NCAA Championship Week Events: A Comprehensive Overview
The NCAA Championship Week is a thrilling culmination of collegiate athletic competition, most notably featuring the NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments. Branded as "March Madness" or "The Big Dance," the men's tournament is a single-elimination event in the United States that determines the men's college basketball national champion of the Division I level in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). This article provides a detailed look at the events surrounding NCAA Championship Week, with a particular focus on the men's and women's basketball tournaments and the ancillary events that enhance the fan experience.
The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament: March Madness
The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, commonly known as March Madness, is a highly anticipated annual event. Played mostly during March, the tournament was first conducted in 1939 and currently consists of 68 teams. The 68-team format was adopted in 2011; it had remained largely unchanged since 1985 when it expanded to 64 teams. Before then, the tournament size varied from as little as 8 to as many as 53. The field was restricted to conference champions until at-large bids were extended in 1975 and teams were not fully seeded until 1979.
Historical Evolution of the Tournament
The first tournament was held in 1939 and was won by Oregon. It was the idea of Ohio State coach Harold Olsen. The National Association of Basketball Coaches operated the first tournament for the NCAA. From 1939 to 1950, the NCAA tournament consisted of eight teams, with each selected from a geographical district. Multiple conferences were considered part of each district, such as the Missouri Valley and the Big Seven conferences in one district and the Southern and Southeastern conferences in another, which often led to top-ranked teams being left out of the tournament.
The issue came to a head in 1950, when the NCAA suggested that third-ranked Kentucky and fifth-ranked North Carolina State compete in a playoff game for a bid, but Kentucky refused, believing they should be given the bid as the higher-ranked team. In response, the NCAA doubled the field to 16 in 1951, adding two additional districts and six spots for at-large teams. Conferences could still only have one team in the tournament, but multiple conferences from the same geographic district could now be included through at-large bids.
In the eight team format, the tournament was split into the East and West Regions, with champions meeting in the national championship game. The first two rounds for each region were conducted at the same site and the national championship and, from 1946, consolation game occurred a week later. Some years, the site of the national championship was the same site as a regional championship and in other years a new site. With the expansion to 16 teams, the tournament retained the original format of the national semifinals being the regional finals in 1951. For the 1952 tournament, there were four regions named East-1, East-2, West-1, West-2, all played at separate sites. The 1953 tournament expanded to include 22 teams and added a fifth round, with ten teams receiving a bye to the regional semifinals. The number of teams would fluctuate from 22 to 25 teams over the next two decades, but the number of rounds remained the same. The double region naming was kept until 1956, when the regions were named the East, Midwest, West, and Far West. In 1957, the regions were named East, Mideast, Midwest, and West, which remained until 1985.
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Beginning in 1946, a national third-place game was held before the championship game. Regional third-place games were played in the West from 1939 and the East from 1941. Despite expansion in 1951, there were still only two regions, each with a third-place game. This era of the tournament was characterized by competition with the National Invitation Tournament. Founded by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association one year before the NCAA tournament, the NIT was held entirely in New York City at Madison Square Garden. Because New York was the center of the press in the United States, the NIT often received more coverage than the NCAA tournament in early years. Additionally, good teams were often excluded from the NCAA tournament because each conference could only have one bid and conference champions were even excluded because of the 8-district system before 1950. Teams often competed in both tournaments during the first decade, with City College of New York winning both the NIT and NCAA tournament in 1950.
Two major changes over the course of the early 1970s led to the NCAA becoming the preeminent post-season tournament for college basketball. First, the NCAA added a rule in 1971 that banned teams who declined an invitation to the NCAA tournament from participating in other post-season tournaments. This was in response to eighth-ranked Marquette declining its invitation in 1970 and instead participating in and winning the NIT after coach Al McGuire complained about their regional placement. Since then, the NCAA tournament has clearly been the major one, with conference champions and the majority of the top-ranked teams participating. Second, the NCAA allowed multiple teams per conference starting in 1975. This was in response to several highly ranked teams being denied bids during the early 1970s. To accommodate at-large bids, the tournament expanded in 1975 to include 32 teams, allowing a second team to represent a conference in addition to the conference champion, and eliminated byes.
In 1979, the tournament expanded to 40 teams and added a sixth round; 24 teams received byes to the second round. Eight more teams were added in 1980 with only 16 teams receiving byes, and the restriction on the number of at-large bids from a conference was removed. In 1983, a seventh round with four play-in games was added; an additional play-in game was added in 1984. Seeding also began during this era, adding drama and ensuring better teams had better paths to the Final Four. In 1978, teams were seeded in two separate pools based on their qualification method. Each region had four teams which automatically qualified ranked Q1âQ4 and four teams which received an at-large bid ranked L1âL4. The national semifinals were moved to Saturday and the championship was moved to Monday evening in 1973, where they have remained since.
In 1985, the tournament expanded to 64 teams, eliminating all byes and play-ins. For the first time, all teams had to win six games to win the tournament. This expansion led to increased media coverage and popularity in American culture. In 1985, the Mideast Region was renamed the Southeast Region. In 1997, the Southeast Region became the South Region. From 2004 to 2006, the regions were named after their host cities, e.g. the Phoenix regional in 2004, the Chicago regional in 2005, and the Minneapolis regional in 2006, but reverted to the traditional geographic designations beginning in 2007. The 1996 Final Four was the last to take place in a venue built specifically for basketball.
Beginning in 2001, the field was expanded from 64 to 65 teams, adding to the tournament what was informally known as the "play-in game". This was in response to the creation of the Mountain West Conference during 1999. Originally, the winner of the Mountain West's tournament did not receive an automatic bid, due to standard NCAA rules regarding new conferences and automatic bids. As an alternative to eliminating an at-large bid, the NCAA expanded the tournament to 65 teams. The #64 and #65 seeds were seeded in a regional bracket as 16 seeds, and then played the opening round game on the Tuesday preceding the first weekend of the tournament.
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Starting in 2004, the selection committee revealed the overall rankings among the #1 seeds. Based on these rankings, the regions were paired so that the #1 overall seed would play the #4 overall seed in a national semifinal if both teams made the Final Four. This was to prevent the top two teams from meeting before the finals, as was largely considered the case in 1996 when Kentucky played Massachusetts in the Final Four.
In 2010, there was speculation about increasing the tournament size to as many as 128 teams. On April 1, 2010, the NCAA announced that it was looking at expanding to 96 teams for 2011. However, three weeks later the NCAA announced a new television contract with CBS/Turner that expanded the field to 68 teams, instead of 96, starting in 2011. The First Four was created by the addition of three play-in games. Two of the First Four games pit 16 seeds against each other. The two other games, however, pit the last at-large bids against each other. The seeding for the at-large teams will be determined by the selection committee and fluctuates based on the true seed ranking of the teams. Explaining the reasoning for this format, selection committee chairman Dan Guerrero said, "We felt if we were going to expand the field it would create better drama for the tournament if the First Four was much more exciting.
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.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA cancelled the 2020 tournament. Initially, the NCAA discussed holding a shortened version with only 16 teams in the Final Four host city of Atlanta. In 2021, the tournament was held entirely in the state of Indiana to reduce travel. This was to date the only time the tournament was conducted in one state. As a COVID-19 precaution, all participating teams were required to stay in NCAA-provided accommodations until they lost. The schedule was adjusted to provided extended time for COVID-19 evaluation before the tournament began, with the First Four occurring entirely on Thursday, the First and Second Rounds pushed one day back to a Friday-Monday window, and the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight pushed to a Friday-Monday window as well. Teams ranked 69â72 by the Selection Committee were put on "standby" to replace any team that withdrew from the tournament due to COVID-19 protocols during the 48 hours after the brackets were announced. Only one game was declared a no contest due to COVID-19, with Oregon advancing to the second round because VCU could not participate due to COVID-19 protocols. VCU was not replaced by one of the first four teams out because the COVID-19 infections started more than two days after the brackets were announced. In response to protests from players in the 2021 women's tournament about the differing facility quality and branding, both the men's and women's tournaments were branded as "NCAA March Madness" starting in 2022 with variations of the same tournament-wide logo used by the men's tournament.
Tournament Structure and Selection Process
The tournament consists of 68 teams competing in seven rounds of a single-elimination bracket. Thirty-two teams automatically qualify for the tournament by winning their conference tournament, played during the two weeks before the tournament, and thirty-six teams qualify by receiving an at-large bid based on their performance during the season. The Selection Committee determines the at-large bids, ranks all the teams 1 to 68, and places the teams in the bracket, all of which is revealed publicly on the Sunday before the tournament, dubbed Selection Sunday by the media and fans.
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The tournament is divided into four regions, with each region having sixteen to eighteen teams. geographic area of the city hosting each regional semifinal and regional final (the tournament's third and 4th round overall). The tournament is played over three weekends, with two rounds occurring each weekend. Before the first weekend, eight teams compete in the First Four to advance to the first round. Two games pair the lowest-ranked conference champions and two games pair the lowest-ranked at-large qualifiers. The first and second rounds are played during the first weekend, the regional semifinals and regional finals during the second weekend, and the national semifinals and championship game during the third weekend. Regional rounds are branded as the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight and the third weekend is branded as the Final Four, all named after the number of teams remaining at the beginning of the round. All games, including the First Four, are scheduled so that teams will have one rest day between each game.
Seeding and Bracket Formation
The Selection Committee, which includes conference commissioners and university athletic directors appointed by the NCAA, determines the bracket during the week before the tournament. To make the bracket, the Committee ranks the whole field from 1 to 68; these are referred to as the true seed. The committee then divides the teams amongst the four regions, giving each a seed between No. 1 and No. 16. The same four seeds in all the regions are referred to as the seed line (i.e. the No. 6 seed line).
Eight teams are doubled up and compete in the First Four. Two of the paired teams compete for No. 16 seeds, and the other two paired teams are the last at-large teams awarded bids to the tournament and compete for a seed line in the No. 10 to No. 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. The committee ensures competitive balance among the top four seeds in each region by adding the true seed values up and comparing the values among the regions. If a conference has two to four teams in the top four seeds, they will be placed in different regions. Otherwise, teams from the same conference are placed to avoid a rematch before the regional finals if they have played three or more times in the season, the regional semifinals if they have played twice, or the second round if they have played once. Additionally, the committee is advised to avoid rematches from the regular season and the previous years' tournament in the First Four.
Broadcasting and Revenue Distribution
All tournament games are broadcast by CBS, TBS, TNT, and truTV under the program name NCAA March Madness. With a contract through 2032, Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery pay $891 million annually for the broadcast rights. The NCAA distributes revenue to participating teams based on how far they advance, which provides significant funding for college athletics.
Cultural Impact
The tournament has become part of American popular culture through bracket contests that award money and other prizes for correctly predicting the outcomes of the most games.
NCAA Women's Final Four in Phoenix
With the tipoff of the 2026 NCAA Women's Final Four only 38 days away, the NCAA, Phoenix Final Four Local Organizing Committee, Arizona State, Mortgage Matchup Center and ESPN announced details for events surrounding one of America's marquee sporting events. Mountain Standard Time on Friday, April 3, and broadcast live on ESPN.
"As the success of the women's basketball championship grows every year, we're excited that Phoenix will host this year's Women's Final Four for the first time ever," said Lynn Holzman, NCAA vice president of women's basketball. "As the host institution, Arizona State University is proud to put Phoenix and the Valley on a global stage, building on our proven record of hosting premier NCAA championships, including men's and women's golf and the Men's Final Four," said Graham Rossini, Arizona State athletics director. "Women's basketball has never been more popular, and the momentum around the Final Four, paired with the energy of our ASU Downtown campus, the Player 15 Group, Mortgage Matchup Center and our championship hosting experience, creates a one-of-a-kind environment.
Ancillary Events for the Women's Final Four
Here's a look at the many free ancillary events that will be part of championship week.
- The Super Saturday Concert presented by AT&T: A free event open to the public. In 2026, the music performance will take place at Margaret T. Hance Park in downtown Phoenix and will feature food and drinks for purchase, an opening act and the headliner, to be announced the first week of March.
- LOCATION: Margaret T.
- DATES/HOURS: Saturday, April 4.
- Beyond the Baseline: Includes talks, panels and guest speakers designed to empower and equip women in sport and business with tools for personal and professional success.
- Four It All Fest: A free block party style event, blended with local Phoenix flavor, located on Canyon on Third Street outside the Phoenix Convention Center. Enjoy this outdoor street festival that features viewing parties, food and beverages, merchandise sales, live music, an outdoor court and much more. This free public event takes place at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 4.
- Open Practice: Watch the final two national championship participating teams during the week's only open practice. Friday, April 3 (ESPN). Tickets can be bought and sold directly with other fans through the official NCAA Ticket Exchange.
- NCAA Women's Final Four Bounce presented by GEICO: Fans age 18 and younger are invited to participate in this unique parade and free Women's Final Four event, joining thousands dribbling their way through downtown Phoenix and into Tourney Town presented by Capital One â the official fan festival of the 2026 Women's Final Four.
- REGISTRATION: Online preregistration is recommended, as space is limited.
- Legacy Project: The NCAA and Dove are teaming up with the Phoenix Final Four Local Organizing Committee to refurbish an indoor and outdoor playing court at the Washington Activity Center. Work on the project will be completed before the 2026 NCAA Women's Final Four. "The Legacy Project is about investing in spaces that serve our communities for years to come," said Jen Barnett, executive vice president and head of operations and social responsibility/volunteers for the Arizona Sports & Events Alliance.
- NCAA Read to the Final Four: Designed to leave a lasting impact and legacy on the students of Arizona, the NCAA Read to the Final Four will engage, inspire and incentivize elementary students' love of reading. When the national semifinals tip April 3, the Read to the Final Four program will have challenged thousands of local students in the third grade in a reading competition.
- Women's Final Four High School Student-Athlete Symposium: Held by the NCAA and the NCAA Eligibility Center to help high school student-athletes, parents, high school academic counselors, coaches and administrators understand the NCAA journey.
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