logo
What is March Madness?

What is March Madness?

Yahoo16-03-2025

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — The college basketball season is winding down, which means March Madness is upon us. The annual men's and women's National Collegiate Athletic Association tournaments are among the most closely watched sporting events in the U.S.
No matter how much you know about college basketball — if you're looking to follow the fun, make your own bracket, or even just trying to understand what all the fuss is about — here are some things to know.
It's the basketball world's term to reference the upsets, chaos, remarkable plays and historic moments that are sure to happen in postseason tournaments.
It all starts with teams playing a tournament against the other schools in their conference, which is the division that a school competes in during the regular season. One slip up there and a team could find itself 'on the bubble,' or at risk of missing the ensuing NCAA Tournament. And it ends with the ultimate prize: a school being crowned the champion.
The teams are selected, seeded and placed in a bracket by an NCAA committee made up of 12 members. The brackets are broken up into four regions: Midwest, East, South and West.
The goal of the committee is to create a bracket that's equally competitive in each region.
The term 'March Madness' was first used by Henry V. Porter, a high school official in Illinois, in 1939. But the term wasn't officially used in reference to college basketball until 1982, when CBS broadcaster Brent Musburger used it during that year's coverage.
Every year, millions of people fill out their own brackets in hopes of correctly guessing who will win each round. A huge reason why March Madness is so popular is its unpredictability. Lower-seeded teams regularly beat the higher-seeded ones, throwing brackets and predictions completely out of the window.
Thirty-one of the 68 teams automatically qualify to play in the NCAA Tournament because they won their respective conference tournaments. The remaining 37 teams are chosen by that 12-person committee mentioned earlier.
Next, the committee will seed all of the teams. It determines seeding by wins, losses, strength of schedule and other metrics.
The teams are seeded 1-16 within each of the four regions. The top-seeded team will play the bottom-seeded team, and so on.
Well, you'd be the first. The odds of doing so are astronomical. The closest anyone has ever gotten on the men's side was an Ohio man in 2019 who predicted the entire tournament into the Sweet 16.
If you do happen to make a perfect bracket, there could be more in it for you than just bragging rights. Perfect bracket pickers have been offered as much as $1 billion. That's the figure Warren Buffett offered to his Berkshire Hathaway employees in 2014 if any of them achieved such a lofty goal.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Democrats criticize latest effort by Congress to regulate college sports as setback for athletes

timean hour ago

Democrats criticize latest effort by Congress to regulate college sports as setback for athletes

WASHINGTON -- The latest effort by Congress to regulate college sports generated predictable partisan outrage on Thursday, with Democrats saying Republican-led draft legislation would claw back freedoms won by athletes through years of litigation against the NCAA. Three House committees are considering legislation that would create a national standard for name, image and likeness payments to athletes and protect the NCAA against future lawsuits. Last week, a federal judge approved a $2.8 billion settlement that will lead to schools paying athletes directly, and NCAA President Charlie Baker said now that his organization is implementing those major changes, Congress needs to step in and stabilize college sports. Baker said he supports the draft legislation that was the subject of Thursday's hearing by a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee, but there was little indication that any bill advanced by the House would generate enough Democratic support to surpass the 60-vote threshold in the Senate. 'I'm deeply disappointed for the second year in a row, Republicans on this committee are advancing a partisan college sports bill that protects the power brokers of college athletics at the expense of the athletes themselves,' said Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass. Trahan noted that if the NCAA or conferences establish unfair rules, athletes can challenge them in court, with the settlement of the House v. NCAA antitrust case the latest example of athletes winning rights that they had been denied historically. 'This bill rewrites that process to guarantee the people in power always win, and the athletes who fuel this multibillion-dollar industry always lose,' said Trahan, who played volleyball at Georgetown. The NCAA argues that it needs a limited antitrust exemption in order to set its own rules and preserve a college sports system that provides billions of dollars in scholarships and helps train future U.S. Olympians. Several athletes are suing the NCAA over its rule that athletes are only eligible to play four seasons in a five-year period, and on Tuesday, a group of female athletes filed an appeal of the House settlement, saying it discriminated against women in violation of federal law. On the Senate side, a bipartisan group including Republican Ted Cruz of Texas has been negotiating a college sports reform bill for months, but those talks are moving more slowly than Cruz had hoped at the beginning of this Congress. The draft bill in the House would create a national standard for NIL, overriding the state laws that critics say have led to a chaotic recruiting environment. That, too, was criticized by Democrats and by their key witness at the hearing, Ramogi Huma, executive director of the National College Players Association. Huma argued that the NCAA wants to get rid of booster-funded NIL collectives that another witness, Southeastern Conference associate commissioner William King, characterized as 'fake NIL' or 'pay for play.' Instead, Huma said the collectives are examples of the free market at work, noting that before players won NIL rights through a court case, boosters could only donate to athletic departments. Tom McMillen, a former Democratic congressman who played in the NBA after an All-America basketball career at Maryland, took a dim view of the bill's prospects. 'I think they're trying to come up with something and pull in some Democrats. I just don't know if that's going to succeed or not,' said McMillen, who for several years led an association of Division I athletic directors. 'There's a real philosophical divide, so that's the hard part. It's hard to bridge. And there's a zillion other issues.' The subcommittee chairman, Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., said the draft legislation already had some bipartisan support and he was open to changes that would get more Democrats on board. 'I will consider some of the suggestions, the legitimate suggestions that were made,' Bilirakis said, 'and I will be happy to talk to lawmakers that truly want to get a big bill across the finish line.'

Democrats criticize latest effort by Congress to regulate college sports as setback for athletes
Democrats criticize latest effort by Congress to regulate college sports as setback for athletes

Washington Post

timean hour ago

  • Washington Post

Democrats criticize latest effort by Congress to regulate college sports as setback for athletes

WASHINGTON — The latest effort by Congress to regulate college sports generated predictable partisan outrage on Thursday, with Democrats saying Republican-led draft legislation would claw back freedoms won by athletes through years of litigation against the NCAA. Three House committees are considering legislation that would create a national standard for name, image and likeness payments to athletes and protect the NCAA against future lawsuits. Last week, a federal judge approved a $2.8 billion settlement that will lead to schools paying athletes directly, and NCAA President Charlie Baker said now that his organization is implementing those major changes, Congress needs to step in and stabilize college sports. Baker said he supports the draft legislation that was the subject of Thursday's hearing by a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee, but there was little indication that any bill advanced by the House would generate enough Democratic support to surpass the 60-vote threshold in the Senate. 'I'm deeply disappointed for the second year in a row, Republicans on this committee are advancing a partisan college sports bill that protects the power brokers of college athletics at the expense of the athletes themselves,' said Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass. Trahan noted that if the NCAA or conferences establish unfair rules, athletes can challenge them in court, with the settlement of the House v. NCAA antitrust case the latest example of athletes winning rights that they had been denied historically. 'This bill rewrites that process to guarantee the people in power always win, and the athletes who fuel this multibillion-dollar industry always lose,' said Trahan, who played volleyball at Georgetown. The NCAA argues that it needs a limited antitrust exemption in order to set its own rules and preserve a college sports system that provides billions of dollars in scholarships and helps train future U.S. Olympians. Several athletes are suing the NCAA over its rule that athletes are only eligible to play four seasons in a five-year period, and on Tuesday, a group of female athletes filed an appeal of the House settlement, saying it discriminated against women in violation of federal law. On the Senate side, a bipartisan group including Republican Ted Cruz of Texas has been negotiating a college sports reform bill for months, but those talks are moving more slowly than Cruz had hoped at the beginning of this Congress. The draft bill in the House would create a national standard for NIL, overriding the state laws that critics say have led to a chaotic recruiting environment. That, too, was criticized by Democrats and by their key witness at the hearing, Ramogi Huma, executive director of the National College Players Association. Huma argued that the NCAA wants to get rid of booster-funded NIL collectives that another witness, Southeastern Conference associate commissioner William King, characterized as 'fake NIL' or 'pay for play.' Instead, Huma said the collectives are examples of the free market at work, noting that before players won NIL rights through a court case, boosters could only donate to athletic departments. Tom McMillen, a former Democratic congressman who played in the NBA after an All-America basketball career at Maryland, took a dim view of the bill's prospects. 'I think they're trying to come up with something and pull in some Democrats. I just don't know if that's going to succeed or not,' said McMillen, who for several years led an association of Division I athletic directors. 'There's a real philosophical divide, so that's the hard part. It's hard to bridge. And there's a zillion other issues.' The subcommittee chairman, Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., said the draft legislation already had some bipartisan support and he was open to changes that would get more Democrats on board. 'I will consider some of the suggestions, the legitimate suggestions that were made,' Bilirakis said, 'and I will be happy to talk to lawmakers that truly want to get a big bill across the finish line.' ___ AP college sports:

College World Series 2025: How to watch the tournament this week
College World Series 2025: How to watch the tournament this week

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

College World Series 2025: How to watch the tournament this week

If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission. Pricing and availability are subject to change. Gavin Turley and the Oregon State Beavers are among the teams playing in the NCAA College World Series, here's how you can tune in to every game. (John Rivera/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) The Men's College World Series returns to Charles Schwab Field in Omaha this week with eight baseball teams competing for the NCAA Division I championship title. The teams who have made it into the World Series this year are Murray State, who are competing in the World Series for the first time, along with UCLA, Arkansas, LSU, Coastal Carolina, Arizona, Oregon State and Louisville. The majority of games throughout the tournament will air on ESPN, and you can stream every game on ESPN+. Here's everything you need to know about the 2025 College World Series including the brackets, schedule, streaming information and more. How to watch the 2025 College World Series: Dates: June 13-23, 2025 Advertisement TV channel: ESPN, ESPN2, ABC Streaming: Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV, ESPN+ When is the College World Series? The College World Series runs from June 13 through June 23 (if necessary). Which teams are in the 2025 College World Series? There are eight teams in the College World Series: Arizona (44–19) Arkansas (48–13) Coastal Carolina (53–11) LSU (48–15) Louisville (40–22) Murray State (44–15) Oregon State (47-14-1) UCLA (47–16) Bracket 1 consists of Louisville vs. Oregon State and Arizona vs. Coastal Carolina. Bracket 2 consists of UCLA vs. Murray State and LSU vs. Arkansas. What channel is the College World Series on? The College World Series will air primarily on ESPN, with one game airing on ESPN2 and another on ABC. The entire tournament will also be available to stream on ESPN+. College World Series schedule: All times Eastern Advertisement June 13 Game 1: Coastal Carolina vs. Arizona, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN+ Game 2: Oregon State vs. Louisville, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN+ June 14 Game 3: UCLA vs. Murray State, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN+ Game 4: Arkansas vs. LSU, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN+ June 15 Game 5: Teams TBD, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN+ Game 6: Teams TBD, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN2, ESPN+ June 16 Game 7: Teams TBD, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN+ Game 8: Teams TBD, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN+ June 17 Game 9: Teams TBD, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN+ Game 10: Teams TBD, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN+ June 18 Game 11: Teams TBD, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN+ Game 12: Teams TBD, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN+ June 19 Game 13: Teams TBD, Time TBD, ESPN, ESPN+ (if necessary) Game 14: Teams TBD, Time TBD, ESPN, ESPN+ (if necessary) June 21 College World Series championship series, Game 1, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN+ June 22 College World Series championship series, Game 2, 1:30 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN+ June 23 College World Series championship series, Game 3, 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN+ (if necessary) Stream the College World Series on ESPN+ ESPN+ Over the next ten days, you can catch all the College World Series action live on ESPN+. ESPN+ grants you access to tons of events that are simulcast across the suite of ESPN Networks and ABC, as well as exclusive ESPN+ content including live events, fantasy sports tools and premium ESPN+ articles. You can stream ESPN+ through an app on your smart TV, phone, tablet, computer and on $11.99/month at ESPN More ways to watch the College World Series:

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store