Ever since 1939, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or the NCAA, has held a single elimination basketball tournament for college teams every March. They call this tournament March Madness. This year, on March 11, they started off the tournament with selection Sunday. This is when the match-ups are announced publicly. Sixty-eight teams participate each year, making sixty-seven games in total.
On March 13th, the games kicked off. After each team plays, the winner advances to play another team, while the loser is eliminated. The games continue on for about a week and a half until they reach the top sixteen teams, which the call the “sweet sixteen.” After they reach the top sixteen, they divide the number of teams left in half after two days of games. The “elite eight” then go on to fight to be part of the “final four.” This year the “final four” were Kentucky State, Baylor, Kansas State, and North Carolina. When Kentucky played Baylor and Kansas played North Carolina in the semi-championship, Kentucky and Kansas both won advancing them into the championships. This game was held on April 2nd, and both teams played for the college basketball championship title. Kentucky won by eight points, making them the winner of 2012’s March Madness.