A Dose Of NCAA Basketball History

The National Collegiate Athletic Association was the

trendsetter in ambiguity and victory. It is has

undergone a lot of ups and downs. From the very

founder of the game which all basketball enthusiasts

have to be thankful for, Dr. Naismith. He, who showed

people that a game this big can come from a game so

seemingly small then.



It’s like looking through the hourglass where sands of

time has lost track of the day that has passed. NCAA

basketball revitalized the blood of every college

individual. Dreamers and supporters alike are the ones

who made every event possible.



NCAA begins on the month of March. This is usually the

time where cheerleaders strut their moves and the best

players are molded into persons who will pave the way

to get into the NBA or get into the school of their

choice. "March Madness", as they call it, had become a

traditional season where colleges from different parts

of the United States meet for a chance to get to the

top.



This wouldn’t all be possible without the help of a

few significant people who paved the way for the

firsts. First event. First MVP. First team champion.

It’s all included in NCAA’s history record.



It was stated that the very first NCAA tournament for

men’s basketball was held at Northwestern on March 27,

1939. There were only 8 teams that competed against

each other coming from 2 different regions. Oregon was

the very first to be declared as champions for that

event, defeating Ohio State.



The NCAA was the king of the basketball arena but not

until the 1950’s came. NIT went into the scene and was

then considered as the more prestigious event than

NCAA. Teams then preferred to play in NIT and choose

to skip the NCAA season.



Because of this irony, the best teams never met. But

either way, some of the best schools choose to enter

both tournaments that made playing more interesting.



In the 1940’s, Oklahoma A&M won two titles in the

NCAA. Those who were defeated in NIT recovered much

and gained integrity when they entered the NCAA. While

some schools decided to stick with NIT, there are

others who lost on their first and second round with

NIT and decided to finish the season in the NCAA.



A third-place event was added into the game schedule

in courtesy with the East region. That was in 1941.

The national third-place game was first held in 1946.

This lasted until the 1980’s. In comes 1951. This was

the year where the expansion of 8 teams were made into

16. Seattle became the site of the semifinal and

championship games in 1952. This was also the place

where the genuine "final four" was made.



1956 became historical for this year paved the way for

the tournament to be divided into regions of four.

Thus, the most magnificent and famous games were made.



In 1974, NCAA became a tournament with 32 teams. They

also allowed more schools to participate in

conferences. When 1979 came, it expanded to 40

participating teams. This is the year when Michigan

State won national championship against Indiana State.

This tournament was one of the most historical events

ever accounted for in all of NCAA seasons. Earvin

"Magic" Johnson became well known going against Larry

Bird.



As the expansion follows over the years, in 1985, it

had become a 64-team match. The tournament’s

popularity reached the corners of the country far and

wide. Negotiations from television networks to air the

game via satellite speeding through the internet,

radio, etc. had been agreed upon.