Bracket Busting Facts About March Madness To Get You Ready For The Big Dance
Oh man, March Madness is like Christmas in the spring. A vast majority of these kids are living the dream under the limelight before a select few take their talents to the professional levels. Battling for the NCAA title is a tough enough task, but the tournament seemingly sees history made each and every year. So, what's made the tournament so popular? Over the years, miraculous things have happened, from coaches winning multiple titles to men battling back from debilitating injuries.
The Term March Madness
The "March Madness" nickname was coined by legendary basketball broadcaster Brent Musburger during the eighties. The name was associated with an Illinois high school team after coach H.V. Porter used the term in an essay in 1939. In 1996, the US Court of Appeal awarded a dual usage of the term to both sides.
The NIT Story
Interestingly enough, the National Invitational Tournament pre-dates the NCAA tournament by one year. At one point, it was even considered as the more prestigious tournament. Teams were allowed to partake in both tournaments until the mid-fifties.
Origin Of The Final Four
The term "Final Four" was originated by Cleveland Plain Dealer sportswriter Ed Chay. He would use the term as a reference to Marquette's tournament run in an article he wrote in 1975. Three years later, the term was used in the NCAA basketball guide.
Women's March Madness
The popularity of the women's tournament has soared since it's establishment back in 1982. The game broadcast has been staggered to prevent scheduling conflicts with the men's tournament, which has allowed more eyeballs the chance to see the dominance of the UConn Huskies, who have won 11 titles.
Oldest To Youngest
What we have here are the oldest and youngest coaches to win the NCAA tournament. The oldest is Jim Calhoun, who secured his last title in 2011 at the tender age of 68. Branch McCracken was the youngest to win it all at 31-years old. He coached Indiana to their first title in 1940.
For The Longest Time
When Harvard won the Ivy League in 2012, the school earned an automatic bid into the tournament. It ended a 66-year drought that dated all the way back to 1946. Not counting schools who never made the tournament, this was the longest drought of any Division I school.
Vasectomy Madness
The number of vasectomy procedures for men spikes through the roof a week or two before the madness starts. This is not a coincidence and people who have a fear of going under the knife shouldn't worry. You get almost three-four days off, which is the perfect amount of time to watch the opening week of games with an ice pack close by.
Back-To-Back Loses
The crushing blow of losing on the biggest stage in the big dance is heartbreaking, but imagine going through it twice? Four teams have suffered the sting of defeat two years in a row. We're talking about Ohio State in 1961-62, Houston in 1983-84, Michigan in 1992-93, and Butler in 2010-11.
Austin Carr Is A Legend
Say hello to Austin Carr, better known as Mr. Cavailer. What Carr did years before his prominence in the NBA was remarkable. He holds the single-game record for points scored in a tournament game when Carr racked up 61 points against Ohio in 1970.
Anything Is Possible
The lowest seed to ever win the tournament was No. 8 Villanova in 1985. Since then, the lowest seed to reach the Final Four is No. 11, which has been done only three times. LSU made it to the final weekend in 1986, then George Mason twenty years later in 2006, and finally VCU, who last did it in 2011.
No. 1 Seeds In The Final Four
No No. 1 seed has ever lost the first game in the tournament. Since seeding began in 1979, at least one No.1 seed has made the Final Four in every season except 1980, 2006 and 2011. It's amazing that there have only been three times a No. 1 seed didn't go deep.
Point-Shaving Scandal
In 1950, the City College of New York became the only school ever to win the NIT and the NCAA tournament in the same year. However, during the following season, several of its players were arrested for taking bribes from gamblers to shave points. The scandal spread out to more than 30 players in seven different colleges.
Racial Tensions In The Tournament
African-Americans made a prominent role in the 1966 edition of the Big Dance. Before that happened, future NBA Hall of Famer Bill Russell carried San Francisco to back-to-back titles in 1955-56. Many schools refused to integrate African-American players, but Texas Western (now UTEP) became the first team with an all-black lineup 10 years later.
Most Titles
With 11 titles under their belt, UCLA is the king the tournament. They have the most by any school, with ten of those titles happening over a 12-year stretch from 1964 to 1975. The two players who were a part of the runs? Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton.
John Wooden The GOAT
How many perfect seasons have there been in tournament history? Seven teams have gone undefeated in the regular season and in the tournament to claim a perfect title. Of course, four of those teams were UCLA, who were coached under the GOAT himself, John Wooden.
Cutting Down The Net
Everett Case is the man responsible for an on-going tradition in the big dance. Case, who was a coach for North Carolina State from 1946-1964, snipped the net once his team won the Southern Conference tournament in 1947. The issue? There was no ladder and Case's players hoisted him to grab the souvenir.
Meet The Lady Vols
One of the more impressive stories, the Tennessee Lady Vols have never missed an NCAA tournament. They have competed in every single tournament since 1982 and haven't looked back. The Lady Vols have eight championships titles to their name.
Three Wise Men
Only three men have won the NCAA championship as both a player and a coach. Those names include the great Bob Knight at Ohio State and Indiana, then there's Dean Smith during his tenure at Kansas and North Carolina. The least heralded of the three is Joe B. Hall at Kentucky.
Larry Brown The Champion
Larry Brown has accomplished a very rare feat. In 1998, Brown coached the Kansas Jayhawks to the NCAA title. Six years after that moment, he led the Detroit Pistons to an NBA title over the Los Angeles Lakers. To this day, Brown is the only coach to claim both trophies.
