Men's College Ball
From Hoopedia
Looking for something else? For articles on women's college ball or the small college game, start at College Basketball (USA) for an overview of all post-secondary hoops.
When guys talk about college basketball, what they're usually talking about is NCAA Division I Men's Basketball. The women play a great game. Small college ball is filled with talented players and brilliant coaches.
But Major College Ball means The Big Dance. March Madness. And the season before the post-season consists of 341 schools (give or take) vying to be in the Group of 65 (or 64, depending on how you count) who are invited to the The Big Dance, all hoping to string together the six consecutive wins needed to be the National Champion.
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[edit] Featured School In 1924 the University of North Carolina finished their season with a 26-0 record and the Helms Foundation named them national champions. Since then the 'Heels have won four NCAA championship titles. They have done so with a host of superstars, including Lennie Rosenbluth, Dean Smith, Sam Perkins, James Worthy, Michael Jordan, Jerry Stackhouse, Roy Williams, Sean May, and Tyler Hansbrough. Their first NCAA championship, in 1957, was perhaps the hardest-fought title game in NCAA history, as the Tar Heels went three overtimes with Wilt Chamberlain and his Kansas Jayhawks before prevailing, 54-53. Most recently, they took the title in 2005. It appears that they have no intention of stopping any time soon. [edit] Featured Articles Ever wonder about the beginnings of March Madness? The first National Invitation Tournament (NIT) took place to great acclaim in 1938. The National Association of Basketball Coaches decided a tournament of conference champions would be a good idea the next year. When the tournament ended with a deficit of $2,531, the coaches asked the NCAA to take over. That's how the NCAA tournament started. Today, CBS pays nearly $2 billion per year for the broadcast rights to the tournament. And how does CBS pay that bill? With the money they charge the sponsors who want to reach the 133 million viewers (in 2007) who tune in to watch at least some part of the tournament. Read more about the NCAA tournament here. [edit] New/Revised Articles
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[edit] Top TenHere are the final 2007-08 season rankings of the ten best teams in country, according to the USA Today/ESPN college basketball coaches' poll (week ending March 31, 2008): 
[edit] Featured Player Kansas State fans are more excited about basketball this year than they have been in some time. Excitement is what you get when you see Michael "Beastly" Beasley play. The 6'9" left forward is averaging a double-double as a freshman. In a year with a bumper crop of fantastic freshmen, Beasley stands out. Will you see him in the NBA next year? Maybe not. Read more about Michael Beasley.
[edit] Old School Is there a more venerated figure in the history of college basketball than John Wooden? The legendary UCLA coach is well-known for his 10 national championships. But did you know that his credentials as a player are nearly as impressive? He led his high school team to three consecutive Indiana state finals, winning the championship in 1927. On to Purdue, where he rewrote the record books, averaging a blistering 12.1 PPG his senior year, tops in the Big Ten. The Helms Foundation named his 1932 team national champs and named him national player of the year. He went on to play pro ball while he taught and coached high school teams, before he turned to coaching college ball. It was his brilliance on the court that got him elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player; it was his brilliance on the bench, however, that got him elected to Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach. He was the first Hall of Famer to be elected for both. Read more about this amazing basketball legend: John Wooden. |
