[adrotate group=”1″] 🏀The college national tournament, also known as the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, is one of the most popular and exciting events in American sports. Every year, 68 teams compete in a single-elimination bracket to determine the national champion of college basketball. But how did this tournament begin and evolve over time? The first NCAA Tournament was held in 1939, with only eight teams invited. The Oregon Webfoots (now Ducks) won the inaugural title, defeating, 46-33 in the final. The tournament was created by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and was initially overshadowed by the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), which had started a year earlier and featured more established teams from the East. However, the NCAA Tournament gradually gained prestige and popularity, especially after 1951, when a point-shaving scandal tarnished the reputation of the NIT. The NCAA also expanded the field of the tournament several times, adding more teams from different regions and conferences. In 1952, the field grew to 16 teams; in 1975, it reached 32 teams; in 1985, it expanded to 64 teams; and in 2011, it added four more teams to create the First Four round. The NCAA Tournament also witnessed some of the most memorable moments and players in basketball history. Some of the highlights include: The UCLA dynasty, led by coach John Wooden and stars like Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) (because Alcindor was so proficient at dunking the ball, DUNKS were banned in high school and college from 1967-1976), and Bill Walton, that won 10 titles in 12 years from 1964 to 1975. (As you know I beleive dunking is still an ILLEGAL move. It is GOAL TENDING !!! To dunk the ball you enter the the extended. area above the rim, giving the offensive player an UNFAIR advantage: as the defender is not allowed to enter the same area. NOW if they were to allow the defender the same latitude (to enter this area), Then the DEFENDER is on equal footing. BESIDES, What is so exciting about a player who can stand flat footed and touch the rim, sticking the ball in the hoop, WHOOPIE. If they allow this it should only count as 1 POINT. (difficulty level should come into play here). The 1979 final between Michigan State and Indiana State, featuring the first matchup of future NBA legends Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, which drew a record 24.1 million viewers. The 1982 final between North Carolina and Georgetown, in which a freshman named Michael Jordan hit the game-winning shot with 15 seconds left. The 1983 final between North Carolina State and Houston, in which the underdog Wolfpack stunned the heavily favored Cougars with a buzzer-beating dunk by Lorenzo Charles off a missed shot by Dereck Whittenburg. The 1992 East Regional final between Duke and Kentucky, in which Christian Laettner hit a turnaround jumper at the buzzer after a full-court pass from Grant Hill, capping off a 104-103 overtime thriller. The NCAA Tournament continues to captivate millions of fans every year, who fill out their brackets and root for their favorite teams or Cinderella stories. The tournament is also a showcase for the best college players, some of whom go on to become stars in the NBA or other professional leagues. The tournament is a celebration of the sport of basketball and its rich history and tradition. 🏀 Views: 151
Tag: Dunking
NCAA Rule Changes For 2015 Season
This post will be short and to the point. Maybe too short to get anyone’s attention. The NCAA is excited about their rule changes. One change is the elimination of the 5 second closely guarded rule. I am not sure when they added the closely guarded rule. But in the days of REAL BASKETBALL. There was no such rule. Another change is the no touch rule. EXCUSE me but that was a rule many years ago. BASKETBALL, was meant to be a no contact sport. I am not sure if they made a rule saying it was okay to grab and/or keep a hand on your opponent. Or if they just decided not to enforce that rule. Some of the rules they don’t enforce are PALMING THE BALL, TRAVEL, and I cannot tell you how many times I have seen DOUBLE DRIBBLES. They talk of how much more control the players have of the ball as they come down the court. Let me explain as many of you don’t know how the rules WERE. Palming the ball is when the player puts his hand under the ball and turns it over as he dribbles. Watch. See how many times you see the players do this. You will see this when the ball handler is coming down the court, or executing a turn. Travel is anytime you make 2 steps while holding the ball. You are (or should I say were) allowed to move one foot as long as your pivot foot stayed anchored. If, for any reason your pivot foot moved, even a little slide. YOU TRAVELED. Double Dribble, Is anytime you either use both hands on the ball at the same time to dribble, or stop your dribble and then resume to dribble. This infraction you will see most often when a player chases down a ball and may dribble it, until he clears the opposition. He then will begin to dribble again. NOW, if only we could get them to enforce the GOAL TENDING rule. For those of you who do not know the definition of GOAL TENDING, this is it. GOAL TENDING: When a players hand or any body part enters the extended area directly above the rim. (As far as I know there is no height limit here it extends higher than any player could reach. AS YOU can see a DUNK is a direct violation of this rule. Any DUNK you will see the players hand is inside this extended area. Now not only is this a violation of the rule, It gives the OFFENSIVE DUNKER an unfair advantage. You see as a defender CANNOT put his hand in the area. Besides how much skill does it take for these 6’10” – over 7′ players to achieve this, They either don’t have to jump, or maybe a little hop. IF they want to allow this it should only be worth a single point. Due to the low skill level to accomplish this shot. Maybe less, perhaps a half point. After all it takes more skill to sink a free throw which only gets 1 point. I know the thrill I felt when I dunked the ball, I never got called for it because if they watch me in warm up I could not touch the rim, (lead feet), but with the adrenaline flowing during a close game, I could dunk the ball. Go figure. That Is How I See It. Views: 107
