More College Basketball News
Stephen A. Smith Sparks Debate About Michael Jordan vs Jalen Suggs’ March Madness Game-Winner
After Jalen Suggs' game-winner, the topic of whether his shot was better than that of Michael Jordan's against Georgetown has started a debate.
Damian Lillard, Magic Johnson and Twitter React To Baylor Bears Stopping Gonzaga Bulldogs’ Undefeated Title Run
Take a look at the fan reactions after the Baylor Bears beat the Gonzaga Bulldogs to win the 2021 March Madness title.
March Madness 2021: Can the Gonzaga Bulldogs Pull Off Their Biggest Comeback in the Last Decade?
The Gonzaga Bulldogs need to pull of their biggest comeback in a decade to beat the Baylor Bears in the 2021 March Madness Final.
WATCH: Gonzaga Bulldogs Hit Unlikely Buzzer-Beater To Cut First Half Deficit Against Baylor Bears
The Gonzaga Bulldogs have fought back after an early first-half rout to bring the game within 10 points after a clutch layup to end the first half with.
WATCH: Gonzaga Bulldogs’ Corey Kispert Falls Victim To Monster Block By Flo Thamba In Finals
The Gonzaga Bulldogs have had a very rough start to the championship game against the Baylor Bears, and this block by Flo Thamba is proof of this.
March Madness 2021: Dwyane Wade Believes Gonzaga Bulldogs Can Overcome Early Deficit Against Baylor Bears
Former NBA champion Dwyane Wade laid out important advice for the Gonzaga Bulldogs who have had a struggling start in the March Madness Final.
Former All-American Compares Gonzaga Bulldogs to 1980–81 Isiah Thomas-Led Indiana Hoosiers
NCAA analyst Rashad Phillips said that the Gonzaga Bulldogs reminded him of the 1981 NCAA champions Indiana Hoosiers led by Isiah Thomas.
NCAA Analyst Says Gonzaga Bulldogs Will Not Be Remembered As ‘One Of The Greatest Teams’ in NCAA History
The Gonzaga Bulldogs will have to win over many doubters despite being undefeated, as an NCAA Analyst takes them out of the GOAT team debate.
UCLA Bruins’ Johnny Juzang Joins Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in Historic March Madness Record
UCLA Bruins guard Johnny Juzang had a phenomenal March Madness campaign and joined Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in a college record.
‘This Is Why You Love March Madness’- Stephen A. Smith Beaming With Joy After Jalen Suggs’ Winner
Jalen Suggs hit what may be one of the greatest shots in NCAA history and Stephen A. Smith is in wholehearted agreement with that thought.
NCAA March Madness Final: How to Watch Gonzaga Bulldogs vs Baylor Bears
The Gonzaga Bulldogs and Baylor Bears will lock horns in the 2021 March Madness Final. Here's some information about where to watch the game.
Skip Bayless Brands Gonzaga Bulldogs’ Jalen Suggs’ March Madness Game Winner as ‘A Lucky Shot’
After Jalen Suggs hit a game winner for the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the March Madness Final Four, analyst Skip Bayless called it a lucky shot.
About College Basketball
College Basketball (NCAA): Latest News, Rumors, Schedule, Scores & More
College basketball is the primary path to the NBA for several talented athletes. Upon completing high school, budding basketball players join a university in hopes of shaping their careers professionally.
College basketball is currently governed by a list of collegiate athletic bodies that include National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and a few other organizations.
What does NCAA stand for?
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is one of the primary organizations that govern college athletics for over 1,200 institutions across the United States and Canada.
NCAA stands as an organizer of college tournaments, which helps various students register their talent on a grand stage. Due to the overwhelming number of institutions emerging with respect to basketball and other major sports, the NCAA adopted the three-division structure in 1973.
Thus, there are Divisions I, II, and III that subdivide NCAA College Basketball teams. Moreover, the most enthralling tournament when it comes to college basketball is the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.
NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament
The NCAA’s Division I Men’s Basketball tournament was founded in 1939 by Ohio State coach Harold Olsen. The tournament is often played during March and hence, it has been branded “March Madness,” a yearly tournament that decides the national college champion!
The single-elimination tournament features 68 of the best college basketball teams from the 32 conferences that comprise NCAA’s Division I. Winners from each conference receive an automatic bid for the tournament, while the other 36 teams are awarded “at-large berths.”
The venues are pre-determined and the competing teams are seeded and split into four regions and organized into a single-elimination bracket. The University of North Carolina has the honor of receiving the most #1 seeds in the tournament with 17 to date.
As the games commence, teams get filtered, which is then followed by “Sweet Sixteen,” “Elite Eight,” and the coveted “Final Four.”
It is a well-structured tournament, as the Final Four teams will each represent one region (East, South, Midwest, and West) to determine the national champion.
Likewise, there is a similar tournament held for women with almost the same structure: 64 teams participate and a special committee will decide the participants for each edition.
Who has the most NCAA Division I titles?
Winning the national title is a daunting task. 64 teams enter the tournament with the same goal in mind, but only one can be crowned champion towards the end. With that said, the UCLA Bruins Men’s Basketball Team has won 11 national titles to date, the most by any school.
UCLA’s most recent victory came in 1995 when the Bruins beat Arkansas Razorbacks. Furthermore, here is a list of the Top 5 teams with the most NCAA Division I championships in history:
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 |
North Carolina | 6 | 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009, 2017 |
| Duke | 5 | 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015 |
Indiana | 5 | 1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, 1987 |
When does the 2020-21 men’s college basketball season start?
The initial dates for the season had to be pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There are several tournaments that are scheduled to begin in the coming weeks, tentatively. The Division I men’s basketball tournament is scheduled to begin on November 25.
The conferences that comprise the governing bodies organize various tournaments, and the schedules are dropping in with regard to the restrictions that are in place. More information can be found on the NCAA website.
The organization has released the schedule for the highly anticipated “March Madness,” that is set to take place in 2021.
ROUND | DATES |
Selection Sunday | March 14 |
| First Four | March 16-17 |
First Round | March 18-19 |
| Second Round | March 20-21 |
Sweet 16 | March 25-26 |
| Elite Eight | March 27-28 |
Final Four | April 3 |
| National Championship | April 5 |
How college basketball stands out from the NBA
A lot of the aspects remain the same when comparing college basketball and the NBA. However, minor differences set these two leagues apart, which might affect the flow when watching an NBA game versus an NCAA game.
The first difference is that NBA games are played under four quarters of 12 minutes each. But college basketball is just two halves, and each half is 20 minutes long. This reduces the game time by a small margin, but athletes have to endure a longer half.
Moreover, there is also a major difference in the shot clock. The modern shot clock in the NBA is 24 seconds, while the NCAA allows 30 seconds for men’s basketball.
The distance from the three-point line to the backboard differs in the NBA and college basketball as well. The NBA’s three-point line traditionally measures 23 feet 9 inches at the top of the circle and 22 feet in the corners. However, this is not the case when it comes to the NCAA.
Starting from the 2019/20 season, NCAA adopted FIBA’s three-point line measurements which stand at 22 feet, 1¾ inches at the top of the circle, and 21 feet 8 inches at the corners. Besides these, there is a list of rules that differ between the NBA and NCAA. Click here to learn more.
