March Madness
The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament (commonly known as the March Madness tournament) is a single-elimination college basketball tournament that takes place in March and April each year in the United States. The tournament is organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and features 68 college basketball teams from across the country. It is one of the most popular sporting events in the United States.
Format
The tournament begins with 68 teams, which are selected by the NCAA Selection Committee. The teams are divided into four regions, and each region features 16 teams. The teams are seeded from 1 to 16, with the top-ranked team in each region playing the lowest-ranked team in that region in the first round of the tournament.
The tournament is played in a single-elimination format, meaning that teams that lose in any round of the tournament are eliminated and do not advance to the next round. The tournament culminates in the Final Four, which is played on the first weekend in April. The Final Four features the four remaining teams in the tournament, and the winner of each game advances to the championship game.
Texas Southern Tigers & North Carolina Central Eagles during the NCAA First Four Tournament in Ohio 2018Traditions
The tournament is known for it traditions, including the playing of the "One Shining Moment" montage after the championship game, and the cutting down of the nets by the winning team.
More Information
- Winners List — list of winners for all March Madness competitions since 1939.
- Venues List — list of the venues for final games since 1939.
- March Madness Trivia
Related Pages
- More basketball major events
- More about the sport of basketball
- Basketball events calendar
- Sport in the USA
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