More College Basketball News
NCAA Analyst Criticizes Big Ten Conference for Underperforming in March Madness; Insists It Is Still the Best Conference
NCAA analyst Jay Bilas criticized the Big Ten Conference for their poor March Madness performance but still said it are the best league.
‘Got to Give Props’: Stephen A. Smith Is Hyped About Oral Roberts at 2021 March Madness
The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles are on a cinderella run at the 2021 NCAA Tournament and Stephen A. Smith is hyped about the team.
Gonzaga Bulldogs’ Corey Kispert Explains the Emergence of Headband Corey
Gonzaga Bulldogs senior forward Corey Kispert recently spoke about his hairstyle evolution and how Headband Corey emerged
NCAA Basketball Fraternity Mourns Passing of Grand Canyon Basketball Forward Oscar Frayer On Twitter
Grand Canyon Basketball have faced major tragedy with the passing of senior forward Oscar Frayer. Tributes are pouring in from Twitter.
HEARTBREAKING: Grand Canyon Antelopes’ Forward Oscar Frayer Passes Away After Playing In March Madness This Weekend
Grand Canyon Antelopes starting forward Oscar Frayer has tragically passed away due to injuries sustained in a car accident.
When the Unstoppable Steph Curry Was Held to a Scoreless Night for Davidson Wildcats
Steph Curry balled it out for three years with the Davidson Wildcats. However, he was held scoreless in one game. Read more to know how!
March Madness 2021: Ohio Bobcats’ Jason Preston Explains What He Studies From LeBron James and Chris Paul
Following their win over the Virginia Cavaliers in the 2021 March Madness, Ohio Bobcats' Jason Preston revealed which players he studies.
WATCH: Luka Garza Gets Emotional After Losing His Last Game In An Iowa Hawkeyes Jersey
Following their loss against the Oregon Ducks, Luka Garza got emotional as his final game in an Iowa Hawkeyes jersey ended in defeat.
‘Better Have an Anthony Davis’: Rick Pitino Calls Out One-and-Done System of Duke Blue Devils and Kentucky Wildcats
Both the Duke Blue Devils and the Kentucky Wildcats won't play in an NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1976 and Rick Pitino has something to say.
‘Going To Miss It’- Cade Cunningham Addresses Tenure With OSU Cowboys After Presumed Final Game
Cade Cunningham may have played his final game in the NCAA for the OSU Cowboys after their shock exit in the Round of 32 in March Madness.
Ja Morant Makes Bold Statement About How He Would Have Performed in 2021 March Madness Tournament
With the 2021 March Madness providing a lot of upsets, Grizzlies star Ja Morant made a bold prediction about how he would have performed.
What Does March Madness Upset For OSU Cowboys Mean For Cade Cunningham and His NBA Draft Stock?
Cade Cunningham and the OSU Cowboys have seen their March Madness dreams crushed, but does it impact Cade and his draft stock?
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.
