NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

Sport	Basketball
Founded	1939; 86 years ago (1939)
Inaugural season	1939
Organising body	NCAA
No. of teams	64 (Tournament) 8 (First Four)
Country	United States
Most recent champion(s)	UConn (5th title) (2023)
Most titles	UCLA (11)
TV partner(s)	NCAA March Madness (CBS/TBS/TNT/TruTV) CBS Sports Network (re-airs) Galavisión (Spanish-language coverage)
Level on pyramid	1

The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, also known as March Madness, is a huge basketball competition in the United States. It decides the national champion for men's college basketball at the top level, called Division I. This tournament is a knockout competition, meaning if a team loses, they are out.

It mostly takes place in March and features 68 teams. The first tournament was held in 1939. March Madness is famous for its exciting upsets, where underdog teams beat favorites. This makes it one of the most popular yearly sports events in the U.S.

Teams get into the tournament in two ways. Thirty-two teams automatically qualify by winning their conference tournaments. The other 36 teams are chosen by a special NCAA committee. These "at-large" teams are announced on a day called Selection Sunday. Teams are then placed into four different regions and ranked from 1 to 16 within their region.

The tournament has seven rounds and lasts for three weeks. It starts with the First Four, where eight teams play for the last four spots. The winners join 60 other teams in the first and second rounds. Sixteen teams then move on to the regional semifinals and finals, known as the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight. Finally, four teams reach the national semifinals and championship, together called the Final Four. The winning team becomes the national champion and celebrates by cutting down the nets.

The tournament expanded to 68 teams in 2011. Before that, it grew from just 8 teams to 64 teams in 1985. In 2020, the tournament was canceled for the first time ever because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The next year, the tournament was played entirely in Indiana to keep everyone safe.

All tournament games are shown on TV by CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV. This is part of a big TV deal that brings in a lot of money for college sports. Many Americans, even those who don't usually watch college basketball, fill out brackets to predict the winners.

Thirty-seven different schools have won the tournament. UCLA has won the most titles with 11 championships. Their coach, John Wooden, won 10 of those titles. Other top winners include the University of Kentucky (8 titles), the University of North Carolina (6 titles), and Duke University, University of Connecticut, and Indiana University (5 titles each).

How the Tournament Works

A ticket from the 1988 tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.

The tournament has 68 teams playing in a knockout style. Thirty-two teams get in by winning their conference tournaments. The other 36 teams are chosen by the Selection Committee. This committee also ranks all 68 teams and places them into the bracket. All this is announced on Selection Sunday. Once the bracket is set, teams don't get re-ranked later.

The tournament is split into four regions. Each region has 16 to 18 teams. The regions are named after general areas of the U.S., and these names can change each year.

The games are played over three weekends. Before the first weekend, eight teams play in the First Four. Two games are between the lowest-ranked conference champions. The other two games are between the lowest-ranked "at-large" teams. The first and second rounds happen during the first weekend. The regional semifinals (Sweet Sixteen) and regional finals (Elite Eight) are played during the second weekend. The national semifinals and championship game (Final Four) are on the third weekend. All games are scheduled so teams have a day to rest between matches. This system has been used since 2011.

Team Ranking and Bracket Setup

A special group called the Selection Committee decides the tournament bracket. This committee includes leaders from different college sports programs. They often make several possible brackets because conference tournament results can change things at the last minute.

The Committee ranks all 68 teams from 1 to 68. These are called the true seeds. Then, they place teams into the four regions, giving each team a seed from 1 to 16. For example, all the No. 1 seeds in each region are on the "No. 1 seed line." Eight teams play in the First Four. Two of these games are between No. 16 seeds. The other two games are between the last "at-large" teams chosen for the tournament.

Teams are usually placed in the region closest to their school to cut down on travel. However, teams might be moved to different regions to make sure the competition is fair. They also try to avoid having teams play each other again too soon if they already played a lot during the regular season.

The top four teams overall are placed as the No. 1 seeds in each region. The regions are set up so that if all No. 1 seeds reach the Final Four, the overall No. 1 team plays the overall No. 4 team. The committee tries to make sure the top teams are spread out evenly across all regions.

If a conference has many top teams, they are placed in different regions. This helps avoid early rematches between teams from the same conference. The committee also tries to avoid rematches from the regular season or previous tournaments in the First Four. Sometimes, a team might be moved slightly up or down a seed line to follow these rules.

Since 2012, the committee shares the full list of all 68 ranked teams after the bracket is announced.

Bracket Preview

Since 2017, the Selection Committee has given a sneak peek of the top 16 teams about three weeks before Selection Sunday. This list doesn't guarantee a team a spot, but it gives fans an idea of who the top contenders are.

Game Locations

The University of Dayton Arena, which has hosted all First Four games since 2011. It has hosted more tournament games than any other venue.

In the men's tournament, games are played at neutral locations. Teams are not allowed to play on their home courts during the first, second, or regional rounds. A "home court" is any court where a team plays more than three regular-season games. This rule doesn't apply to the First Four or Final Four, as only one venue hosts these rounds. For example, the Dayton Flyers often host the First Four games at their home arena. They even played on their home court in 2015.

For the first and second rounds, eight different places host games. Each place hosts two groups of four teams. Teams are usually sent to locations close to their school to reduce travel. The highest-ranked teams often get the closest sites.

Tournament History

Early Years (1939–1970)

The first tournament was held in 1939. The Oregon team won it. The idea came from Ohio State coach Harold Olsen.

From 1939 to 1950, only eight teams played in the NCAA tournament. Teams were chosen from different parts of the country. In 1951, the tournament grew to 16 teams. More teams were added, and conferences could have more than one team.

In the beginning, the tournament had East and West regions. The winners of these regions played in the national championship. In 1952, there were four regions. The winners of these regions then played in the national semifinals and championship at a different location. This is similar to how the "Final Four" works today.

The number of teams kept changing, from 22 to 25 teams over the next 20 years. The regions were renamed over time, becoming East, Mideast, Midwest, and West until 1985.

In the early days, the NCAA tournament competed with another tournament called the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). The NIT was very popular because it was held in New York City, which was a big media center. Some teams even played in both tournaments. For example, City College of New York won both the NIT and the NCAA tournament in 1950. Later, the NCAA stopped teams from playing in both.

Before the Modern Era (1971–1984)

Two big changes in the 1970s made the NCAA tournament the most important college basketball event. First, in 1971, the NCAA made a rule that teams couldn't play in other tournaments if they turned down an NCAA invitation. This happened after Marquette refused an NCAA invitation in 1970. This rule made sure the best teams played in the NCAA tournament.

Second, in 1975, the NCAA allowed more than one team from the same conference to play. Before this, many highly ranked teams couldn't get into the tournament. For example, Maryland was ranked #3 in 1974 but couldn't play because another team from their conference won the automatic bid.

To fit more teams, the tournament grew to 32 teams in 1975. In 1979, it expanded to 40 teams, and then to 48 teams in 1980. Seeding also started during this time. In 1979, all teams in each region were ranked from 1 to 10. This made the tournament more exciting and helped better teams have an easier path to the Final Four.

The national semifinals moved to Saturday and the championship to Monday evening in 1973. They have been on those days ever since. Third-place games were also removed during this era.

Modern Era (1985–Present)

In 1985, the tournament expanded to 64 teams. This meant every team had to win six games to become champion. This change made the tournament much more popular.

In 2001, the tournament grew to 65 teams, adding a "play-in game." This was because a new conference, the Mountain West Conference, was created. The #64 and #65 seeds played this game. It was always held at the University of Dayton Arena in Ohio.

In 2010, there was talk of making the tournament even bigger, possibly up to 128 teams. But on April 22, 2010, the NCAA announced a new TV deal that expanded the tournament to 68 teams starting in 2011. This created the First Four, adding three more play-in games. Two of these games are between No. 16 seeds, and the other two are between the last "at-large" teams.

In 2016, the NCAA introduced a new "NCAA March Madness" logo for all tournament events. Courts at each venue were fully branded with this logo.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 tournament was canceled. This was the first time it didn't happen. In 2021, the entire tournament was held in Indiana to keep everyone safe. It returned to its normal format in 2022.

Tournament Winners

Championships by School

Here are the schools that have won the NCAA men's basketball tournament, along with the years they won.

• Vacated titles are not included.

Tournament Appearances

A total of 333 teams have played in the NCAA tournament since 1939. Some schools that played in early tournaments are no longer in Division I.

Most Tournament Appearances

Twenty-six teams have played in the tournament 30 or more times:

• Vacated appearances not included

^†Marquette turned down an invitation to the 1970 tournament

Tournament Appearance Streaks

Here are the schools with the longest streaks of playing in the NCAA tournament. The 2020 tournament, which was canceled, does not break a streak.

• Bold means the streak is still active as of the 2023 tournament.

Tournament Traditions and Impact

The NABC championship trophy

NCAA-style trophies for various sports, as seen at UCLA

Cutting Down the Nets

A special tradition in the tournament is when the winning team cuts down the nets. This happens after regional championship games and the national championship game. Players, starting with the oldest, cut off a piece of the net. The head coach cuts the very last piece, taking the net as a souvenir. This tradition started in 1947 with coach Everett Case of North Carolina State.

Awards for Teams

Just like the Olympics give out gold, silver, and bronze medals, the NCAA gives out trophies. The national champions get a gold-plated trophy. The team that loses the championship game gets a silver-plated runner-up trophy. Since 2006, all four Final Four teams receive a bronze-plated trophy.

The champions also get special gold championship rings. The other three Final Four teams get Final Four rings.

Most Outstanding Player

After the championship, one player is chosen as the Most Outstanding Player. This award almost always goes to a player from the winning team. It's given to the player who performed best throughout the tournament.

Impact on NBA Draft

The National Basketball Association Draft happens soon after the NCAA tournament. This means that professional NBA teams have to decide how a player's performance in just a few tournament games should affect their draft choices.

Studies show that players who do better than expected in the tournament, or whose teams go further than expected, tend to be drafted higher. This success in the tournament can even predict if a player will become a top NBA star.

Watching the Tournament

TV Deals

Since 2011, the NCAA has a big TV deal with CBS and Turner Broadcasting. Tournament games are shown on CBS, TNT, TBS, and truTV.

Announcers and experts from both CBS and Turner work together to cover the games. Studio shows are held in New York City and Atlanta. This partnership means that all tournament games are shown nationwide every year. The First Four games are on truTV. Other early-round games are on CBS, TBS, TNT, or truTV. The Sweet Sixteen games are split between CBS and TBS. Since 2016, CBS and TBS take turns showing the Final Four and the national championship game.

The TV deal brings in over $500 million for the NCAA each year. This money helps fund college sports programs. The NCAA shares this money with schools based on how many sports they offer and how well their men's basketball teams do in the tournament.

History of TV Coverage

CBS has been the main TV partner for the NCAA tournament since 1982.

Early TV Days

From 1969 to 1981, the NCAA tournament was on NBC, but not all games were shown. In 1980, ESPN started showing some early-round games. This helped ESPN become popular with college basketball fans.

CBS Takes Over

In 1991, CBS got the rights to show all NCAA tournament games. This meant more people could watch the games. Before 2011, CBS would often switch between games to show the most exciting parts.

New Ways to Watch

In 1999, DirecTV offered a special package to watch all games not shown on local TV. In 2004, CBS started offering "March Madness On Demand," which let people watch games online. By 2006, this online service was free. Now, it's called "March Madness Live" and requires a cable or satellite TV login to watch most games.

Since 2007, all tournament games are available in high definition (HD).

Tournament Records

Most Wins in the Tournament

Here are the top ten schools with the most total wins in the NCAA tournament:

• Vacated victories are not included

Most Final Four and Championship Appearances

These programs have made it to the Final Four five or more times:

• Vacated appearances are not included

No. 1 Seeds

Since 1979, the NCAA has ranked teams in each region. The "overall #1 seed" is the top team in the entire tournament.

• Only once have all four No. 1 seeds made it to the Final Four: in 2008.
• Four times, the Final Four has not included any No. 1 seeds. This happened in 1980, 2006, 2011, and 2023.
• Nine times, the championship game has been played between two No. 1 seeds.
• In 2018, UMBC became the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed. This was a huge upset against Virginia. In 2023, Fairleigh Dickinson became the second No. 16 seed to win against a No. 1 seed, beating Purdue.

Undefeated Teams in the Tournament

This refers to teams that had not lost a game before the tournament started.

Coaches with Most National Championships

• 10 national championships: John Wooden (UCLA)
• 5 national championships: Mike Krzyzewski (Duke)
• 4 national championships: Adolph Rupp (Kentucky)
• 3 national championships: Jim Calhoun (UConn), Bob Knight (Indiana), Roy Williams (North Carolina)
• 2 national championships: Denny Crum (Louisville), Billy Donovan (Florida), Henry Iba (Oklahoma State), Ed Jucker (Cincinnati), Branch McCracken (Indiana), Bill Self (Kansas), Dean Smith (North Carolina), Phil Woolpert (San Francisco), Jay Wright (Villanova)

Host Cities

Final Four Locations

Many different places have hosted the Final Four. Some have hosted more than five times:

• Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City hosted nine times.
• Madison Square Garden in New York hosted seven times.
• Freedom Hall in Louisville hosted six times.
• Caesars Superdome in New Orleans hosted six times.

Kansas City has hosted the Final Four ten times in total. New York and Indianapolis have each hosted seven times. The state of Texas has hosted the Final Four eleven times.

For most of its history, the Final Four was played in basketball arenas. The first time a domed stadium was used was the Houston Astrodome in 1971. Since 1997, the NCAA has required the Final Four to be played in large domed stadiums.

Tournament in Popular Culture

The NCAA tournament, like the Super Bowl, attracts both sports fans and non-fans. Many people feel a connection to a team because they went to that school, know someone who did, or live nearby.

Bracket Contests

Many people participate in contests to predict the winners of the tournament. Filling out a tournament bracket is a popular activity. This became very popular around 1985, when the tournament expanded to 64 teams. Predicting the winners is called "bracketology." Even famous people and former U.S. presidents, like Barack Obama, share their bracket picks.

It's very hard to pick a perfect bracket. There are over 9 quintillion (that's 9 with 18 zeros!) possible outcomes for a 64-team bracket. With the First Four games, the number of possibilities is even higher. Companies sometimes offer huge prizes for a perfect bracket, like $1 billion, but no one has ever won.

Tournament Terms

Some phrases are strongly linked to the NCAA tournament.

March Madness

"March Madness" is a very popular name for basketball tournaments played in March. The NCAA owns the trademark for this term.

The phrase was first used by H. V. Porter in 1939 to describe high school basketball tournaments in Illinois. It became widely known for the NCAA tournament in the early 1980s, partly thanks to sportscaster Brent Musburger.

Sweet Sixteen

This term describes the regional semifinal round, which features the last 16 teams. The Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) first used this term for its own tournaments and still owns the trademark. The NCAA licenses the term from them.

Elite Eight

"Elite Eight" refers to the eight teams that play in the regional championship games. The NCAA officially uses this term for its Division II basketball tournaments. The winners of these games in Division I move on to the Final Four. The NCAA trademarked this phrase in 1997. Like "March Madness," this term also came from the Illinois high school basketball championship.

Final Four

The "Final Four" are the last four teams left in the tournament. These teams are the champions of the four regional brackets. They play in the tournament's final weekend. The NCAA owns the trademark for "Final Four."

The term is also used in other sports, especially in Europe, for tournaments where the last four teams play in one location. The NCAA also uses "Frozen Four" for the final rounds of college ice hockey tournaments.

Cinderella Team

A "Cinderella team" is a team that does much better than anyone expected. In the NCAA tournament, a team might be called a Cinderella if it wins many games against higher-ranked teams. The term became popular in 1950 when the City College of New York surprisingly won the tournament. This happened the same year the movie Cinderella came out.

Famous Cinderella teams include North Carolina State in 1983, Villanova in 1985 (the lowest-seeded team to win), LSU in 1986, UMBC in 2018 (the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed), and Saint Peter's in 2022 (the first No. 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight).

Images for kids

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  Rank #1 vs. other ranks (prior to 2018)

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  NCAA Tournament % Wins per rank (as of 2010)

See also

In Spanish: Campeonato de la División I de Baloncesto Masculino de la NCAA para niños