competition has a rich history, the first cup was played back in 1958. The tournament has been sponsored by Turkish Airlines for ten years now, which is why it is now called Turkish Airlines Euroleague.

On the Oddspedia portal we post a lot of important information about Euroleague matches. Here you will find the standings, the results of all matches, basketball news and, of course, great offers from the best bookmakers in your country, as well as live broadcasts of games.

MATCH SCHEDULE AND RESULTS TODAY

The tournament has several stages: regular season, quarter-final and final four. 18 teams enter the battle for the championship title, the top 4 clubs reach the final. Final meetings are held according to the Olympic system for two days. The city for the final is chosen in advance.

The best Euroleague players also participate in the teams at the World Basketball Championship.

Euroleague is a tournament awaited not only by basketball fans, but also by bettors from around the world, because it provides another opportunity to make a winning bet and earn money on your favorite business. If you are fond of sports betting on basketball, the Oddspedia portal will help you beat bookmakers more often and get nice cash increases for your hobby.

Our website always has the up-to-date schedule, results and statistics of all Euroleague matches. The information is updated online and contains data on the status of the match, intermediate results of the meeting, the best players, leaders in points. Euroleague statistics are placed in the form of a convenient and understandable table, so you can easily find the information you need.

Matches are searched through the game calendar. With the help of the schedule, you will find the Euroleague Basketball results for today, yesterday or any other day, as well as information about the games that will take place in the near future.

Euroleague standings AND BEST PLAYERS

As mentioned earlier, Oddspedia has Euroleague statistics for every taste. The information provided plays an important role in the correct predictions of our users and most basketball bettors.

First, the Euroleague page has statistics on disqualified and unqualified players for each team; results of past matches for clubs, which include a comparison of different teams in the Euroleague; lineups and formation options for the respective teams playing in a particular match; the venue where the match is or will be played; key players (e.g. Mike James and others) to look out for in a given match, with associated performance metrics such as number of goals scored. Also, our users have access to the standings of the Champions League and other European basketball championships.

The above information plays an important role in helping players predict the outcome of Euroleague matches. For example, the results of past matches can help bettors make more accurate predictions, considering aspects such as the team with the most wins when comparing two clubs. Bettors can also bet on efficient players, predicting their likelihood of scoring in a given match, taking into account aspects such as the performance of a particular player.

The Euroleague standings are also on our website, here the teams in the league are ranked in descending order by points scored by each team in the regular tournament. Thus, bettors can make predictions based on the results of each team in the Euroleague, checking the position of the club and, moreover, the number of points scored in the league.

The Euroleague tournament table also contains the number of goals scored in the opponent's basket. Thus, players can also use the statistics above to determine the number of goals scored by a particular team in a particular match. In addition, in the table you will find a relegation zone, in which the teams that have shown the worst results for the season are relegated from the championship, and those who stand out for their achievements in other (smaller) championships are promoted to the Euroleague. In addition to all this, you can register on our website and create your own match list, as well as get the opportunity to leave reviews about bookmakers and many other useful features.

Latest news

There is no obvious favorite in Euroleague matches. Each year the winners are different teams. It is all the more interesting to watch the championship games, however, it is extremely difficult to place bets in such a situation. If you follow the basketball news, your chances of success will increase significantly. Well, we will try to give you the most complete picture of events. Just don't forget to check out our news section, where you will find a lot of interesting facts, photos and video news about the Euroleague.

In the news section, we post important and informative data: we talk about transfers in Euroleague teams, publish verified rumors, share expert opinions about the chances of winning a particular club. All this will come in handy for you to successfully bet on basketball.

Odds and Bets

Basketball, although not the most popular sport among betters, can bet on it in almost any bookmaker. The variety of offers makes it difficult to choose a bookmaker, but we are ready to help you and share important information about the chances of teams to win and the dynamics of odds at different bookmakers. Use it wisely, and then you can earn even more on betting.

Oddspedia can be a useful and effective tool for you. Our site hosts the best deals from over 200 bookmakers and 100 betting markets. Euroleague Basketball odds are updated online so you never miss out on the best bets.

Comparison of odds

Comparison of odds for Euroleague Basketball matches from different bookmakers will help you to bet on the best conditions. With the Oddspedia portal, you do not have to manually collect statistics and compare offers from bookmakers. All important and necessary information has already been processed and placed in a form convenient for analysis.

The Oddspedia portal team is constantly working to improve the service and select the most interesting offers from bookmakers in each market for you. All you need to do is simply make the right choice based on the presented statistics and place your bet. Be sure to study the information about the results of Euroleague basketball matches, the odds for the winner and the balance of power in the standings, and only then go to the bookmaker's website. So, your chances of winning will be higher. Barcelona 28 Europe Euroleague Barcelona Olympiacos 84 Barcelona Bayern 81 Monaco Olympiacos 78 Monaco Olympiacos 83 Europe euroleague final four search input settings basketball europe euroleague real madrid 3rd place real madrid er registration.

Bookmakers and bonuses

Our portal cooperates only with reliable and safe bookmakers who are trusted by bettors. We care about our reputation, so you won't find dubious bookmakers with risky bet conditions here.

On the Oddspedia portal, we place not only the best betting odds, but also information about promotions and bonuses for Euroleague matches. Take advantage of promotional offers and get additional benefits from sports betting. Choose bookmakers with the best deals on basketball games and great welcome bonuses, place your bets and win!

The Oddspedia portal will be useful for both professional betters and novice players. Even if you have never bet on sports before, gradually you will be able to understand all the intricacies of betting and start earning good money. We promise to help you with this. Therefore, we have created a special section of the site where we have collected all the basketball betting strategies and detailed explanations of the markets and much more.

FAQ:

Basketball Euroleague Where to watch?

You can watch Euroleague matches directly on our website using live score and match tracker. In addition, if this option does not suit you, we have made for you a selection of TV channels and bookmakers broadcasting this match.

When does Euroleague Basketball start?

Euroleague games start in October and continue until the end of May. 18 teams participate in the regular season, 8 teams advance to the playoff series matches, and 4 best teams compete in the final.

Who is the winner of Euroleague 2021/2022?

Euroleague 2021 / 2022 - Anadolu Efes became the winner.

When is Euroleague 2022/2023?

The Euroleague 2022/2023 season will start in October and the final games will take place in May.

Where to bet on the Euroleague?

The most correct option would be to choose a bookmaker based on the odds for a particular match. It's simple, open the event you are interested in on our website and immediately see the bookmakers and their quotes, the best offer is higher than the rest. After that, you can safely bet on this match. The same works for live betting.

“You can take the most talented NCAA player to MSU, but what will he play there now?” / Student Basketball Association

In the first part of the interview with actor and director Egor Klimovich, President of the Russian Basketball Federation Andrey Kirilenko talks about the problems and opportunities for the development of Russian basketball, as well as the role of the ASB in the structure of the federation.

— In a person, when he gives a lot of time to some business, emotional burnout may occur after a while. How do you feel about basketball now?

- I have a good feeling, understanding and attitude towards basketball, but you are right about burnout. I absolutely do not want to play basketball, except sometimes to go out with friends to throw the ball. But I don’t have this great desire that I had for 20 years – to come to the hall, take the ball, come to the game, start watching basketball. I shy away from basketball games, I shy away from going out on the court myself, but my job today is a little different. It is related to basketball, but not related to watching or playing basketball. It's all a process around. So yes and no here.

- But I saw you playing basketball with Khabib.

- Again, this does not mean that I hate basketball, I hate to play basketball now. Of course, I love playing basketball, but I don't like it to the extent that I had for 20 years, when you got up at 7 in the morning every single day, then practice, play, and here you are 24/7.

— What do you replace it with now?

— Now, if we are talking about work, there are a huge number of processes where the basketball game becomes the crowning achievement. But we still need to live to see this game, it needs to be organized, starting from negotiations with opponents, opponents. If international, then international; if domestic, then domestic clubs. The structure of different competitions from children to adults, veterans. We now have a large project “Quiet Basketball” – these are basketball guys with various disabilities, that is, different directions. The TV channel is a large basketball ecosystem in which basketball as a spectacle takes up half a percent of the time.

— You travel a lot on in Russia. What are the main problems of basketball in the regions?

- There are a lot of problems. It is not very correct to single out one problem here, because the problem is closely related to economic history. There is very little money, resources, because of this the coaches have low salaries, the teams do not have the opportunity to travel to competitions, the teams do not have the opportunity to fully maintain the structure, build infrastructure projects. I understand this. At the very beginning, I said that there is a problem in which you can do something, but there is a given. So there is a certain given, and now there is no need to tear the hair on your head and say that it should not be like this and everyone around is to blame. We just need to work in the conditions that we have. I am very proud of my work in the Russian Basketball Federation, because in six years we have never paid attention to the fact that someone should be blamed for the process, for what is happening. There is a given, let's work with it. I like that during this time we have taken many positive steps that do not beg for the problems that exist, but steps have been taken, and they are really useful, they make progress for the development of basketball. But this does not mean that basketball is now in super condition. Step by step, it is simply necessary to heal some processes that are taking place.

— Is there any ideal pill or development strategy, starting from which these problems can be solved?

- Development strategy - yes, pills - no. There is no magic pill. Moreover, if we say that there is a lack of funding, a lack of certain resources ... If suddenly at some point Gazprom becomes a sponsor of the Russian Basketball Federation and allocates one hundred billion dollars every year for development, it’s not at all a fact that we can do a structure that is similar, for example, to varsity basketball or the NBA. This is impossible due to the fact that this is not only a resource story, not only money, but also people, first of all, who need to be trained and trained. In the days of the Soviet Union - we like to draw parallels - there were a huge number of coaches who worked in the same conditions, they were all about the same level. There was a slightly different system, communist, because everyone was equal, because there were a huge number of coaches. Now those coaches who were a big clip are retiring. The young guys who come already have too wide a range of salaries, conditions, work opportunities. There is no such huge incentive to work. You can’t blame them, every person wants to provide for his family, every person wants to work where they pay more. Naturally, all this affects, these are economic processes that affect the problems of basketball, including. But we are working in the conditions that we have. No need to complain about it. Step by step, you try to improve the direction, give some impetus to enthusiasts to start working. Without people in the regions, without enthusiasts, nothing will work. Andrey Kirilenko cannot take one now and change basketball in the country. It's unrealistic. There must be people on the ground. For example, when I hold my meetings, I say: “Guys, you are the only people who work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in your region, you know what problems you have in your region. Kirilenko cannot sit in an office in Moscow and tell how you live here, what problems you have.” We can only help, push some project. But if local people are not active, then the region will not develop.

- You touched on college basketball . We know that in the Russian basketball system there is a Student Basketball Association . What role do you assign to her?

— Of course, the College Basketball Association has a huge role to play. No need to just draw any parallels with the NCAA. Many are trying to impose this certain structure on me: why don't we have it like here, not like a structure that generates one and a half billion dollars every year. We have something else - and this is a given. The data that exists, and you have to work with it. Here I would like to express a big compliment to both Konovalov and Kryukov for the fact that they are dragging this project along, doing everything possible so that it develops not only quantitatively, but also qualitatively. If it started 10 years ago in the format of 5-6 universities, now there are 600-800 universities that participate in this movement - this is very cool. It is clear that today the level of basketball is slightly behind the professional level. So far, there are very few examples of players who go from students to professionals. There are, but it's all very point. I see that in college basketball the ideology itself is higher than just basketball. This is the involvement of young guys who study in colleges and institutes, in some kind of struggle among themselves in a good sports way. Thus, a huge number of friends appear. And against the backdrop of basketball, other tasks are still being solved. Not everyone will be a basketball player: someone will be a manager, someone will be a referee, someone will be a businessman. We have a huge number of examples when businessmen, having gone through some university and now earning a lot of money from their business, are returning to basketball in the form of partners, sponsors, team owners, heads of some federations. They help basketball further. Here it is more important for me that these guys are in sports, have some kind of outlet for their emotions through basketball.

— You had some controversial issues with the CRS, when Sergey Kryukov called and said: “Andrey, how can we solve this issue?”

— We had no conflict situations. We constantly solve a huge number of issues together, they concern everything in general. For example, at the beginning there was a big request from Kryukov and Konovalov regarding the formation of the ASB team for the Universiade. Prior to that, a team of more professional players was formed for the Universiade, but they are just at the student's age. Technically, this is all correct, but the College Basketball Association would like to see its real players who constantly play in the ASB structure. We gave this opportunity, we really tried it, we saw that the level today is not yet ready to be top, compared to American college basketball or even Italian. Now we tried back, played a little bit. That is, they gave it back, tried to take a certain number of players from the Student Basketball Association, but still attract professional players to balance the level. Until we try, we won't see. We must try, we must be open here.

— Do you have an internal attitude towards the Association and student basketball as a younger brother or still as an equal organization that occupies its own niche?

- This is an equal organization that occupies its own niche, but still the last decision-maker, the person who makes decisions, is the Basketball Federation. We have in our hands a kind of final authority that puts a seal. We are certified by the Ministry of Sports in this vein. You can use it in different ways, you can say: “No, it won’t be like that,” and that’s it. But we are very open in this regard. All our participants - we try to get into their structures to a minimum, manage them and participate to the maximum in order to strengthen the product. These are Lokobasket, IES-BASKET, ASB, VTB League, amateur league. Now there is veteran basketball, but it is more in the structure of the federation.

— You attend a lot of College Basketball Association events. Are there any things that surprised you , or that you emphasized for your work?

- I really like that [in the ASB] there is a large geography. We have a huge country, and we simply have to light up the regions, give the regions the opportunity to see basketball. To see basketball on a large scale, and those finals and Superfinals held by the Student Basketball Association are held very widely, on a large scale. It is very nice. For example, the last time I was in Belgorod, it was a super final - a great event. This is a great story for the fans, and for all the participants. It is very important for us that those participants who are in the ASB championship communicate with each other and carry the ideological component further against the background of basketball.

— In the fall, within the framework of the “Upward Movement” festival of the ASB 3x3 Superfinal, held the Russian U-23 3x3 basketball championship, the winner of which was the ASB team. I would like you to rate this tournament.

— It's hard for me to give any assessment now. I really like that ASB doesn't just stop at classic basketball, which is now 3x3. I am very familiar with some of the first steps of 3x3 in the Olympic movement, which, in fact, led us to silver medals for both men and women in Tokyo. Therefore, it is very close to me. I believe that street basketball has great potential. We all come from the street, we played with friends on the street, and now it is somehow fixed in an official way. It seems to me that there is huge potential behind this, the future, especially in the regions, because there is not much infrastructure, and here all you need is to go outside. In order to have a professional team that would play at a high level, you really need a huge injection. Not like in football or hockey, but you still need injections to support the team. 3x3 is much smaller, very regionally tolerant, and you can get a high-level team to represent your region.

- One of the representatives of ASB was in the 3x3 team that won silver medals at the Olympic Games. Can we say that partly thanks to her we have the first set of Olympic medals?

— Of course. And not only the ASB, I would also mention the regions here, our children's teams, for example, IES-BASKET. Even just participation in the Olympic Games was formed on the basis of such an aggregate rating. This rating was given not only by the performances of teams, that is, pure basketball, but half of this rating was occupied by tournaments held by all our participants. That is, the region hosts a 3x3 basketball tournament, it registers all participants in the FIBA ​​system, and we get rating points for this. All the regions that participated: ASB, which held 3x3 tournaments, IES, which held 3x3 tournaments, all these points went into the overall standings, as a result of which we qualified for the Olympics without qualifying tournaments directly. We really got the opportunity to prepare normally in a calm manner to approach the Olympics in our best conditions.

— When the rumors first began that 3x3 basketball would enter the Olympic Games, did you even believe in this idea?

- I knew. When this was discussed, it was not just the words: “Let's try,” but there were already concrete steps, conversations with the Olympic Committee about inclusion, all the studies that led to this were carried out. The audience that street basketball has in the world is enormous. Naturally, it is very important for the Olympic movement to have this large audience on its site.

— To what extent can the Student Basketball Association become a training ground for professional athletes?

- Not yet, but over time, why not become. It's all a matter of time and persistence. I think what ASB does is great. If it continues in the same development dynamics from year to year, we will eventually get this platform. It will not be the same as in other countries, because we are going a little differently, and the infrastructure that we have at universities does not yet allow us to have a full-fledged team, to have full-fledged championships, where you would fight for the best, let's say.

- We all know about the structure of NC AA that this league is trying to attract the best athletes from all over the world. Will talented students be invited to play in Russia in the future?

- I don't see it yet. This doesn't mean it's a bad idea. This is actually a good idea, just like, for example, Real Madrid or Barcelona - they invite players not only from Spain, but from all over the world: Mirotic, who is from the Balkan countries, went through the structure. Now Yegor Demin from Russia has got to Real Madrid and he will follow this path just like those guys. We do not yet have a vector of attracting foreign players and students, so for now I would still not look in a foreign direction. I would still concentrate on my players and my structure, because the structure is more important even than the players now. You can have super players now, you can take the most talented player from the NCAA, bring him to play at Moscow State University, but what will he play there now? He will be head and shoulders above everyone, but as a result he will not have competition. Still, when he plays in the National Student Association in America, he has a huge number of competitors. This is a slightly misleading comparison. We always try to pull this comparison, unfortunately it won't work. Our structure is generally different, so we need to start from it, we need to dance from it. I believe that in the conditions that we have, what the ASB is doing is right. They are great fellows, that step by step they do not give in to the fact that now something did not work out, they hung their heads and do not work. No, they increase the number of teams, attract more participants, work very hard to ensure that managers emerge from this, because people are our Achilles heel. We need to train, we need to train people, judges, coaches, managers. This is a cumulative moment.

— What are the main achievements of the College Basketball Association over the past 15 years?

— At a minimum, perception. Eight years ago, no one really knew where college basketball was. Although I played at the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University, then it was like a certain desire of one or two people.

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