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COLUMNS ON THE BALL FEBRUARY 2005

Why are we gripped by the NCAA's college basketball showdown, the March Madness, year after year?
February 2005

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Why are we gripped by the NCAA's college basketball showdown, the March Madness, year after year?
Words by Kevin Snow

Without question, there are very few sporting events that grip the nation like March Madness. The NCAA's annual quest to determine a men's basketball champion takes on a life of its own over the course of three weeks every March.

The concept is simple: win a game, move on to the next round. Lose, and your season is over. Unlike their counterparts in college football who have struggled to create a legitimate playoff system, the organizers of college basketball have established an event that has become the envy of professional sports leagues for the buzz it generates every year.

At the conclusion of the regular season, a selection committee creates a 65-team field. Thirty-one teams receive automatic entry for winning their respective conference championships, while the remaining 34 bids are left up to the committee. These teams are then grouped together in an easy-to-follow bracket, a format that becomes fodder for office pools around the country. Even the most casual hoops fan can very easily be drawn into the nail-biting drama of this single-elimination tournament.

But what is it that makes March Madness so special? For the most part, it's played by a bunch of relatively unknown college students, many of whom are playing for schools we rarely hear about.

Is it the thrill of watching a last-second basket?

Do we get caught up in the youthful exuberance of an athlete who is just happy to play another day?

Or could it be the lure of watching Cinderella teams attempt to knock out the usual powerhouses? After all, everyone loves an underdog.

While these are all contributing factors, ESPN college basketball analyst Andy Katz believes there's a more compelling reason for the tournament's success.

"I think it's because so many people went to college," explains Katz. "College plays such a major role in people's lives, so they develop a lifelong attachment and affection for that particular university. That to me is the biggest difference between college and professional sports. Even though the players change, fan loyalties never waver."

While winning a national championship is the goal of every player, some are also looking ahead to possible NBA careers. Star players like Hakim Warrick (Syracuse) and Chris Paul (Wake Forest) have already proven themselves at the college level, but if they step it up a notch during the tournament, their stock will rise come NBA Draft time.

"With a few strong weeks, a player can go from top ten to top three in the draft. Just look what happened to Carmelo Anthony when he won a national championship as a freshman with Syracuse in 2003," says Katz. "A lot can happen when you play under the spotlight for three weeks."

Stars are born. Magical memories are created.

And the players are competing for nothing more than school pride. There is nothing quite like it.

The 2005 edition of March Madness tips off Tuesday, March 15 in Dayton, Ohio. It concludes with the Final Four in St. Louis on April 2, and the championship game on April 4 at 9pm ET.

PAST CHAMPIONSHIPS
2004 Connecticut 82-73 Georgia Tech
2003 Syracuse 81-78 Kansas
2002 Maryland 64-52 Indiana
2001 Duke 82-72 Arizona
2000 Michigan St. 89-76 Florida
1999 Connecticut 77-74 Duke
1998 Kentucky 78-69 Utah
1997 Arizona 84-79 Kentucky
1996 Kentucky 76-67 Syracuse
1995 UCLA 89-78 Arkansas
1994 Arkansas 76-72 Duke

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