NCAA Tournament Bracket

2012 NCAA Final Four Schedule

Will Harney — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 23:12:44 +0000

The 2012 NCAA Final Four schedule kicks off on March 31^st, 2012 at the Louisiana Superdome. The Final Four will serve as the culminating point of the NCAA basketball tournament that starts out with 68 teams that are announced on Selection Sunday which occurs on March 11^th, 2012 this year. The first round of 2012 March Madness begins with the First Four which occurs in Dayton, Ohio starting on March 13^th, 2012.

Who Plays in the 2012 NCAA Final Four?

The winners of the East, West, Midwest, and South regions will play single elimination matchups to determine who faces off in the 2012 NCAA basketball championship game scheduled for April 2^nd, 2012. In order to reach the Final Four a team must win either four or five games depending on if they were selected to play in the First Four or not.

What Time Are the Final Four Games Being Played?

The 2012 Final Four games are typically played during prime time. The times for this year’s games are not final until announced by the NCAA, but you can typically expect that they will occur in the evening on Mach 31^st, 2012. The 2012 NCAA basketball championship game will also be played in primetime this year.

What Are the Origins of the Final Four Term?

The NCAA has a trademark on the Final Four term and started capitalizing it in 1978. Credit for coining the term, “Final Four” as it is currently known with respect to the final four teams left in the NCAA basketball tournament goes to Ed Chay, a Plain Dealer sportswriter in 1975. At the time, we wrote an article that stated that Marquette “was one of the final four” in the 1974 tournament. More recently, the use of the term Final Four has started being seen in other league tournaments to include Hockey and other national competitions.

What Are the Future Final Four Sites?

At the time of this writing, the NCAA has announced the sites for the next four Final Fours after the 2012 NCAA tournament. The 2013 Final Four is scheduled to take place in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, 2014 in Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, 2015 in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, and 2016 in Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.

2012 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Schedule

Will Harney — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:12:04 +0000

The 2012 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament schedule kicks off on March 17^th, 2012 and concludes on April 3^rd, 2012. This year’s tournament will have the Women’s Final Four played at the Pepsi Center located in Denver, Colorado. The Women’s Tourney has the same format as the men’s, but does not include the First Four. As a result, 64 teams receive bids for the conference with the same total number of automatic qualifying bids as the men’s tournament; 31.

2012 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Schedule – Subregionals

March 17^th-20^th, 2012

The NCAA Women’s Tournament subregional play is scheduled from March 17^th to March 20^th, 2012. The 16 subregional sites used for the first and second round games in the 2012 Women’s tournament are:

Venue/Host/City/State

Hilton Coliseum, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Stroh Center, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio

Arena at Harbor Yard, Bridgeport, Connecticut, Host: Fairfield University

Ted Constant Convocation Center, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia

Lloyd Noble Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma

Edmund P. Joyce Center, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana

McCarthey Athletic Center, Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington

Donald L. Tucker Center, Tallahassee, Florida, Host: Florida State University

Mackey Arena, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana

Carmichael Arena, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Allstate Arena, Chicago, Illinois, Host: DePaul University

Comcast Center, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, Maryland

Reed Arena, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas

Jack Stephens Center, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas

Memorial Gymnasium, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee

2012 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Schedule – Regionals

Unlike the men’s tournament, the Women’s tournament names the Regionals for the city vice the region of play or importance and has done so since 2005. The 2012 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Regionals are scheduled from March 24^th to March 27^th, 2012. Sites scheduled for regional play include:

Raleigh Regional, RBC Center, Raleigh, North Carolina, Host: North Carolina State University

Des Moines Regional, Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa Host: University of Northern Iowa

Fresno Regional, Save Mart Center, Fresno, California Host: Fresno State University

Kingston Regional, Ryan Center, Kingston, Rhode Island Host: University of Rhode Island

2012 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Schedule – Final Four and Championship

April 1^st, 2012 – Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado – Final Four

The Pepsi Center will serve as host for the 2012 NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four and Championship game.

April 3^rd, 2012 – NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Championship

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2012 Printable NCAA Tournament Bracket

Will Harney — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:26:44 +0000

The 2012 NCAA basketball tournament schedule and seeding will be announced during the NCAA Selection Show. The show will be broadcast on CBS Sports at 6PM EST on Sunday March 11^th, 2012 at the conclusion of the final conference basketball championship game. For the second year in a row, there will be 68 total teams that make the cut for the 2012 NCAA basketball tournament. 31 of the 68 teams will be automatic qualifiers with the remaining 37 schools being chosen for at-large bids.

What is the First Four?

The First Four was new to the 2011 NCAA basketball tournament. There are 4 games featuring 8 teams that are the lowest at-large seeds and lowest automatic qualifying seeds that will play over the course of two days in Dayton, Ohio. No longer are the play-in game(s) solely the realm of 16 seeds. This year, the First Four will occur on March 13^th and 14^th, 2012 in Dayton, Ohio. The NCAA has not stated whether or not the First Four will remain being played in Dayton indefinitely, but rather reserves the right to move the games to another location in the future.

Printable 2012 NCAA Tournament Bracket

Throughout the regular season, fans do; however, want to fill out blank NCAA tournament brackets as part of their own “Bracketology.” ESPN, CBS, and other major sports coverage networks publish revised Bracketology predictions starting before the regular season and running through Selection Sunday. As a result, NCAATournamentBracket.org provides:

Printable 2012 NCAA Tournament Bracket (Blank)

Printable 2012 NCAA Tournament Bracket (Filled in after brackets are released)

Please note the blank bracket does not take a predictive guess as to what seeds the 8 teams that play in the First Four will be competing for. If you are going to fill out the bracket for 68 teams, it is suggested to add two teams to the respective line that you think will have the lowest at-large seeds competing.

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Myth of March Madness

Will Harney — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 02:46:43 +0000

Every year, there are blog posts and news articles that cover the Myth of March Madness. The myth is the conventional wisdom that there is a significant loss in American work force productivity during the Month of March while the NCAA basketball tournament is being played. The urban legend goes on to state that throughout the work day, individuals spend time visiting websites, watching live or recorded web streams, and posting on Facebook or message boards about the games that have already been played as well as those upcoming. All of these actions supposedly result in a large amount of work lost in all sectors of the U.S. economy.

March Madness Myth Losses

During the 2007 NCAA basketball tournament, the Challenger Gray outplacement firm estimated that businesses lost an estimated $1.2 billion USD during March Madness. The figures the company calculated to reach this estimate were (keep in mind this was in 2007, so the number of workers with Internet access etc are bigger now):

79 million – Total number of American workers with Internet access at work.

22.9 million documented American workers -29% of workers say that they are basketball fans.

13.5 minutes – The average time spent on March Madness websites during the 2007 tournament.

309.3 million minutes — Time basketball fans spent on websites during the tournament.

$1.17 billion — Total lost in productivity (average wage every 13.5 minutes is calculated to be a $3.78 loss).

The Problem with the March Madness Myth

The problem with the March Madness myth calculation is that it assumes employees do not have any dead or free time at work. If you have spent any time in a cubicle environment, you’ll know that this is far from the case. If anything, employees who normally surf Facebook, the Internet, and other websites to fill time throughout the day just shift focus to basketball during the second half of March when NCAA Selection Sunday occurs. Is there some loss in productivity? Sure, but probably a lot less than the $1.2 billion attributed from the 2007 study.

What’s Changed Since 2007?

Now, others who agree with the original assessment on the March Madness effect on the economy will agree that due to the economic recession that resulted from the 2008 housing industry crash, the annual impact of March Madness is much less due to the overall economy being weaker. On a related note; however, the total number of games has increased to include four additional ones that are now part of the NCAA Tournament First Four. Giving even more opportunity to those at work to watch the games and negatively impact work. Smart phones have also significantly increased their capability since then to be able to support live broadcast of games making it possible for those who work at jobs without computers to be further distracted from the task at hand.

Will We Ever Solve the March Madness Myth?

Probably not. The variable factors that play into work place productivity calculations make it almost impossible to really tell the negative impact on the workplace. At the end of the day; however, the prudent manager will take action to ensure his or her goals for the team at work are planned to work around major March Madness events as possible.

What is March Madness?

Will Harney — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:07:21 +0000

March Madness most commonly is used to refer to the final month of the U.S. college basketball season. For Illinois residents, it also refers to the Illinois High School State Basketball Championships. The primary college tournament during this time is the NCAA basketball tournament that pits 68 teams from across the country against each other in a single elimination tournament. March Madness ends with the NCAA Final Four and NCAA Championship game at the end of March and beginning of April of the year the tournament is being played. Other terms for March Madness also include the “Big Dance,” “NCAA Tournament,” and even the “Final Four” although that actually refers to the final four teams that remain in the NCAA basketball tournament.

What is Different About March Madness Compared to College Football?

March Madness differs from the end of the college football season in that all 68 teams have a shot at winning the college basketball championship. In college football the championship is decided by a single game that pits the top two teams from the BCS rankings against each other for the BCS National Title. As a result, college basketball fans have a vested interest in their teams performance for a longer period of time at the end of the basketball season when compared to college football.

How Are the Teams Picked for March Madness?

The NCAA Selection Committee announces the teams who have made the current year’s NCAA basketball tournament during Selection Sunday. There are 31 automatic conference qualifying teams with the remainder of the tournament teams earning at-large bids. Regular and conference tournament records, strength of schedules, and quality of out of conference wins and losses are taken into account with the Committee picks the teams to play in the NCAA tournament. Every year, there are teams who fail to make the tournament that fans and pundits believe should have done so along with teams that are considered “undeserving.”

The Popularity of NCAA Tournament Cinderella Teams

For those who are new to following college basketball, a Cinderella Team is one that is not expected to win by most but continues to do so and advance through the tournament. When fans fill out their NCAA Tournament brackets to compete in office pools or NCAA Tournament online contests, the person who normally wins will have uncanny success in choosing who will be that year’s Cinderella Team. There are some rules about picking Cinderella teams; however, such as a 16 seeded team has never beaten a number 1 seed, and choosing too many teams to pull Cinderella-like upsets can commonly result in a very poor performing bracket.

March Madness Buzzer Beaters

Other March Madness Terms

When new fans search for a good explanation on what March Madness is, they also commonly need to learn additional terms associated with the tournament. For example, the fourth round of the tournament (since expanding to a field of 68) is referred to as the NCAA “Sweet Sixteen” which is the final 16 teams left in the tourney. The fifth round of the tourney is called the “Elite Eight,” the semi-finals are the “Final Four” and the championship game is self-titled.

How Often Are March Madness Games Played?

For the college basketball fan who really enjoy watching a lot of basketball, the second and third round of the tournament have games that occur through the day and late evening. Starting in 2011, all games are broadcast on either a television network or directly on the NCAA website so fans can enjoy watching any game that they want to see during March Madness.

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When Does March Madness Begin?

Will Harney — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:21:00 +0000

March Madness begins with the NCAA Selection Sunday each year when the NCAA Selection Committee announces the college basketball teams, seeds, and matchups for the tournament. Starting with the 2011 NCAA Basketball Tournament, the field of 65 was expanded to a field of 68 to include two play-in games. The play-in games are now called the First Four and feature the four lowest seed, at-large teams. As a result, the seeds of the at-large teams chosen to play in the First Four are not known until Selection Sunday announcements are made. For the 2012 NCAA basketball tournament, Selection Sunday will occur on March 11^th, 2012. In past and future years, Selection Sunday typically occurs on a Sunday evening after the final college basketball tournament championship game concludes.

When Does the First Four Start?

The first game of March Madness kicks off with the start of the First Four which is also called the first round of the NCAA tournament. For the 2012 March Madness schedule, the Madness commences on March 13^th, 2012. The second round of the tournament featuring the largest number of games then occurs on March 15^th and 17^th, 2012. The 2012 Final Four then kicks off on March 31^st, 2012 with the 2012 NCAA Basketball championship game scheduled for April 2^nd, 2012 which signifies the end of March Madness for the year.

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Who Coined the Phrase March Madness?

Will Harney — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:46:25 +0000

A common question asked by college basketball fans is who coined the phrase March Madness? A little known fact with hoops fans, is that the term was first used to describe the Illinois High School Association basketball tournament and is attributed to Henry V. Porter. Mr. Porter used the phrase in a 1939 article for the Illinois Interscholastic Magazine titled, “March Madness” to capture the spirit of the boys and girl’s tournaments. The rights to the term are co-owned today by the NCAA and the IHSA through the March Madness Athletic Association.

When Did March Madness Start Being Used for the NCAA Tournament?

The term March Madness would not be used to describe the NCAA basketball tournament until 1982. Brent Musburger from CBS is credited with the first use of the term during a TV broadcast of a tournament game. Of note, is that Musburger likely picked up the term while working for a number of years in Chicago prior to joining the CBS team. Fast forward to the 1990’s, and the NCAA and IHSA both finally looked into trademarking the term. Unfortunately, Intersport had beaten both organizations to registering the term. Move forward again to 1996, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled that both the IHSA and NCAA could use the new “Dual Use Trademark.” The NCAA and IHSA then created the March Madness Athletics Associate to coordinate trademark licensing and potential trademark infringement. Later in the 2000’s, the NCAA settled with Intersport paying $17.2 million for the company’s license to use the trademark and the IHSA relinquished its ownership share in the trademark but retained the right to continue using to describe the state’s high school championships.

When Did H.V. Porter Use the March Madness Term?

H.V. Porter first used the term March Madness in an essay self-titled “March Madness” in 1939. He then used the phrase in a subsequent poem published in 1942 titled, “Basketball Ides of March.” During this timeframe the term spread throughout the Midwest to describe high school basketball tournaments in Indiana, Illinois, and other states in the Midwest. Jim Enright would go on to publish a book in 1977 about the Illinois State High School Basketball tournament called, March Madness. The final stanza of Porter’s “Basketball Ides of March” ends with the following:

With war nerves tense, the final defense
Is the courage, strength and will
In a million lives where freedom thrives
And liberty lingers still.
Now eagles fly and heroes die
Beneath some foreign arch
Let their sons tread where hate is dead
In a happy Madness of March.

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1996 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Bracket

Will Harney — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:54:08 +0000

The 1996 NCAA men’s basketball tournament featured 64 teams that played in single elimination format. March Madness 1996 kicked off on march 14^th, 1996 and the 1996 NCAA Basketball Championship game was held on April 1^st, 1996. The Final Four was played at Continental Airlines Arena at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Kentucky Wildcats won the tournament which would be the college’s sixth overall NCAA championship and first since 1978 under Coach Rick Pitino. The 1996 NCAA tournament was the first to be held in the New York area since 1950. In later years, the NCAA would strip the UMass Final Four appearance from Coach Calipari and the school due to the team using a player who had accepted illegal gifts from agents during the tourney. The UConn Huskies would also lose their tourney wins (Coach Jim Calhoun) due to NCAA violations.

1996 Final Four

The Kentucky Wildcats would go on to defeat the Syracuse Orange (Coached by Jim Boheim) in the 1996 Championship game 76-67. Guard, Tony Delk from Kentucky was named the MVP for the 1996 Tourney, and the Wildcats won the first four games of the tourney by 20 points or more. Pundits did criticize the NCAA for placing both UMASS and Kentucky on the same side of the bracket as the strongest two teams from regular season play which meant they would potentially play in the Final Four and not in the title game. Starting in 2004, the Selection Committee changed their procedures to ensure that the top overall seed in the tourney would have the lowest overall number one seed in the opposing bracket to avoid future instances of the top two seeds meeting each other in tourney play prior to the championship game.

1996 NCAA Basketball Tournament Video

1996 NCAA Basketball Tournament Bracket

1996 NCAA Tournament First and Second Round Locations

Albuquerque, New Mexico (University Arena)

Dallas, Texas (Reunion Arena)

Indianapolis, Indiana (Hoosier Dome)

Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Bradley Center)

Orlando, Florida (Orlando Arena)

Providence, Rhode Island (Providence Civic Center)

Richmond, Virginia (Richmond Coliseum)

Tempe, Arizona (Arizona State University Activity Center)

1996 NCAA Tournament Regional Locations

Southeast Lexington, Kentucky (Rupp Arena)

West Denver, Colorado (McNichols Sports Arena)

East Atlanta, Georgia (Georgia Dome)

Midwest Minneapolis, Minnesota (Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome)

1996 NCAA Final Four Location

Finals East Rutherford, New Jersey (Continental Airlines Arena)

Printable 1996 NCAA Basketball Tournament Bracket

If the image of the 1996 NCAA Basketball Tournament bracket is not of a high enough resolution for you, a printable 1996 NCAA basketball tournament bracket is included in PDF format.

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March Madness 2012 Dates

Will Harney — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 23:56:23 +0000

The 2012 NCAA basketball tournament is scheduled to kick off on March 13^th, 2012 with the first game of the “First Four” being played in Dayton, Ohio this year. This will be the second year that the First Four has been a part of March Madness, with the 2011 NCAA Tournament hosting the initial First Four play. The second round of March Madness gets started on March 15^th and 16^th. Regional play gets started on March 22^nd and 23^rd, 2012 and the Final Four will be played in New Orleans for the fifth time during this season, scheduled for March 31 and April 2^nd, 2012.

2012 NCAA Tournament First Four (AKA First Round)

March 13^th and 14^th, 2012

Dayton, Ohio Dayton Arena

2012 NCAA Tournament Second and Third Rounds

Thursday and Saturday

March 15 and 17, 2012

The Pit Arena

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Host: University of New Mexico

Rose Garden Arena

Portland, Oregon

Host: University of Oregon

KFC Yum Arena

Louisville, Kentucky

Host: University of Louisville

Consol Energy Center

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Host: Duquesne University

Friday and Sunday

March 16 and 18, 2012

Greensboro Coliseum

Greensboro, North Carolina

Host: Atlantic Coast Conference

Bridgestone Arena (Formerly Sommet Center)

Nashville, Tennessee

Host: Ohio Valley Conference

Nationwide Arena

Columbus, Ohio

Host: Ohio State University

CenturyLink Center (Formerly the Qwest Center)

Omaha, Nebraska

Host: Creighton University

2012 NCAA Basketball Tournament Regionals

Thursday and Saturday

March 22 and 24, 2012

2012 NCAA Tournament East Regional

TD Garden

Boston, Massachusetts

Host: Boston College

2012 NCAA Tournament West Regional

US Airways Center

Phoenix, Arizona

Host: Arizona State University

Friday and Sunday

March 23 and 25, 2012

2012 NCAA Tournament South Regional

Georgia Dome

Atlanta, Georgia

Host: Georgia Tech

2012 NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional

Edward Jones Dome

Saint Louis, Missouri

Host: Saint Louis University

2012 NCAA Tournament Final Four

Saturday and Monday

March 31 and April 2, 2012

Louisiana Superdome

New Orleans, Louisiana

Host: Tulane University

2012 Final Four Information

This year’s NCAA tournament (2012 NCAA Tourney) will be the fifth time that the Superdome has hosted the Final Four. The venue is normally home to the NFL’s New Orleans Saints, Tulane football, the Sugar Bowl, New Orleans Bowl, and once every four years; the BCS National Championship game.

Future Final Four Sites

The NCAA has announced the locations for the 2013 through 2016 NCAA basketball tournaments at the time of the writing of this article. The following are the specifics available for future tournaments in the event you are a type who needs to plan excessively early!

2013 NCAA Basketball Tournament Georgia Dome, Atlanta

2014 NCAA Basketball Tournament Cowboys Stadium, Dallas (Arlington)

2015 NCAA Basketball Tournament Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis

2016 NCAA Basketball Tournament Reliant Stadium, Houston

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2012 NCAA Basketball Tournament Ticket Sales

Will Harney — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 23:00:31 +0000

The NCAA announced the opening sales for the 2012 NCAA Men’s basketball tournament to the general public this past Saturday (October 16^th, 2011). The First Four (ie First Round), second, and third round games went on sale. Although the initial ticket sales are directly through the NCAA website, a number of ticket resellers have Final Four tickets for purchase if you can’t find seats altogether, or the ones you want through the prime ticket vendor, PrimeSport.

2012 NCAA Basketball Championship Opening Rounds

The 2012 NCAA tournament starts with the First Four being held in Dayton, Ohio on March 13^th and 14^th, 2012. The second and third rounds of the tournament are scheduled to be played in Albuquerque, Louisville, Pittsburgh and Portland on March 15 and 17. Other second and third round games occur inColumbus, Greensboro, Nashville and Omaha will host second- and third-round games on March 16 and 18.

2012 NCAA Basketball Championship Regional Sites

The 2012 NCAA tournament has a number of exciting locations on-tap to host regional play. Boston is hosting the East and Phoenix the West which play on March 22^nd and 24^th, 2012. St. Louis will follow up on “Arch Madness” by hosting the Midwest Regional on March 23^rd, and 25^th with Atlanta hosting the South Regional on the same dates.

2012 NCAA Final Four

The 2012 NCAA Final Four will be the 74^th time the Final Four has been held. It is scheduled for March 31 and April 2^nd, in New Orleans. Although the general tickets are already sold out, TicketNetwork.com has a number on hand that can still be purchased at the time of writing.

The 74th Men’s Final Four will take place March 31 and April 2 in New Orleans. General tickets are sold out, but fans still have the opportunity to purchase ticket and hospitality packages through PrimeSport.

2012 NCAA Basketball Tournament Ticket Sales

In case you want to check with the NCAA ticket sales before going the reseller route, the following are the latest toll free phone numbers available to purchase tickets for all rounds except for the 2012 Final Four.

Round/Regionals Dates Site Phone Buy Tickets

First March 13, 14 Dayton, Ohio 877-NCAA-TIX

Second, Third March 15, 17 Albuquerque, N.M. 866-208-0048

Second, Third March 15, 17 Pittsburgh 877-NCAA-TIX

Second, Third March 15, 17 Portland, Ore. 877-789-7673

Second, Third March 15, 17 Louisville, Ky. 877-NCAA-TIX

Second, Third March 16, 18 Columbus, Ohio 877-NCAA-TIX

Second, Third March 16, 18 Greensboro, N.C. 877-NCAA-TIX

Second, Third March 16, 18 Nashville, Tenn. 877-NCAA-TIX

Second, Third March 16, 18 Omaha, Neb. 877-NCAA-TIX

East March 22, 24 Boston 877-NCAA-TIX

Midwest March 23, 25 St. Louis 877-NCAA-TIX

South March 23, 25 Atlanta 877-NCAA-TIX

West March 22, 24 Phoenix 877-NCAA-TIX

Final Four March 31, April 2 New Orleans

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