Madness!
March Madness has been, still is, and will be a tradition of 68 teams battling for the glory of the Naismith. But is that it? Is it just an event in which 68 teams are invited to play the game of basketball just to see who the best is? Absolutely not! The Big Dance is almost a lifestyle, not only for the month of March, but for the whole NCAA Men’s College Basketball season. On some campuses almost every student is participating in some sort of tradition, or doing something they normally don’t do during the month of March. Students, fans, and players alike living that lifestyle all the way through until their team loses or wins their final game. Funny, serious, and mind blowing traditions are all part of the lifestyle of the Madness.
Though March Madness rules the hype now in the present, it however was the younger brother to its NIT (National Invitational Tournament) in middle 1900s. Yes, the NIT was actually a bigger deal then March Madness in its premature stage. Also starting in 1938, it is the oldest hailing college basketball tournament. One year later the NCAA formed its own post season tournament: the NCAA Men’s Division One College Basketball Championship (NCAA, NIT Postseason History).
1938 was the first year the NIT was born and played. With a whopping six teams invited, this was a huge deal to college basketball fans everywhere (NCAA, NIT Postseason History). In the 1930’s the High School State Basketball Tournament was a big deal, for fans to find out there was going to be a Men’s Division One Basketball Tournament blew fan’s minds everywhere. Eventually the NIT grew into today’s tournament number 32 teams, but has lost all of its vibe. Now day’s college basketball fans fall in love with the month of March due to a larger team size tournament (68 teams), traditions, better talented teams, and loads on loads of hype.
Around the 1940s and 1950s the NIT and the NCAA Men’s Division One College Basketball Championship switched roles one could say. Eventually teams and fans liked the idea of playing for a spot in a big tournament, rather than getting invited (not necessarily deserving a spot) to a medium sized to dying sized tournament which was losing popularity and hype. The NIT is still fairly important especially to the teams, the team’s fans, and some outside fans, but the NIT is no March Madness. Now mostly all of the post season hype rests in the month of March.
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