March Madness 2017

March Madness is a phenomenon which begins every second week of March through the first week of April to make every sport enthusiast's heart fluttering with excitement and getting that adrenaline rush pumping. March Madness is the moniker that is given to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments. These tournaments determine the national champions of college basketball.
For a sports and basketball enthusiast, this is one of the most awaited event of the year. It is test for all those sweats, hard work on the court and time to shine on the court. Its become an American tradition where people go crazy in wild cheers and frenzied chaos wondering who will make it to the top, hence the name March Madness.

Selection Sunday
68 men's teams and 64 women's teams are selected and announced on television during Selection Sunday. Thirty-one teams receive an automatic invite to the tournament, which is their reward for winning their respective conferences. Thirty of these teams win their tournament through conference tournaments. The remaining invites, 37 for men and 33 for women, are left in the hands of the selection committee.
Here are some of the criteria the selection committees rely on:
• Rating Percentage Index (RPI)
• Ranking in national polls
• Conference record
• Road record
• Wins versus ranked opponents
• The way a team finishes the regular season


First Four
The field of teams is divided into four geographical regions. Each region has between 16 and 18 teams, which are assigned a seed number of 1 through 18, with the best team in the region awarded the No. 1 seed. In 2012, the format was modified so the four first-round matchups advanced two 16 seeds, a 14 and a 12 into the field of 64.
Seeds refer to the placement of a team in one of four regions, and pods refer to the method of grouping seeds at particular first-round and second-round sites.

First/second round
After the committee assigns seeds, it assigns the top four teams in each region to a first/second round site that is most geographically compatible to those teams, regardless of where the team might play in subsequent rounds at regionals. There are eight sites for the first/second rounds. Teams are placed at these sites in groups of four, which comprises a pod, and there are two pods at each site. For each region, there are four pods.
This year schedule is as follows:
Buffalo - March 16&18 Milwaukee - March 16&18 Orlando - March 16&18 Salt Lake City - March 16&18 Greenville - March 17&19 Indianapolis - March 17&19 Tulsa - March 17&19 Sacramento - March 17&19

Regionals
The winners of the First/second round plays at the 4 regionals.
This year 2017 schedule is as follows:
Midwest Regional - Kansas City - March 23&25 West Regional - San Jose - March 23&25 South Regional - Memphis - March 24&26 East Regional - New York - March 24&26
Final Four
The Final Four is played at a new venue each year, but is usually played in a major metropolitan area. The "Final Four" of college basketball refers to the semifinal round of the Division I Men's or Women's Basketball Tournament. In this round, there are four teams left, and two games are played to determine which two teams will head to the finals. This year it is being played in Phoenix on 1st and 3rd April.

Why is March Madness so popular?
1) We get to see some hot moves on the court.
2) The players get drafted to NBA player.
3) Many people win money betting on the play.
4) Most of all, every one enjoys it.