Ncaab

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The National Collegiate Athletic Association Basketball (NCAAB) is divided into 3 divisions, namely: NCAAB Division I; NCAAB Division II; and NCAAB Division III. For NCAAB Division I, 64 college basketball teams within the United States compete in a single elimination tournament. Selection of participating teams will be based either by appointment of the NCAA special selection committee or through automatic bids for 34 teams brought about by wins in their respective conferences.

Currently, NCAAB uses what it calls the "pod system" to cut down the number of teams that are eligible to compete. Four regions make up the tournament with 16 teams each. A "pod system" is a crossover game plan, wherein number 1 gets to play number 16, and number 15 gets to play number 2, until each regional tournament brings out the best team from the bunch that can competently play against the best of other regions. The best of each regions will then have an automatic spot in the Final Four, the national semi-finals of the NCAAB Division I.

NCAAB Division I is held every spring, during the month of March, thus coining the term "March Madness." The phrase was said to be originally used as a conjunction by Brent Musburger, way back in 1982 at a CBS Sports NCAA coverage. It became an oft-used phrase for both the Illinois High School Association and NCAA, later on arousing a legal battle regarding who really owns it during the succeeding years. As a form of compromise, the court granted both organizations the right to use the phrase, which they refer to as the "dual-use trademark," for their own purposes.

Since the NCAAB’s foundation in year 1939, it has established its rock-solid name through its remarkable legacy in the collegiate basketball history. It has undergone a great deal of expansion, as manifested by a great boom in number of participants and the establishment of Divisions II and III. From previous eight-team competition in 1939, the number amazingly grew to 64 teams in the later years. Although the league is considered amateur, expert fanatics (especially those from professional basketball) happen to be fond of watching the games, be it live or on air.

The vitality of television in the success of NCAAB Division I is truly undeniable. Looking back, NCAAB’s first television broadcast was in 1952, though the first broadcast of the championship game was aired in 1954. Currently, three television stations broadcast NCAAB games, specifically: CBS, TNN, and ESPN. All three are entitled to broadcast all games, but the opening or the play-in game is exclusive for the last two stations.

As expansion leagues, the NCAAB Divisions II and III, on the other hand, aren’t that different from the first division. The only distinction Division II has with Division I is that instead of four teams competing in the semi-finals, it has eight teams. The teams that survived the regional play will then meet in what they call the "Elite Eight." Division III, for its part, is the same as the first albeit on a smaller scale. This tournament is hosted by Old Dominion Athletic conference and held at Civic Center in Salem, Virginia.

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