How many conferences are in college basketball

Complete list of NCAA Division I College Basketball teams

The College Basketball NCAA D-I is made up of 32 conferences, each conference has an average of 11 teams, some conferences like MEAC and IVY are below average with 8 teams each. Apart from teams, very few conferences are made up of two divisions, only three conferences have two divisions: Sun Belt, Conference USA and Atlantic Sun. In total the conferences have 357 teams in D-I of College Basketball.

From the beginning of the season in D-I, the objective of each of the teams is to reach the NCAA D-I Men's Basketball Tournament that starts two days after the regular season ends on March 15. The type of the tournament format is known as Single-Elimination.

The most famous schools are the most dominant in NCAA D-I college basketball, among those schools, also known as programs, is the University of Kentucky with 58 tournament appearances and 8 championship titles.

NCAA Basketball 2021-2022: List of D-I College Basketball Teams and Conferences

As mentioned above, in total there are 32 NCAA College Basketball D-I conferences, the season offers a total of approximately 10,710 games. Each of the teams in D-I, during the College Basketball season, will play between 25-35 games for an average of 30 games per team.

NCAA Basketball 2021-2022:  How many teams does each D-I conference have?

The largest divisions have 14-15 teams each, only one conference in NCAA College Basketball has 15 teams (ACC). The smallest conferences have fewer than 10 teams, and most conferences have between 10-12 teams each.

NCAA Basketball 2021-2022: How many conferences have won titles (current)?

Not all conferences in D-I have college casketball championships, some programs (schools) from those conferences played in the tournament but have never won the title, many have been close but always end up falling to the big favorites.

Only 13 of the 32 D-I conferences have won championship titles, some of the teams within those conferences are multiple championship winners. The conferences that have D-I titles are: West Coast, SEC, Patriot, Pac-12, Mountain West, Missouri Valley, Conference USA, Big 12, Big Ten, Big East, Atlantic 10, ACC and American Athletic.
 

Power Ranking Every Conference in College Basketball | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

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Power Ranking Every Conference in College Basketball

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The debate on which conference in college basketball is the best is one that fans of the sport have on not only a yearly basis, but also a daily and weekly basis.

This season is no different with the Big East, ACC and Big Ten fielding multiple teams that are worthy of national championships.

With all the conference expansion at all the major and even the minor conferences, it is difficult to keep track of what teams are in what conferences now.

All of that expansion has affected the rankings to an extent, but here they are, the ranking of all 32 conferences in college basketball.

32. Great West

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Most people do not even know that there is a conference called the Great West.

For those of you who do not know about the new conference, it was formed in 2004 and consists of five teams.

Those five teams are located nowhere near the west with NJIT, Chicago State, Houston Baptist, UT-Pan American and Utah Valley being the five teams spread across the nation.

31. SWAC

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The SWAC is one of those conferences that gets attention once every season during conference tournament time.

Usually, the winner of the SWAC tournament earns a trip to Dayton for the First Four and if they are lucky enough to win that game, they would face the top seed in their bracket.

In the past four seasons, the conference has had four different regular-season champions and three different representatives sent to the NCAA Tournament.

Mississippi Valley State earned both titles last season and ended up losing to Western Kentucky in the First Four by a point in the NCAA Tournament.

30. MEAC

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The MEAC is another conference that barely gets any attention and has its winner get eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

However, that was not the case in 2012 when Norfolk State pulled off the upset of the century against Missouri in the West Regional.

Norfolk State were not the winners of the conference last season as Savannah State won their first conference title in their first season in the MEAC.

29. Northeast Conference

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The Northeast Conference is yet another conference that is known for having teams become No. 16 seeds in the NCAA Tournament and losing to the top seed in their bracket.

Last season was more of the same for the NEC as Long Island University earned the automatic berth, but lost to top seed Michigan State in the West Regional.

LIU did face a tough run for the regular-season championship last season as they only finished one game ahead of Wagner.

Of the 12 teams in the conference, eight have made it to the NCAA Tournament, but none of them have won a game.

28. Big South

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The Big South may be best known for having one of the oddest nicknames in all of college sports in the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.

Other than that, the best product to come out of Big South basketball has been Winthrop, who has made the NCAA Tournament 10 times out of the conference with the last time being in 2010.

The past two seasons, UNC Asheville has been the representative for the conference at the NCAA Tournament.

Last season, UNC Asheville made it as a No. 16 seed and only lost by seven to top-seeded Syracuse.

27. Big West

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The Big West is a conference that is not known for their basketball, with baseball being the prime focus in the conference.

Cal State Fullerton is a baseball powerhouse with three former Golden Spikes Award winners that include Tim Wallach, Phil Nevin and Mark Kotsay.

As for basketball, Long Beach State has had the most NCAA Tournament appearances, including the one that they made last season.

The 49ers were given a No. 12 seed and were picked by many, including myself, to upset New Mexico, but that was not to be.

26. Atlantic Sun

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The Atlantic Sun gained plenty of attention over the past few seasons after Belmont won the automatic berth from the conference for the past two seasons.

Belmont was a favorite to upset Wisconsin in 2011 and Georgetown in 2012, but the team could not win a game either year in the NCAA Tournament.

Before that, East Tennessee State had featured in the NCAA Tournament for two straight seasons.

This season, the stock of the conference has dropped with Belmont leaving for the Ohio Valley Conference.

Replacing Belmont as the 10th team in the conference is Northern Kentucky, whose nickname for those wondering is the Norse, which adds to a conference that already contains Ospreys (North Florida), Hatters (Stetson) and Dolphins (Jacksonville).

25. Summit League

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The Summit League has produced two teams that earned automatic berths to the NCAA Tournament that have provided challenges for two Big 12 teams in the past two years.

Oakland was the first team to do it in 2011 when they scared Texas in the first round while South Dakota State was the feel-good story of the 2012 tournament before barely losing to Baylor in their first game.

This season, the Summit League will be looking for its first NCAA Tournament win since the conference rebranded itself from the Mid-Continent in 2007.

24. Southland

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The Southland Conference is one you would not think of when it comes to expansion, but the conference is experiencing a big amount of change.

Three Texas-based teams, UT San Antonio, UT Arlington and Texas State, all left the conference, which is down to 10 teams with only Oral Roberts coming in from the Summit League as a replacement for the three departed members.

The best team left in the conference is Lamar, who won last season's conference tournament, but lost in the First Four to Vermont.

23. Southern Conference

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The Southern Conference is still best known for the great season that Davidson had in 2008 under the leadership of Stephen Curry.

Curry is now with the Golden State Warriors and coach Bob McKillop is still with the Wildcats. He actually led them to the 2012 NCAA Tournament, but lost to Louisville in the first round.

Along with Davidson, look for UNC Greensboro and Wofford to contend for the conference title this season.

22. Sun Belt

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The Sun Belt has received a ton of publicity this season in the football department with UL-Monroe beating Arkansas and Auburn, but not much attention is on the basketball department at the moment.

That is not expected to change as the Sun Belt are not too strong in the basketball department.

If there is one team to watch in the Sun Belt this season, it is perennial power Western Kentucky, who has earned three of the last five conference tournaments.

The Hilltoppers have only won one regular season title in those past five seasons as five different teams have won that title, including Middle Tennessee State last season.

21. America East

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Most people still recognize the America East from Vermont's big win over Syracuse in the 2005 NCAA Tournament.

The Catamounts took some time off from the being at the top of the conference before coming back in the past few years by winning the conference's automatic berths in 2010 and 2012.

However, winning the conference is not guaranteed for Vermont as Boston University and last year's regular-season champions Stony Brook will contend for the America East automatic berth as well.

20. Big Sky

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The Big Sky conference has been mostly dominated by Montana in the past decade.

The Grizzlies have only won one regular-season title in the past decade, which came last season, but when it comes to earning the automatic berth for the Big Sky, Montana have earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament in four of the past eight seasons, including 2012.

Whether or not Montana makes it five tournament appearances in nine years is yet to be seen, but one thing is for sure, new members North Dakota and Southern Utah probably will not impact the title race this season.

19. MAAC

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The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is one of the underrated mid-major conferences.

The most recognizable team in the MAAC over the past few seasons has been Siena, who won three straight regular-season and tournament titles from 2008 to 2010.

Over the past few seasons, parody has taken over the league with four different teams taking titles in the regular season and the conference tournament.

Last season, Iona won the regular season title while Loyola (MD) won the conference tournament title.

To some people's surprise, Iona was awarded an at-large berth, marking the first time two MAAC teams made the NCAA Tournament since 1995 when St. Peter's and Manhattan both made it to the NCAA Tournament.

18. Ohio Valley

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The Ohio Valley Conference was in the spotlight for most of last season due to the Murray State Racers.

Murray State went 30-1 and earned the sixth seed in the West Regional, where they beat Colorado State before losing to Marquette.

Two years ago, it was Morehead State who caught the attention of the national viewing public with their upset of fourth seed Louisville in the 2011 version of the NCAA Tournament.

This season, the OVC adds another mid-major powerhouse in Belmont, who comes over from the Atlantic Sun.

With the move of Belmont to the OVC, it creates a rivalry between the Bruins and Murray State as the two will fight for the conference title this season.

17. Horizon League

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The Horizon League has been one of the mid-major conferences getting the most attention over the past few seasons with the success of Butler in the NCAA Tournament.

This season, the Horizon will not have Butler, who left for the Atlantic 10, in the conference lineup.

The defection of Butler to the A-10 weakens the strength of the conference and leaves them with an uneven amount of teams, nine, with no one coming into replace the Bulldogs.

The good news for the Horizon League is that they can use 2012 as an example of surviving without Butler as Detroit made the NCAA Tournament last season.

The remaining members of the Horizon League will have to find some way to survive without Butler and avoid all the press that will focus on the exit of Butler for most of the season.

16. Patriot League

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The Patriot League is one of the smallest conferences in college basketball, but it still packs a big punch when it comes to their play on the court.

Last season. Lehigh scored the biggest upset of the NCAA Tournament over Duke in the second round as a No. 15 seed.

The Mountain Hawks became the second Patriot League team to win a NCAA Tournament game with Bucknell winning in 2005 and 2006.

Lehigh will get an early chance to prove their worth this season when they open the season at Baylor in Waco on Friday.

15. Ivy League

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The Ivy League is not only known for their academics anymore, but also known for their strong basketball competition in recent years.

Last season, it came down to a three-way battle for the Ivy League championship, which has its automatic berth determined by the regular-season champion, between Harvard, Penn and Princeton with Harvard winning the title.

The Ivy League has been one of the most entertaining title races to follow over the past few seasons, especially with the automatic berth on the line during the regular season.

14. WAC

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The WAC has become the biggest casualty of the conference expansion movement.

The conference has seen its football competition cease its existence and the basketball competition could go in the same direction due to all of the teams going in and out of the conference at will.

Nevada and Fresno State left the conference this season while six members will leave for different conferences in 2013 and Idaho will leave in 2014.

With the members of the conference being in doubt, all the WAC can hope for is a competitive basketball season while they have 10 members.

13. MAC

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Last season, the profile of the MAC was boosted even more thanks to the success of Ohio.

The Bobcats reached the Sweet 16 after beating Michigan and South Florida before falling to North Carolina.

The scary thing about last season's MAC tournament champion is that they are returning most of their starters and will be one of the top mid-majors all season.

With Ohio leading the conference, look for the rest of the teams in the conference to try and take down the Bobcats.

However, if Ohio does dominate in the regular season but fails to earn the automatic berth, the MAC would most likely get two teams into the NCAA Tournament.

12. Mountain West

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The Mountain West was struggling for quite some time until San Diego State not only brought the conference into relevance, but also into the spotlight.

Unfortunately for the Aztecs, they do not have much competition in the conference other than New Mexico at the moment.

While the games between New Mexico and San Diego State are sure to be great this season, the rest of the conference has yet to catch up to the top two teams.

UNLV and Colorado State are close to becoming title contenders, but they are not there yet.

As for the two newcomers, Nevada and Fresno State, they should not worry the Lobos or Aztecs this season either as the Mountain West belongs to those two teams at the moment.

11. Conference USA

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The strength of C-USA has not been the same since the mass exodus of teams, including Louisville, in 2005.

The conference is also very top-heavy with Memphis being the dominant force since the departure of Louisville and Cincinnati.

Memphis has won six of the last seven automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament with Houston being the only exception after their miracle run in 2010.

The Tigers are once again the favorite to win the conference, but the real question in C-USA this season is will anyone even come close to Josh Pastner and company?.

10. CAA

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The CAA suffered a big blow this offseason as VCU left for the A-10, but they have plenty of star power still left in the conference.

That star power starts with the most underrated coach in college basketball, Bruiser Flint and his Drexel team.

The Dragons will be a team to watch this season after being left out of the NCAA Tournament last season.

Drexel will face challenges from George Mason, Delaware and Old Dominion in their quest to prove that they are a team that could earn an at-large berth this season if they do not earn the automatic berth again.

9. Missouri Valley

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The Missouri Valley Conference has been one of the best mid-major conferences over the past decade.

Creighton was the original team to bring the MVC into the spotlight, but the tradition of mid-major powerhouses was continued by Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa and Wichita State.

Now, the Bluejays are back in the spotlight this season and have one of the top players in the country in Doug McDermott.

Creighton will be the favorite to win the conference, but if there is anything we have learned about the MVC, it's that a team from this conference can pop up out of nowhere and not only be a contender in the conference, but also a contender to win a game or two in the NCAA Tournament.

8. West Coast Conference

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The West Coast Conference came to prominence in the same way that the Missouri Valley did, through one team who jumped onto the national stage.

That team in the WCC was Gonzaga and they have been joined by St. Mary's as the top two programs in the conference.

Added to the mix last season was BYU, who finished third behind champions St. Mary's and second-place Gonzaga in their first season.

The three teams should be involved in a fight for the regular-season championship and there is no doubt that the WCC should get at least two teams into the NCAA Tournament.

7. Atlantic 10

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The Atlantic 10 are one of the few winners of conference expansion as they have brought in Butler and VCU this season.

The two teams will add to the perennial favorites, Temple and Xavier, as well as a few up-and-coming teams like St. Joseph's and Saint Louis.

Last season, four teams from the A-10 made the NCAA Tournament and that total could grow with the addition of the two new teams.

The addition of Butler and VCU will also to the quality of the product on the court with more high-profile games during the conference season.

6. Pac-12

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The Pac-12 is getting plenty of attention in preseason thanks to two teams looking to get back on the national stage.

At UCLA, the Shabazz Muhammad saga is still going on as Ben Howland is still looking to turn that program around, while at Arizona, coach Sean Miller has his team poised for a breakout season.

The teams up in the Pacific Northwest like Washington and Oregon are the two teams that are looking to improve on last season's regular-season finish.

The overall goal for the whole conference is to earn more than two bids into the NCAA Tournament, as Colorado and Cal were the only two teams to represent the Pac-12 last season.

5. Big 12

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The Big 12 may have added two quality programs with two proven head coaches during the offseason, but they lost a top team in Missouri.

West Virginia and TCU will not make life easy in the Big 12 season for anyone, but they could be a part of a group of teams sitting behind Kansas and Baylor all season in the standings.

Kansas and Baylor will be the favorites to win the regular-season title this year, but do not be surprised if a team like Iowa State makes a run at the title either.

At the end of the season, the goal of the conference is to not be the Pac-12 of last year and have a good amount of teams make the NCAA Tournament along with Kansas and Baylor.

4. SEC

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Expansion has helped the quality of SEC basketball with Missouri playing in its first season in the conference along with Texas A&M.

Mizzou could be a legitimate threat to both Kentucky and Florida for the SEC title this season.

Although the SEC basketball season will not be as dramatic as the football season that the conference is having at the moment, there will be plenty of big matchups that will decide the title.

In the final few weeks of the season, all three of the preseason favorites to win the conference will square off against each other in games that should decide the winner of the conference.

3. ACC

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The focus of the ACC will once again be on the state of North Carolina this season.

Duke, North Carolina and even NC State will be the favorites to win the title.

There will be one other challenger in the ACC as Florida State could make a case to win the regular-season title as well.

Both the Wolfpack and Seminoles will look to break the duopoly of Duke and UNC, who have won at least a share of the ACC regular season title since 2004.

If that duopoly is not broken this season, it surely will be next year when Pitt, Syracuse and Notre Dame enter the ACC.

2. Big Ten

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The Big Ten may have three of the top five teams in the nation, but they lack the overall product that is seen in the Big East.

Indiana, Ohio State and Michigan will have their way this season against most of the teams in the conference.

The trio of teams will battle it out for the regular-season title while Wisconsin and Michigan State will be tough opponents and should both make it to the NCAA Tournament as well.

With the Big East weakening next season, the Big Ten could jump into the position of top conference then.

1. Big East

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There is no doubt that the Big East is still the best conference in all of college basketball.

This may be the final time that the Big East can earn this title as the conference will weaken significantly next season.

Pitt, Syracuse and Notre Dame will depart for the ACC while Memphis, Temple and three other schools will replace them.

As for this season, fans of the Big East will get one final chance to enjoy the countless rivalries between all 16 teams and the high quality in basketball that almost every game in the conference possesses.

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In the United States, playoffs, tournaments, and title games often go beyond mere athletic competition and form a cult following.

After the Super Bowl, the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament or "March Madness" or "The Big Dance" is the most anticipated sporting event of the year. Of course, other sports (baseball) and leagues (NBA) can argue with this opinion, but it is shared by many, and in this article I argue this position.

The ABC of Madness

I'll start with the ABC of Madness. I think it makes sense to immediately deal with the terminology in order to create equal conditions for all readers. If you are following this tournament for the first time or have not really figured out how the tournament works yet, this article and especially this section is especially for you. If you know everything and are interested in the details of this year's tournament, feel free to skip this section and go to the part of the text that interests you.

Let's start!

The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament is a tournament for the best men's college basketball teams in Division I. There are similar tournaments for the second and third divisions and women's college basketball.

"March Madness" is the most famous nickname of the tournament, which refers to the huge number of games that were played over two weeks, a bunch of upsets and to the sincere emotions of the players for whom this tournament is the best chance to show themselves and continue their careers, while for others this is the last chance to play their favorite game before the start of “adulthood”.

The Big Dance is another well-known nickname for the tournament.

"Upset" is a phenomenon that occurs in any competition, most often in sports or politics. Upset is the outcome of the competition when the underdog (outsider) wins the fight against the favorite.

"Underdog" (eng. "Underdog") - an outsider.

"Bracket" - the approved schedule of tournament games. The grid does not change after each round, there are no further draws or “re-seeding” of teams.

"Regionals" - the general tournament can be divided into regional tournaments that are played in different regions of the United States: East, West, South and Midwest.

"Seeding" - rating of teams in the tournament. Seeding takes place in such a way that the favorites do not run into each other at the beginning of the tournament. Each team gets into one of 16 pots (1 best, 16 worst).

"Bracketology" is the "science" of correctly predicting the results of a tournament when the bracket is filled.

"Bracket buster" is a big upset that destroys the grid of most fans.

"Cinderella" (eng. "Cinderella") - an underdog who gets to the quarterfinals or beyond. Every tournament usually has at least one.

"Selection Sunday" - a special commission announces 68 teams that will enter the bracket. Eight of them will play the preliminary games ("First Four"), and the four winners will advance to the main tournament, which includes 64 teams. The first four is the official start of the tournament. Matches are played on Wednesday, the day before the start of the main part of the tournament.

“Selection Committee” (eng. “Selection Committee”) is the name of a special commission that selects 68 teams that will enter the draw.

"Automatic bid" - there are 32 conferences in the first division of college basketball, each of the winners of the conference tournament is provided with an automatic invitation to the main tournament.

"At-large bid" - 36 teams that are not champions of their conferences and receive a personal invitation from the tournament's election committee to play in it. These are the top 36 teams, in addition to those who received an automatic invitation.

"Bubble teams" are teams that are on the verge of entering the tournament and their fate depends on the decision of the electoral committee whether to grant them a general invitation or not.

"Sweet 16" (eng. "Sweet Sixteen") - round 1/8 Madness.

"Magnificent (elite) eight" (eng. "Elite 8") - Madness quarter-finals. I suggest the “magnificent eight” option, which sounds more natural for a Russian-speaking person.

"Final Four" (eng. "Final Four") - the semi-finals of Madness.

"Cut down the nets" is a tradition where the team that wins the tournament cuts the nets from the ring as a souvenir. The tradition began in 1947. After winning the Southern Conference tournament, NC State coach "Wolfpack" asked the students to lift him onto their shoulders to cut the net off the hoop as a memento. Since then, the teams that win the tournament repeat his act and cut the grid.

Big Six Conference Championships

In college basketball, there is the concept of a conference-member of the "Big Six" (eng. "Power 6"). These are the most powerful and most successful conferences in college basketball.

Members:

BIG 10

BIG 12

ACC

SEC

PAC

Big East

Big East usually from one of the first two conferences. And the vast majority of the teams that receive general invitations are also from one of the Six conferences.

How did the tournament become what it is

Why is the tournament so popular?

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“Americans are incredibly loyal to their colleges and universities. It does not matter whether a person just entered the university or graduated 30 years ago, he is, without any doubt, an avid fan of his university team, considers it the best and the only one that deserves the championship title.

This is an exciting competition. Compared to the professional championship, college basketball has fewer playoff matches, a sharper fight, and the final tournament is much faster. Even if their favorite teams don't make it to the finals, Americans still watch every game. Why? It's simple: unlike professional athletes, students do not play for money, but defend the honor of their schools and just love basketball. ”[1]

A perfect explanation of the reasons for the popularity of the tournament. I will add a couple of nuances and explanations from myself.

“Why? It's simple: unlike professional athletes, students don't play for money, but defend the honor of their educational institutions and just love basketball." In addition, for many, this tournament is the only chance for talented guys from less prestigious teams or the conference to prove themselves in the run-up to the NBA draft. Therefore, "Madness", in function, in many respects reminds me of the Youth Ice Hockey World Championship (MChM). The best example of this phenomenon is Kenneth Farid of the Morehead State who are speaking at the Ohio Valley Conference.

The tournament is also of great importance for those players for whom a career in big-time sports will not go beyond the student level. The vast majority of NCAA boys and girls don't go pro. For many athletes, this is the last chance to play the real game before they become accountants, analysts or insurers and continue to play sports in amateur leagues.

Equally important are the fans' regional preferences. In many regions of the United States, there are no professional teams, and local residents become attached to local student teams. It is noteworthy that some of these fans do not even have higher education. For example, the Alabama and Auburn college football teams are hugely popular in a state where there are no professional teams, and American football is the most popular sport by a wide margin. The opposite is true of the limited interest in college sports in big cities like New York.

NIT vs. The Madness

Many people will be surprised to learn that the Madness hasn't always been the premier college basketball tournament. In the middle of the last century, the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) was much more prestigious than the NCAA tournament. For those who are more or less familiar with college basketball, yes, this is the same NIT that now has a reputation as a repechage tournament. In the 1950s, the NCAA basketball tournament began to gain prestige after the NCAA began requiring conference champions to play in their own tournament.

NCAA vs. NBA

College basketball (in the US) is considered by many to be more popular than the NBA due to the reasons given earlier. This is confirmed by television ratings.

I personally prefer college basketball to professional basketball. Yes, there are problems at the student level: bribes to players, players play for one season - a tactic that has been called “one and done” (one [season] and tied up), and others.

But even if these problems are taken into account, the quality of the rivalry (mind you, not the class of the game) between the student and professional game is heaven and earth.

The last NBA game I watched was Game 7 of the Cavaliers and Warriors that I mentioned earlier. Follow the NBA regular season? No need, thanks. I'd rather paint the wall and watch it dry. Defense has long been forgotten in the NBA. Although it is the fault of the players, if the wrong look at the opponent is already a foul. Team game? What can be a team game in the era of "ISO" (an attack when a player one-on-one tries to beat another player). And to whom did this basketball surrender strongly? LeBron decided that his future career in show business was more important, and for the younger generation, “likes” were more important than titles. Even the stars in college basketball have to work hard to collect likes to get into the NBA first.

Grid (Gridology)

How is a grid constructed?

In addition to the 32 teams that receive an automatic invitation, the electoral committee must identify 36 teams that are worthy of a general invitation. Then you need to seed each of the teams in one of 16 pots, where the first is the best, and the sixteenth is the worst. And in the end, all these teams must be distributed among the regions in such a way that each of the regional grids is competitive.

Upsets

Perhaps the most interesting part of Madness is the upsets. The best example is last year's Virginia Cavaliers upset by the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. This was the first time in tournament history that a pot 16 team beat a pot 1 team in the first round. Every year a Cinderella appears, which not only kills the overwhelming majority of the fans' bracket, but also progresses quite far in the tournament. The most notable examples are the Butler Bulldogs and the Virginia Rams Commonwealth University.

Big money

Madness is not only big sport, but also big money.

Baracketology

It is worth noting that former US President Barack Obama is a big fan of the tournament and during his two terms as the country's commander in chief, the "presidential bracket" has become a tradition.

This year

This is how the current year grid looks like.

Who to follow?

I want to immediately thank Alexander Gorokhov, the founder of the blog Dilettante's Notes. He made a gorgeous list, to which I added my players and my comments. Upvote it and subscribe.

Jarrett Kalver ( “ TEXAS ” , attacking defender, STRUCTION)

Statistics of the season: 18.5 points, 6.3 selection, 3.6 programs, 1 .3 3PTM, 1.3 steals

Suggested draft range: The first five

The best potential franchise: “ Atlanta HOX ”

Type among NBA players: Caris Leveris

Jarrett Kalver was able to turn from a potential ordinary role -player, on his shoulders of the pulling Tekhas “Tekhas with their bombarding talents.

He managed to attract the attention of NBA scouts, who initially did not see anything special in him. He redesigned his running style, and now, thanks to stride length and faster runs, 19The 8cm guard is a more mature player than he was in his freshman year. At the same time, he became a better finisher, realizing almost 6 percent better than the previous year - 58.8% of all shots.

His shooting has evolved this season, allowing him to add more than 97 three-pointers to his stats and to his overall arsenal of mid to long range shots.

Culver doesn't have to lead Texas far in the tournament to get a coveted 2019 Draft green room call.of the year. He has already become one of the most gifted players in the country in both halves of the floor, and is potentially at least a top 5 pick in this draft.

Arrett ( “ DUK ” , attacking defender/light forward, freshman)

Season statistics: 22.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.9 3-pointers

Predicted draft range: top three

The best potential franchise: “ New York NIKS ” / “ Phoenix Sans ”

Type among NBA players: Michael Radd

18-year-old Er Jay, Killed team of team practically does not slow down its momentum during the season, starting with the first game against Kentucky and 33 points against them.

He has exactly the mentality of an alpha player, the very X-factor on the floor that the teams tanking now so badly need. And during this NCAA tournament, he will definitely have a chance to show it, given Barrett's history of winning in high school and at the FIBA ​​and Nike Hoop Summit international competitions.

Barrett has an untrained instinct to create shooting opportunities for himself in every match by constantly improvising and involving partners. He may not be the best shooter or assist, but his 1.9 3-pointers and 4.1 assists per game reflect underrated passing and chance-creating skills.

Barrett's biggest questions concern his timing and ability to create easy shots for himself as the game slows down. According to Synergy Sports, Barrett ranks only 53rd among the players on these indicators.

Still, competitiveness, PR and his own will should keep Barrett in the top five picks in this draft.

JA Morant ( “ Murray Steit ” , playing, STRUCTION)

Statistics of the season: 24. 6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 10.0 gear, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 6 3-pointers

Predicted draft range: Top four

Best potential franchise: « Dallas Mavericks »

NBA player type: Dearon Fox

Ja Morant, arguably the most exciting breakout star in the country, will be the focus of attention at the NCAA Tournament as for fans who have only seen the high lights as the season progresses, and to NBA scouts hoping to reaffirm the significance of Jah's regular season results and potential.

His ability to tackle fast breaks speaks for itself, but he deserves the highest praise primarily for his vision and playmaking skills. He is an outstanding attacking specialist, able to destroy even the deepest defenses, create chances for teammates and shoot equally well with both hands.

His scoring ability is also undeniable as he scores more possession points than any other player in the country. Morant is able to put a lot of pressure on the opponent's defense and find ingenious ways to finish attacks both in front of the basket and under it.

Scouts will be watching his jump shot during the tournament, probably more than anyone else. The throw remains his biggest issue, which could keep him from moving to the NBA. He's shooting 33.6 percent from threes, though his 1.6 shots per game is a marked improvement from last year's 0.8.

Kobi White ( “ North Carolina ” , playing/attacking defender, freshman)

Statistics of the season: 16.3 points, 4.2 programs, 2.4 three -year

Predicted Draft Range: Lottery

Best Potential Franchise: Memphis Grizzlies

Season stats: 18. 9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 7.6 assists

drafted range Lottery

Best Potential Franchise: Early to Tell

NBA Player Type: Ray Felton

Aside from his height, it turns out that Winston has a lot to offer. He is deceptively fast, I would even say he changes speeds flawlessly, he understands the game well and makes very few mistakes at the moment.

He doesn't stand out in any way, but he is a stable player, keeps his composure in difficult moments, which was especially expressed in the last minutes of the BIG 10 tournament final, and therefore I think that he will become a useful player at a professional level.

Ignas Brazdeekis (Michigan, Light forward , Fighter)

Statistics of the season: 15.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 0.9 programs

9000 9000 9000

003 Predicted Draft Range:

Best Potential Franchise: Early to Tell

NBA Player Type: Gordon Hayward

He is Michigan's most scoring player this season, which was very evident against Michigan State. At one point, he alone had more points than all the Spartans combined in the final of the BIG 10 tournament and it was he who scored the first 9Wolverines points in that game.

He also makes few mistakes, as evidenced by his low loss rate (8.9 percent). He also has good athleticism and self-confidence.

It should be noted that in order to achieve more, Ignas needs to play more passes and switch to the role of a passer when the game does not go well or the opponent starts to pinch him. In the finals of the BIG 10 tournament, Spartans changed their defense scheme against Ignas and he seemed to disappear after a fiery start to the match.

And maybe you've heard of him...

Zion Williamson (Duke, PF/C, freshman)

Season stats: 22.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.2 interceptions, 1.8 blocks

Predictable draft range: No. 1 without options

Best potential franchise: “ Phoenix Sans ” / “ New York NIKS ”

Potential appsets.

A match between teams from (5) - (12) pots usually results in the most upsets. This year I think it is (5)-(12) that will give the first upset: (12) Murray State Racers will beat (5) Marquette Golden Eagles. The Racers lost 4 games all year, two of which were against Alabama and Auburn SEC teams. Auburn generally became the champion of the SEC tournament. In addition, Ja Morant will play the consensus second pick in the upcoming draft against the Golden Eagles. It is also worth noting that Marchette lost 5 of their last 6 games before the tournament.

The potential for the biggest upset is in the game (14) Yale - (3) Louisiana State. I personally think that under normal circumstances, Louisiana State would have struggled but definitely beat an Ivy League team. But after the suspension of coach Will Wade for his part in a corruption scandal aimed at bribing players, I'm not so sure of their victory. The suspension of the Louisiana State coach was evident in their loss in the SEC tournament. In the meantime, Yale is playing very solidly, as shown by the game with the favorite of the Ivy League tournament, Harvard.

Last game I watch: (13) Vermont - (4) Florida State. This game depends a lot on Florida State and how much they want to play. Last year, Florida State reached a perfect eight and was 4 points behind the last four. 8 players from last year's team are playing for Florida State this year. Plus, this team took out the tournament favorite ACC "Virginia" in the semifinals of the tournament. Against them is a rival that many consider to be one of the best teams outside of the big six. I still think Florida State will win, but I wouldn't be surprised if Vermont won.

My net!

I remind you that the first four have already played, and the first round begins with Minnesota and Louisville) at 19.15 Moscow time. Happy viewing everyone!

Photo: Gettyimages.ru/ Streeter Lecka, Stephen Dunn/ALLSPORT, Patrick Smith, John Weast, Michael Hickey, Jonathan Daniel, Dylan Buell

SYNERGY University | Sports Management Center

At the Moscow Financial and Industrial University "Synergy" May 28, 2014 . All-Russian Conference "Development of University Sports in Russia: Problem Areas and Points of Growth" was held. About 70 participants of the conference, jointly organized by Synergy University and the Student Basketball Association, systematically reviewed and analyzed the issues of the current state and development prospects of student sports in the structure of the Russian sports industry.

Representatives of such leading Russian public associations and organizations as: Russian Student Sports Union, Student Basketball Association, National Student Football League, Student and Youth Sports Association, Russian Futsal Association, International Student Basketball League and others. issues in the field of student sports development.

V. Lednev (MFPU "Synergy") focused on "problem areas and growth points of university sports in Russia, highlighting the main problem - the lack of human resources. It is necessary to specially train managers for university sports. This is what will allow us to conduct sports competitions with high quality and professionalism.”

S. Kryukov (Student Basketball Association) emphasized that “student sports leagues are a powerful tool for attracting students to regular sports. University players and teams provide a strong impetus to attract students to the university sports environment. Student sports should be organized at a professional level.”

A. Stukalov (National Student Football League) emphasized “the university sports opportunities that allow football students to solve the problems of a gradual transition from sports schools to professional football, while receiving a quality education and playing practice. It is also necessary to expand the audience involved in student football and fans.”

A.Vulf (Physical and sports society "Sport for All") everyone." It is extremely important that the organization "Sports for All" plans to hold events not only for student athletes, but also for fans and volunteers.