NCAA March Madness: Radio Coverage, History, and Evolution

The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, popularly known as March Madness or The Big Dance, is a single-elimination tournament in the United States that determines the men's college basketball national champion at the Division I level within the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played mostly during March, the tournament was first conducted in 1939 and currently consists of 68 teams.

Historical Overview

The tournament's origins trace back to 1939, the brainchild of Ohio State coach Harold Olsen. The National Association of Basketball Coaches initially managed the tournament for the NCAA. From its inception until 1950, the NCAA tournament featured eight teams, each chosen from a specific geographical district. These districts encompassed multiple conferences, which sometimes resulted in highly ranked teams being excluded from the competition.

Expansion and Evolution

The format of the tournament has undergone several transformations since its inception. Initially, the field was limited to conference champions.

Early Years (1939-1950): Eight teams selected from geographical districts.
1951: The field doubled to 16 teams, adding two districts and six at-large bids.
1953: Expanded to 22 teams, introducing a fifth round.
1975: The tournament expanded to include 32 teams and allowed multiple teams per conference.
1979: Expanded to 40 teams, adding a sixth round.
1980: Eight more teams were added.
1985: The tournament expanded to 64 teams, eliminating all byes and play-ins.
2001: The field was expanded from 64 to 65 teams, adding to the tournament what was informally known as the "play-in game".
2011: The tournament expanded to 68 teams, introducing the "First Four."

Competition with the NIT

During its early years, the NCAA tournament faced competition from the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Founded by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association, the NIT was held in New York City at Madison Square Garden. Due to New York's prominence as a media center, the NIT often received more coverage than the NCAA tournament. In 1950, City College of New York famously won both the NIT and NCAA tournament.

Rule Changes and Dominance

Two key changes in the early 1970s solidified the NCAA tournament's position as the premier post-season college basketball tournament. In 1971, the NCAA implemented a rule prohibiting teams that declined an NCAA tournament invitation from participating in other post-season tournaments. This was a response to Marquette's decision to participate in and win the NIT after being dissatisfied with their NCAA tournament regional placement in 1970. Additionally, in 1975, the NCAA began allowing multiple teams per conference, addressing concerns about highly ranked teams being denied bids.

Tournament Structure

The tournament consists of 68 teams competing in seven rounds of single-elimination play. Thirty-two teams automatically qualify by winning their conference tournaments, while the remaining thirty-six teams receive at-large bids based on their regular-season performance.

Selection Sunday and Bracket Formation

The Selection Committee determines the at-large bids, ranks all 68 teams, and creates the tournament bracket. This process is revealed to the public on the Sunday before the tournament, known as Selection Sunday. The tournament is divided into four regions, each containing sixteen to eighteen teams. The Selection Committee, comprising conference commissioners and university athletic directors, assigns seeds from No. 1 to No. 16 to each team within the regions.

First Four

Before the first weekend of the tournament, eight teams participate in the First Four games to advance to the first round. Two games feature the lowest-ranked conference champions, while the other two games pit the lowest-ranked at-large qualifiers against each other.

Subsequent Rounds

The first and second rounds take place during the first weekend, followed by the regional semifinals and regional finals during the second weekend. The national semifinals and championship game conclude the tournament during the third weekend. The regional rounds are known as the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight, while the final weekend is branded as the Final Four.

Tournament Seeding

The top four overall seeds are placed as No. 1 seeds in each region. The regions are paired so that if all the No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four true seed No. 1 would play No. 4 and No. 2 would play No. 3. The No. 2 teams are preferably placed so that the No. 5 true seed will not be paired with the No. 1 true seed.

Read also: Crafting Your NCAA Profile

Broadcasting

All tournament games are broadcast by CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV under the program name NCAA March Madness. Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery pay $891 million annually for the broadcast rights through a contract that extends to 2032.

Radio Coverage

Westwood One Sports serves as the official network audio broadcast partner of the NCAA, providing comprehensive coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. Westwood One’s complete NCAA men’s tournament coverage can be heard on terrestrial radio stations nationwide and via SiriusXM. Games are also streamed online for free at NCAA.com/MarchMadness, westwoodonesports.com, and on the Westwood One Sports app, as well as the NCAA March Madness Live app or The Varsity Network app.

Westwood One Announcers

Westwood One’s coverage of NCAA March Madness® features a team of experienced commentators and analysts, including former coach Tom Crean, All-Americans Robbie Hummel and Casey Jacobsen, and former college stars LaPhonso Ellis, Austin Croshere, Jordan Cornette, Jon Crispin, King McClure, and Sarah Kustok. The play-by-play announcing team includes Kevin Kugler, Ryan Radtke, Scott Graham, John Sadak, Jason Benetti, Noah Eagle, Chris Carrino, Ted Emrich, Spero Dedes, and Nate Gatter. Westwood One also presents Spanish-language broadcasts of the Final Four and Championship.

Where to Find Listings

A complete schedule of games, announcer bios, exclusive audio content, and a list of radio stations airing Westwood One’s broadcast of the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship can be found on westwoodonesports.com or the Westwood One Sports app.

Impact and Popular Culture

The NCAA tournament has become deeply ingrained in American popular culture. Bracket contests, where participants predict the outcomes of games for prizes, have become a widespread phenomenon. The NCAA distributes revenue to participating teams based on their tournament performance, providing substantial funding for college athletics programs.

Recent Developments

In 2016, the NCAA introduced a new "NCAA March Madness" logo for tournament-wide branding, which included bespoke tourney-exclusive courts at each of the tournament venues from the same manufacturer with the same floor composition across each round. Beginning in 2017, the #1 overall seed picks the sites for their first- and second-round games and their potential regional games.

Impact of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of the 2020 tournament. In 2021, the tournament was held entirely in Indiana to minimize travel and ensure safety. Participating teams were required to stay in NCAA-provided accommodations, and the schedule was adjusted to allow for COVID-19 evaluations.

Gender Equity

In response to protests during the 2021 women's tournament regarding facility quality and branding disparities, the NCAA branded both the men's and women's tournaments as "NCAA March Madness" in 2022, using variations of the same tournament-wide logo.

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