NCAA stands for National Collegiate Athletic Association. Under the auspices of this organization, headquartered in Indianapolis, student competitions are held in dozens of sports, basketball being the most popular of them.
The NCAA March Madness is a playoff tournament which determines the strongest college basketball team in the United States. The tournament takes place in March, and you only need to win 1 game to advance to the next round. Thanks to this format, the NCAA March Madness is extremely intriguing and unpredictable, and the significance of the tournament final is comparable to the Super Bowl in American football.
NCAA March Madness 1966: an unusual final
The mid-1960s were the peak of black Americans’s struggle for their rights in the United States. For a long time, they were subjected to various types of discrimination, including in sports. In the 1966 NCAA final, for the first time in the history of the NCAA, the Texas Western Miners coach dared to use a starting five that consisted entirely of African-Americans, while the Kentucky Wildcats were composed entirely of white basketball players. The Texans, despite being the underdogs, won 72-65. The story of this final was the basis for a feature film called “Glory Road”, released in 2006.
Magic Johnson vs Larry Bird: it all started with the NCAA March Madness
The debates about who was the best basketball player of the 1980s, Magic Johnson or Larry Bird, continue to this day. The first time these great athletes came face-to-face was in the 1979 NCAA March Madness final. 46 years ago, Johnson was playing for Michigan State, and Byrd was the leader of Indiana State. In the decisive game, the Michigan State University team won (75-64), and Magic Johnson was recognized as the MOP (Most Outstanding Player) of the final. However, Larry Bird won the Naismith Award, which is given to the best college player of the year.
The television broadcast of that match attracted the largest viewership for a March Madness final. It was watched by about 40 million viewers, and this record hasn’t been broken to this day.
1982 NCAA March Madness final
The final game of 1982 is remembered for 3 events. Firstly, University of North Carolina coach Dean Smith won the title for the first time in his 21st season with the team. Second, North Carolina’s winning points came from Michael Jordan, who would soon have an illustrious NBA career. Thirdly, it was the only game in NCAA history to feature three players who would eventually be listed among the 50 greatest in NBA history: Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing and James Worthy.
Anthony Davis has won all the most prestigious titles in basketball
Current Dallas Mavericks player Anthony Davis has made a remarkable achievement that no one has managed to repeat yet. This basketball player has won the NCAA (2012), Olympic Games (2012, 2024), Basketball World Cup (2014) and NBA (2020). In addition, the New Orleans Hornets drafted Davis, who had just won the March Madness, as the first overall pick in 2012.
NCAA March Madness prevents people from working
During NCAA March Madness games, workers take long lunch breaks and go to the nearest sports bar to watch college teams’ battles. Many companies block office workers from accessing NCAA March Madness broadcasts on desktop computers and laptops, but smartphones make it easy to bypass these restrictions. It’s estimated that people spend an average of 6 hours of work time every year watching NCAA March Madness games. This results in lost productivity and costs billions of dollars in losses for employers.
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