The more I get accustomed to the day-to-day grind of work, the more I turn to sports for an outlet. Watching or following a sports match brings me so much more excitement than reading the depressing news or working thru my daily business at hand. Over the past few years I have found myself more and more attuned to professional sports, from the match-ups to the news that comes with it. This interest in sports has even overridden some of my other outlets such as music, movies, art, and politics. I find sports to be a great emotional boost (sometimes good yet also sometimes bad). It is also a great topic to discuss among friends and coworkers.
My slight interest in basketball
The past few years I have averted most my attention to specifically the NFL, European Soccer, and a little bit of MLB. This should come as no surprise since I once played each of these sports as a kid. However to describe this recent fascination with the sport of college basketball is without question a big surprise. I suppose it was just a matter of time before the beast that is March Madness would swallow me up. And as a sports enthusiast I cannot deny the sheer excitement of this tournament.
First let me begin by emphasizing that this is a fascination with college basketball and NOT the NBA. There was once a time, that I actually did enjoy watching some NBA games and that was in the time of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. However with Jordan's retirement came my disinterest in the sport of basketball (which was always behind soccer, football, and baseball to begin with). This interest was slightly re-awakened in 2002 when I began to understand the basketball culture of Indiana University.
My Indiana Hoosiers
As a proud Hoosier (both alumni and state citizen) the culture of basketball is one that I cannot deny. I first became a fan of IU basketball in 2002, after the legendary Bob Knight had been let go. This was because I was a senior and it was where I had decided to attend college. Quite fittingly it was also the year they made it to the finals. I remember watching all the games with my best friend Palmer, and for the first time discovered the excitement of Hoosiers basketball. Although they loss to Maryland in the final game, I became inspired by the passion and respect that IU had in the basketball world. From that day on I came to embrace the culture of Indiana basketball.
Ever since that championship run, I have always paid attention to my IU Hoosiers, especially in the month of March. I have watched 4 games in Assembly Hall, including a very memorable one in 2008 with my cousin Marc, against Michigan State. I have witnessed the rise and fall of many notable players such as AJ Moye, Bracey Wright, DJ White, Patrick Ewing Jr, Eric Gordon, and Cody Zeller to name a few of the top of my head. I have also witnessed 3 coach changes since I became a fan, beginning with Mike Davis, Kelvin Sampson, and the current coach Tom Crean. Over the years I have become more and more devoted to following my Hoosiers.
College Basketball vs Professional Basketball
Thus my transition away from the NBA and towards the NCAA began with the IU Hoosiers. Throughout my college years and after, as I watched numerous NCAA basketball games, I came to understand that they were simply more exciting than NBA games. This is for a variety of reasons; beginning with the players who work as a team and play both offense and defense rather than the star power domination we see in the NBA. Also a big difference is the college environment, consisting of extremely loyal fans, cheerleaders, school bands, passionate coaches, and the players who want to prove themselves. However the biggest and best reason on why the NCAA is better than the NBA for the sport of basketball is it's Championship Tournament.
The NCAA Tournament
The NCAA Men's Championship, also known as March Madness, is a single elimination tournament of 64 teams. It was first formed in 1939, and has today become one of America's most popular tournaments. 32 division 1 champions are entered into the tournament, while the other 32 are selected into the bracket based on their overall quality.
Each team is broken into one of four groups, and seeded from 1 to 16. It's quite simple really; just one game decides it. The winners stay, and the losers go home. After several rounds, breaking the teams down from 64, to 32, to the sweet sixteen, the elite eight, and to final four, there can only be one champion. Here is a lock at the winners throughout the years.
Championship Game by the Years
Number of Titles
The past few years I have averted most my attention to specifically the NFL, European Soccer, and a little bit of MLB. This should come as no surprise since I once played each of these sports as a kid. However to describe this recent fascination with the sport of college basketball is without question a big surprise. I suppose it was just a matter of time before the beast that is March Madness would swallow me up. And as a sports enthusiast I cannot deny the sheer excitement of this tournament.
First let me begin by emphasizing that this is a fascination with college basketball and NOT the NBA. There was once a time, that I actually did enjoy watching some NBA games and that was in the time of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. However with Jordan's retirement came my disinterest in the sport of basketball (which was always behind soccer, football, and baseball to begin with). This interest was slightly re-awakened in 2002 when I began to understand the basketball culture of Indiana University.
My Indiana Hoosiers
As a proud Hoosier (both alumni and state citizen) the culture of basketball is one that I cannot deny. I first became a fan of IU basketball in 2002, after the legendary Bob Knight had been let go. This was because I was a senior and it was where I had decided to attend college. Quite fittingly it was also the year they made it to the finals. I remember watching all the games with my best friend Palmer, and for the first time discovered the excitement of Hoosiers basketball. Although they loss to Maryland in the final game, I became inspired by the passion and respect that IU had in the basketball world. From that day on I came to embrace the culture of Indiana basketball.Ever since that championship run, I have always paid attention to my IU Hoosiers, especially in the month of March. I have watched 4 games in Assembly Hall, including a very memorable one in 2008 with my cousin Marc, against Michigan State. I have witnessed the rise and fall of many notable players such as AJ Moye, Bracey Wright, DJ White, Patrick Ewing Jr, Eric Gordon, and Cody Zeller to name a few of the top of my head. I have also witnessed 3 coach changes since I became a fan, beginning with Mike Davis, Kelvin Sampson, and the current coach Tom Crean. Over the years I have become more and more devoted to following my Hoosiers.
College Basketball vs Professional Basketball
Thus my transition away from the NBA and towards the NCAA began with the IU Hoosiers. Throughout my college years and after, as I watched numerous NCAA basketball games, I came to understand that they were simply more exciting than NBA games. This is for a variety of reasons; beginning with the players who work as a team and play both offense and defense rather than the star power domination we see in the NBA. Also a big difference is the college environment, consisting of extremely loyal fans, cheerleaders, school bands, passionate coaches, and the players who want to prove themselves. However the biggest and best reason on why the NCAA is better than the NBA for the sport of basketball is it's Championship Tournament.
The NCAA Tournament
Each team is broken into one of four groups, and seeded from 1 to 16. It's quite simple really; just one game decides it. The winners stay, and the losers go home. After several rounds, breaking the teams down from 64, to 32, to the sweet sixteen, the elite eight, and to final four, there can only be one champion. Here is a lock at the winners throughout the years.
Championship Game by the Years
Year
|
Winning team
|
Winning head coach
|
Score
|
Losing team
|
Losing head coach
|
Venue
|
46–33
|
||||||
60–42
|
||||||
39–34
|
||||||
53–38
|
||||||
46–34
|
||||||
42–40*
|
||||||
49–45
|
||||||
43–40
|
||||||
58–47
|
||||||
58–42
|
||||||
46–36
|
||||||
71–68
|
||||||
68–58
|
||||||
80–63
|
||||||
69–68
|
||||||
92–76
|
||||||
77–63
|
||||||
83–71
|
||||||
84–72
|
||||||
71–70
|
||||||
75–55
|
||||||
70–65*
|
||||||
71–59
|
||||||
60–58*
|
||||||
98–83
|
||||||
91–80
|
||||||
72–65
|
||||||
79–64
|
||||||
78–55
|
||||||
92–72
|
||||||
80–69
|
||||||
68–62
|
||||||
81–76
|
||||||
87–66
|
||||||
76–64
|
||||||
92–85
|
||||||
86–68
|
||||||
67–59
|
||||||
94–88
|
||||||
59–54
|
||||||
63–50
|
||||||
54–52
|
||||||
84–75
|
||||||
72–69
|
||||||
74–73
|
||||||
83–79
|
||||||
80–79*
|
||||||
103–73
|
||||||
72–65
|
||||||
71–51
|
||||||
Number of Titles
| School | Titles | Years |
|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 11 | 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1995 |
| Kentucky | 8 | 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998, 2012 |
| Duke | 5 | 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015 |
| North Carolina | 5 | 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009 |
| Indiana | 5 | 1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, 1987 |
| Connecticut | 4 | 1999, 2004, 2011, 2014 |
| Louisville | 3 | 1980, 1986, 2013 |
| Kansas | 3 | 1952, 1988, 2008 |
| Florida | 2 | 2006, 2007 |
| Michigan State | 2 | 1979, 2000 |
| North Carolina State | 2 | 1974, 1983 |
| Cincinnati | 2 | 1961, 1962 |
| San Francisco | 2 | 1955, 1956 |
| Oklahoma State (Oklahoma A&M) | 2 | 1945, 1946 |
| Syracuse | 1 | 2003 |
| Maryland | 1 | 2002 |
| Arizona | 1 | 1997 |
| Arkansas | 1 | 1994 |
| UNLV | 1 | 1990 |
| Michigan | 1 | 1989 |
| Villanova | 1 | 1985 |
| Georgetown | 1 | 1984 |
| Marquette | 1 | 1977 |
| UTEP (Texas Western) | 1 | 1966 |
| Loyola Chicago | 1 | 1963 |
| Ohio State | 1 | 1960 |
| California | 1 | 1959 |
| La Salle | 1 | 1954 |
| CCNY | 1 | 1950 |
| Holy Cross | 1 | 1947 |
| Utah | 1 | 1944 |
| Wyoming | 1 | 1943 |
| Stanford | 1 | 1942 |
| Wisconsin | 1 | 1941 |
| Oregon | 1 | 1939 |
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