The History of March Madness is a good story. It was first played in 1939, the same year that an Illinois high school basketball official coined the term “March Madness” in reference to the game. The NCAA men’s basketball tournament has come a long way since its inception some eight decades ago.
March Madness has become a part of popular culture in the U.S. with thousands of people competing to predict the outcomes of all 67 games in the tournament. Bracket challenges and betting on the tournament make March Madness one of the most important sporting events of each year. Here’s a look at its history.
MARCH MADNESS 2021 NEWS & NOTES
The Beginning of March Madness
The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) was founded in 1938 and was actually more prestigious than the NCAA tournament that began the following year. Only eight teams played in the very first tourney. Oregon beat Ohio State 46-33 to claim the first-ever national championship.
Until the 1950s, teams often turned down an invite to the NCAA tournament to play in the NIT. Some schools – like City College of New York (CCNY) – would enter both. CCNY is the only school to win both the NIT and NCAA tournaments in the same year. Ironically, they beat Bradley University in the final of both tourneys.
Expansion – The History of March Madness
March Madness remained at eight teams for its first 12 years before expanding to 16. The tournament’s popularity saw the field grow from 16 in 1952 to 25 by 1969. In 1975, the field expanded to 32 and in 1979, 40 teams played for the national title.
From 1979 to 1985, the tournament field grew from 40 to 64 teams. It was 2001 when the NCAA added a 65th team and a single play-in game. The current field of 68 was established in 2011.
The Turning Point
The popularity of the NCAA tournament rose substantially after Earvin “Magic” Johnson of Michigan State battled Larry Bird of Indiana State in the 1979 national championship game.
The number of teams in the field would increase almost annually from ‘79 to 1985. The nation could not get enough of March basketball.
NCAA Tournament Upsets
What helps to drive the popularity of March Madness are the upsets. Once a team gets into the tournament, anything can happen. Just ask UMBC which entered the field of 68 in 2018 as a No. 16 seed. These upsets are where basketball bettors can earn money quickly!
UMBC had to face No. 1 Virginia, one of the favorites to win the national title. For the first time in NCAA tourney history, a No. 16 seed defeated a No. 1 when UMBC won 74-54.
Another driving force in the rise of the history of March Madness was the result in the first tournament to feature 64 teams. In 1985, favorite Georgetown met No. 8 seed Villanova in the championship game. It wasn’t supposed to be close, but the Wildcats won the school’s first-ever tournament with a 66-64 upset victory.
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March Madness Record History
There have been 80 tournaments since 1939. Last year’s event was the first time it was ever cancelled. That was due to the coronavirus pandemic. Isn’t it unfortunate that the History of March Madness is forever tainted by the coronavirus!?
Kentucky has the most appearances at 58 and North Carolina (50) is the only other school with at least 50. UCLA has won the most national championships (11) and Kentucky is second with eight.
The Wildcats also hold the record for most March Madness wins with 129. North Carolina has 126, Duke 114, Kansas 108, and UCLA 101. They are the only programs with more than 100 victories.
