College basketball facts for kids
College basketball is when teams from colleges or universities play basketball. This usually happens in the United States. The most popular college basketball league in America is the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Basketball in the NCAA is split into three main levels: Division I, Division II, and Division III. But there are other college basketball leagues too, like the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). College basketball teams are often grouped into "conferences." These are like smaller leagues with about 10 teams.
Division I of the NCAA has two big tournaments to decide who the national champion is. There's one tournament for men's teams and another for women's teams. The men's tournament has 68 teams, and the women's tournament has 64 teams. These exciting tournaments are often called "March Madness."
How College Basketball is Different from Pro Basketball
College basketball (NCAA) and NBA (professional) basketball have some differences:
- In college basketball, there are more teams playing.
- College teams play fewer games in a season.
- The 3-point line is a bit farther back in college games.
- College games are split into two 20-minute halves. Pro games have four 12-minute quarters.
- The shot clock in college basketball is 35 seconds. In pro games, it's 24 seconds.
- The scores in college basketball games are usually lower.
History of College Basketball
The sport of basketball started at a place called the YMCA International Training School. Today, this school is known as Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. A physical education teacher named James Naismith created the game. In the winter of 1891, he was asked to invent a game. It needed to keep track athletes in shape. It also had to prevent them from getting hurt a lot.
The first official basketball game played under Naismith's rules was on December 21, 1891. This happened at the Springfield YMCA Training School. By 1893, basketball began to spread to college campuses.
Images for kids
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An exciting NCAA men's college basketball game. Here, the Virginia Cavaliers play against the Duke Blue Devils.
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The Watsco Center on the University of Miami campus. This is the home arena for the men's and women's basketball teams.
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A map showing where all the NCAA Division I basketball teams are located.
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A map showing all the NCAA Division II basketball teams.
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This map shows the locations of NAIA Division I basketball teams.
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A map showing all the NAIA Division II basketball teams.
