A Brief History of The NCAA Basketball Championship

This tournament began in 1939 and now has more than 68 teams in the competition, which is annual. Its popularity has even led to the nickname "March Madness", since most of the games take place in this month and it's one of the most popular events of the year for offshore betting websites.

The semifinals and finals take place in stadiums with a capacity of up to 40,000 spectators, rather than in the competition's regular arenas. Currently, the most winning club is the UCLA Bruins, who have 11 titles.

The Association was created to manage the universities and the games between them, with a focus on basketball. Therefore, we have a non-profit entity that is in charge of regional and national competitions at the university level.

In 1973, the entity chose to separate the universities into 3 divisions, with the first division being considered the strongest and most attractive. The second division is a kind of incentive for those who want to reach the most important division.

The third division is for universities with little financial capital to invest in basketball. Thus, they do not need to provide scholarships for students, as is the case for universities in the other divisions of this league.

For those who are used to watching NBA basketball games, consider that there are some differences with college basketball games. For example, the game is played in two 20-minute halves - in the NBA there are four 12-minute halves.

Also, the time of possession is 30 seconds, and it is mandatory to pass from the defense court to the offense in 10 seconds. In the NBA, it is 8 seconds. There is also the issue of the 3-point arc: in the NCAA it is 6.32 meters and in the NBA it is 7.24 meters.

And about team fouls, after the 10th foul, there will be two free throws, remembering that in the NCAA all fouls are considered team fouls. After committing five fouls, the athlete is eliminated from the game.

You don't have to live in the United States to know that there is a great rivalry between the states there. This is quite visible in the NBA itself, when there are games between teams or even player transfers. In the case of the NCAA, it is the same thing.

So, today California has the advantage of having 15 titles, but all of them very old. Then comes North Carolina, which has 13 titles, at least 6 of them from the 2000s. Then come Kentucky, Indiana, Connecticut, Ohio, and Kansas.

During this great competition, some awards are offered to the best players. Two of them are quite important. The first is the Naismith College Player of the Year.

Kevin Durant won it in 2007 and the last winners were Buddy Hield and Frank Mason III. The John R. Wooden Award, on the other hand, is for those who have a good GPA - equal to or greater than 2 during their college career.

Thus, these are athletes who represent a lot for the universities whether off or on the court, requiring character and technical strength. The latest winners have also been Buddy Hield and Frank Mason III.