The next major landmark was the introduction of the five-player format. This happened on January 18, 1896 during an intercollegiate game in Iowa City. By the early 1900s, the game had spread to 90 colleges, most of them located in the East and Midwest. This number continued to swell and by 1914 as many as 360 colleges had introduced the game.

In 1915 the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States, the NCAA, and the YMCA joined hands to streamline the game, and set up a committee to frame rules. This period also saw the formation of a number of regional conferences. The first NCAA Men’s College Basketball Championship tournament was held in Evanston in 1939, and was cheered by 5,500 basketball fans. It was organized by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and was won by University of Oregon. After this, the NCAA took over the national basketball championship tournament. The year 1940 witnessed the first college basketball game to be aired on television. This game was played between Pittsburgh and Fordham at Madison Square Garden, and ever since then basketball became a national obsession, drawing huge crowds. But there is nothing that beats March Madness, when almost 350 American colleges compete for the NCAA basketball crown. It is the most watched event in the US.

Till 1950, the NCAA tourney had eight teams competing against each other. These teams represented each of the eight NCAA districts. The number of teams was increased to 16 in 1951. In this format, 10 conference champions qualified automatically while the remaining six teams were chosen on the basis of their performance. In 1954, the number of teams went up to 24, and in 1975, a 32-team bracket was adopted. This was increased to 48 in 1980 and to 64 in 1985.

Over the years, college basketball has gone through a remarkable change. There are a number of players who showcase their talent in college basketball, and rise to become stars. There is huge fan following for this game, and most of the NBA stars trace their origins to college basketball.

College basketball is a very exciting game for the entire family. It can be a rallying point for most any family or friends plus a great night out. The slam dunks are extra exciting and you might even hear “holy crap did you see that, I can’t believe my eyes”.

What ever you do go to at least one game and than make your decision.

Jonathon Hardcastle asked:


Larry Bird is widely regarded as one of the three greatest NBA players to ever lace up their sneakers on basketball’s premiere stage alongside Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. He led the Celtics to three NBA championships in the eighties before retiring from the NBA in 1992. In 1996, he was voted to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998.

Bird was born in West Baden Springs, Indiana and his family experienced much financial difficulty during his early years. The Bird family was also embroiled in personal turmoil, which came to a head when his father, Joe Bird, committed suicide in 1975. Bird admits that being poor motivated a great deal. His humble beginnings also earned him the “The Hick From French Lick.”

The most famous of Bird’s nicknames was “Larry Legend,” which he earned for his exploits on the court and for having a sixth sense about the game. He possessed an uncanny ability to anticipate and react to the action on the floor. He could see the plays before they actually happened. For this reason, his first NBA coach Bill Fitch nicknamed him “Kodak” because he form mental snapshots of every play. This ability allowed him to make passing into an art form. He could often spot open teammates even before they knew they were open. This gift also allowed him to snag critical rebounds and make key steals even though he was not extraordinarily big or quick.

Bird finished his high school career as the all-time scoring leader of Springs Valley High school. He accepted a scholarship of Indiana University in 1976, but left after a month. He later enrolled at Indiana State University and led the Sycamores to a 33-1 record and to the national championship game in 1979 where his team lost to the Michigan State University, led by Earvin “Magic” Johnson, who would become Bird’s chief rival in the NBA for over a decade. Off the court, the two were close friends and together, they rejuvenated first the college game and later the NBA.

Though Bird’s team lost to Johnson in the college championship, Bird would edge out his nemesis in terms of individual honors as he was regarded as the best college basketball player at the time, winning both the Naismith and Wooden Awards.

Once Bird and Johnson entered the NBA with the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, respectively, they became the league’s biggest stars. Together, they won eight NBA championships in a 10 year span, with Bird bagging three titles and Johnson capturing five.

Most people would tend to perceive basketball as a purely physical game. You can see that evidence everywhere: endless physical trainings to bout any bodily weaknesses; energy drinks and foods that focus on combating fatigue; clothes and shoes that give comfort during the game; etcetera, etcetera. 

Perhaps, to add further proof, we can add in the basketball athletes’ way of delivering the game itself. They thrust and drive and pivot and shoot-it’s all a perspiration-inducing game.

But beyond all the physicality of the game, it would be wise to believe that mental preparation is also a necessity in this type of sport. Mental training isn’t just for chess or any sedentary mind game. In fact, it is equally as important as physical trainings. 

Now, you might be asking, how you will be able to incorporate mental training or any psychological preparation into each of your game. It’s definitely not easy. The basic attitudes are persistence, perseverance and the will to finish any commitment. Just like physical training, the required mental trainings ask for competitiveness and the three attitudes just mentioned are essential. 

0nce you are committed to do whatever it takes to gain the edge on your game, here are the most common techniques that mind experts (that’s psychologists to you) advise you to do:

1.    Relaxation of the mind-this includes exercises that are similar to yoga exercises where you relax your mind inspite of the distractions. The mind relaxation technique is voluntary and you should be able to calm your mind even if the dog outside is barking or when your roommate has just blasted on the TV. Concentration is the keyword in achieving this technique. This means you should be able to control what you feel even if you have just gone through a stressful day at the office.

2.    The Will to change Unpleasant Attitudes-this is a must. To be able to incorporate new ways into your game, you should be willing to give up your old ways. If there are many attitudes that get in the way of gaining a better game, then you must get rid of them for the sake of improvement. Anger management is on this list. If you are the type that explodes at the smallest provocation, then it is high time to control this negative attitude and gear it towards having a controlled temper. If you are also the type that puts off routines and other necessary trainings until you tend to cram when the game draws near, then it’s time to discipline yourself. 

3.    Control of Energy-you will be better able to direct your strength towards the achievement of a better basketball game. 

4.    Have a Can Do Attitude-visualize yourself scoring more than you have ever done. If you believe in yourself and the power that your mind is able to do, then you will start seeing results. Equipped with this newfound attitude towards the game (and life in general) and constant practice, then there is nowhere to go but up.

5.    There was an interesting study on stress management called the Stress Inoculation training. In this training, the basketball athletes were exposed to minimal, initial doses of stress until they gradually underwent heightened introduction of stresses. This study wanted to prove that immunity from stress might be achieved. Perhaps a good source of ‘stress’ would be the rigors of basketball training itself. It’s physically draining but in a good way. 

6.    Attain a confident attitude-self-esteem is an integral part on any basketball player’s game. Once he has the confidence, all other techniques come easy. 

7.    Love of the Game-work becomes work only if it stops being something you enjoy. When an athlete starts to see the boring side of the game or when he fails to ‘feel’ the game, then that’s where failure creeps in. Shun basketball when you don’t enjoy it-plain and simple. 

There are so many techniques of basketball game improvement. But if you have read carefully, you will notice that it all boils down to one-you. When you know what you want and work hard to achieve it physically, nutritionally and mentally, then you are on your way to achieving success.

The Canadian, Dr. James Naismith, a physical education instructor, while at the YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, invented the game of basketball, in 1891. The following year, in 1892, he put together the rules of the game, and the first game of college basketball involved 18 players from YMCA, Springfield, who split into two teams of nine each. This was in 1893.

The first recorded instance when a basketball game involved at least one college team was between Geneva College and New Brighton, YMCA, on April 8, 1893, in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, which Geneva College won. Geneva College calls itself ‘The Birthplace of College Basketball.’

It was on February 9, 1895, that two basketball teams from two different colleges – Minnesota State School of Agriculture, and the Porkers of Hamline College – played the first college basketball game. Minnesota won 9-3. Naismith’s original ‘peach basket’ rules were in force, and had nine players to each side.

The Modern College Basketball Games

The very first five to a side college basketball game was between the University of Chicago and the University of Iowa, played in Iowa City, Iowa on January 18, 1896. Chicago won 15-12. The first inter-collegiate basketball game was between Wesleyan University and Yale in New Haven, Connecticut, which Wesleyan won 4-3.

By the 1900s, many colleges all over the United States were fielding basketball teams. By 1906, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) was formed in Chicago, and the first tournament of the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Championship was held in 1939 at Evanston, Illinois in front of an audience of 5,500 fans. Oregon took the first National Championship by beating Ohio State – 46 to 33. That was the only time Oregon has ever reached the finals of this tournament.

In 1940, the first televised college basketball games were played at the Madison Square Garden. Since then, there has been no end to the popularity of college basketball.

March Madness

NCAA’s Men’s Division I Basketball Championship is colloquially known as the March Madness, as the tournament is mostly held in March, each year. It is also called so as it ignites such frenzy among the followers of college basketball. This single elimination tournament takes place over a three-week period across the United States, and features 65 college basketball teams.

The term March Madness now refers to both – the men’s and women’s tournament. Traditionally, the semifinals and the finals of the Men’s championship is played on a Saturday and the following Monday, whereas the Women’s championship semifinal is played on a Sunday, followed by Tuesday, for the finals.

Florida won the 2007 NCAA Men’s Division I Championship beating Ohio State 84-75 at Atlanta Georgia, whereas the 2007 NCAA Women’s Division I Championship went to Tennessee, who beat Rutgers, 59-46, in Cleveland, Ohio.

The tickets

The easiest way to procure your college basketball tickets is through the services of legitimate ticket brokers.

Legitimate ticket brokers have a reputation to maintain and ensure your college basketball tickets for the games of your choice are delivered to your door.

Amazon.com is a great online store for all of your shopping needs. What can be easier than researching, choosing and buying basketball products and books on basketball from the comfort of your own home? Buying stuffs from an online store such as Amazon is very different from buying it from a traditional store. There are few new issues to consider. All you need is a computer with an internet connection, a credit card, a little time to browse their online database and an Amazon.com account. If you don’t have an Amazon account yet, you can sign up for one free. By getting an account, you can store your shipping and billing information so you can checkout more quickly in the future.

One advantage of buying on Amazon is as that buyers have a great deal of information available to them to make the purchasing decisions easier. Amazon offers the resources not to only make the decision on what to buy, but also gives buyers different sources for the items. There are availability of Promotion Codes, Cashback through Gift Certificates and Free Shipping

Listed below are the steps to follow if you want to purchase any basketball product or book from Amazon product store with great success.

Step 1

Be convinced that you need the basketball product. This will help you decide how much money to spend, what features and quality level to go for.

Step 2

Set your budget. When you decide how much you want to spend, try to stick to that amount.

Step 3

Get onto the Amazon basketball products store, and start searching by browsing through the category of you desired product

Step 4

When you come across a basketball product you’re interested in, click on it to the product page

Step 5

Scroll down the product page to read the Product description, product details, features, editorial reviews and most importantly the customer reviews. “Amazon” usually has several different customer reviews on each product. These can be helpful in telling you about the product’s advantages and disadvantages before you buy it. The reviews include five-star ratings as well as written descriptions about what the consumer liked or disliked about the product.

Never order a product online without reading reviews, especially from customers who have already bought and used that product.

Step 6

If you are not convinced to buy that product go back and search for a different one. If you are convinced, click to the purchase area. You can choose to buy it either from Amazon or from a third party seller. Choose a third party seller based on the seller’s rating from other Amazon buyers. Choose the best one to buy based on the seller rating, price and condition.

Step 7

After you’ve decided which item is best for you, click on the “add to shopping cart” icon on your screen. In the next screen, you can choose to “continue shopping” for more products or “proceed to checkout.” If you’re ready to buy, hit the “proceed to checkout” button.

Step 8

At this point, you will need to log into your account before you can continue

Step 9

Look over the shipping information, and submit your order. Once you’ve chosen a method of shipping, all you have to do is to buy your item by submitting your order. Your credit card will be charged, and your new basketball product will be in the mail soon

For your basketball success, you can download a very informative complete basketball handbook here for free