More College Basketball News
Luka Garza’s Father Explains Why the Iowa Hawkeyes Star Never Sticks to a Comfort Zone
Frank Garza is a visonary who is determined to make his son Luka Garza one of the greatest athletes ever. But how does he motivate Luka?
Luka Garza Reveals ‘Nerve-Wracking’ Moment When He Was About to Break Iowa Hawkeyes’ Scoring Record
Luka Garza recently revealed how he was nervous at the free throw line when he was about to break the Iowa Hawkeyes scoring record.
‘Masked Mamba’- Illinois Fighting Illini Guard Pays Tribute To Kobe Bryant After Big Ten Tournament Win
Kobe Bryant has inspired generations of basketball players, and one of the top college stars from this year had to shout him out.
‘We Can Beat Anybody’- Luka Garza Reveals What Will Enable Iowa Hawkeyes’ Success In March Madness
Luka Garza is the leader of the Iowa Hawkeyes and is heading into his final March Madness run. Garza will be graduating after this season, so the senior has to make the most of this campaign. He is widely expected to be named National Player of the Year, and he would love to top his […]
‘The Real Deal’: NCAA Analyst Luke Hancock Lauds Oklahoma State Cowboys’ Cade Cunningham
During his recent appearance on ESPN, NCAA analyst Luke Hancock praised Oklahoma State Cowboys' freshman guard Cade Cunningham.
How Good Was Kawhi Leonard During His Time in San Diego Aztecs? How Did He Become Worth of NBA in 2011?
Los Angeles Clippers' superstar Kawhi Leonard is one of the best players in the NBA. But how did 'the Klaw' fare the San Diego Aztecs?
LSU Tigers’ Shareef O’Neal Reveals His Journey of Overcoming Heart Problems From the Age of Five
LSU Tigers' Shareef O'Neal and his mother Shaunie O'Neal recently talked about his journey of battling heart problems since he was five.
Cade Cunningham Led Oklahoma State Cowboys Enter History Books After Sixth Ranked Win in 19 Days
Oklahoma State Cowboys entered the history books after they beat the Baylor Bears to get their 6th-ranked win within 19 days.
Former NCAA Champion Not Happy With Michigan State Spartans Changing Name Based On Sponsorship
The Michigan State Spartans have had a very odd name change based on a new sponsorship move, and a former NCAA Champion has ripped into it.
Unique Stats Foreshadows Historic NCAA Championship Win For Gonzaga Bulldogs As Duke and Kentucky Miss NCAA Tournament After 45 Years
The Gonzaga Bulldogs are heading into the NCAA Tournament with 0 losses while Duke and Kentucky have missed the tournament after 45 years.
‘WTF!’- Knicks Superfan Spike Lee Stunned at Madison Square Garden Staff Disrespecting Georgetown Hoyas Coach Patrick Ewing
Georgetown Hoyas coach Patrick Ewing expressed his indignation after not being recognized at the MSG despite being a Knicks legend.
WATCH: Luka Garza Opens Up on Importance of His Training Regimen
Luka Garza was interviewed by a local Iowa TV channel where the all-time scoring leader in Hawkeyes history opened up on his training.
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.
