History Of The Ncaa Basketball Tournament

The NCAA basketball tournament is the championship tournament of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and determines the best college basketball teams in the United States in a men's and women's bracket. Teams must qualify for the tournament through their regular season play before competing for the national title.

Origins of Basketball

Basketball was developed in the 1891 by Dr. James Naismith, and he taught the game to students at Springfield College. As the game spread, colleges would compete against local YMCA teams, and it was not until 1895 that two colleges faced off. That year, the Minnesota State School of Agriculture defeated Hamline College, 9-3, in what would set the stage for NCAA competition.

Founding of the NCAA

In December 1905, the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States was founded to regulate college football. In 1910, the organization changed its name to the NCAA. The NCAA did not hold its first basketball tournament until 1939.

Early Tournament History

The initial NCAA tournament in 1939 comprised eight teams, with Oregon claiming the national title. The tournament did not have a repeat winner until Oklahoma State won in 1945 and 1946, and Kentucky won in 1948 and 1949. The tournament struggled to claim supremacy over the National Invitation Tournament, founded a year earlier, as both claimed to determine the national champion.

NCAA Growth

The NCAA tournament grew steadily, and by 1960, there were 25 teams participating in the tournament. By the late 1970s, when the tournament drew 42 teams, the NCAA earned the reputation as the definitive college championship tournament, although the NIT still exists as of 2011.

Modern Era

In 1985, the NCAA tournament reached a field of 64 teams competing in a single-elimination bracket tournament, the format that is used as of 2011. Despite the large number of teams, universities such as North Carolina, UCLA and Duke have continued to win numerous championships. North Carolina, Florida and Duke each won two championships in the 2000s.