March Madness for Beginners 101

What is March Madness?
Dictionary.com defines March Madness as an annual college basketball tournament, hosted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) where tournaments take place in the month of March. NCAA reports that 68 teams will compete, but only one will dribble away with the title of NCAA Division I Basketball Champions.

 
Where did the name “March Madness” come from?
According to Illinois High School Association, the term March Madness was used in an essay by Henry Porter (Illinois high school teacher & coach) in 1939.
How can I participate in March Madness?
Once Selection Sunday¹ happens, brackets and seeds² will be released. One of the fun aspects of the tournament is getting involved with bracketology³, which is participating in a bracket with family, friends, coworkers and other fans. Check out more information and create or play in a bracket from any of these sites:

• ESPN Tournament Challenge Men’s ($10,000 Best Buy gift card prize)
• ESPN Tournament Challenge Women’s ($5,000 Best Buy gift card prize)
• Fox Sports Bracket Challenge (1,000,000 prize)
• CBS Sports Bracket Challenge/Manager
• Yahoo Tourney Pick’em ($10,000 prize)
• March Madness Action

Get into the Game Time Lingo:

• Selection Sunday ¹ – The selection committee selects and arranges the teams that will be participating in March Madness.
• Seeds ² – Preliminary rankings. Think plants – The team may “grow” into a top team or “wither” when eliminated.
• Bracketology ³- The practice of filling out a tournament bracket with predictions of who will progress in the tournament.
• Cinderella Teams – Teams that are associated with smaller or lower-ranking schools that make an unexpected win in a game.
• First Four – Eight teams play-in to fill four spots in the tournament.
• Second and Third Rounds – Teams will be matched up based on rank. Higher seeded teams will play lower seeded teams.
• Sweet Sixteen – The remaining 16 teams in the Regional Semifinals.
• Elite Eight – The remaining 8 teams in the Regional Finals.
• Final Four – Regional winners advance to the National Semifinals.

2013 will mark the 75^th anniversary of March Madness. Don’t miss the opportunity to show your school spirit! Join the conversation on ForRentUniversity.com Facebook and Twitter @ForRentU!