Last Updated: September 3, 2010

History of the NCAA College Basketball Tournament – Part 2

This is a multi-post series on the History of the NCAA College Basketball Tournament. The first post can be found here. The next post will feature tournament history from 1985-2009.

History of the NCAA College Basketball Tournament: 1960 – 1984

By the 1960’s the NCAA College Basketball Tournament was the post-season home for the top college basketball players and teams in the country.  No longer were teams divided between the NIT and the NCAA – the NIT has become solely a second-tier option.

In 1964, the greatest dynasty in college basketball history and arguably the greatest in all of sports history, began when the John Wooden led UCLA Bruins captured their first-ever National Championship.  The Bruins would again claim the championship in 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, and 1975 – all under the direction of Wooden.

While the tournament was being dominated by UCLA on the court, it was continuing to flourish off the court.  1974 marked a key year for the tournament when the Championship game moved to Monday night.  The Championship game has remained a Monday night fixture for television viewers across the U.S. since 1974.

Growth for the tournament field came in 1975 when it expanded to 32 teams and again in 1979 when 40 team participated. The 1979 tournament would arguably provide the most important conduit for bringing the sport of basketball into playgrounds and schools, and onto televisions across America.

That year, Larry Bird led Indiana State into the National Championship game against Magic Johnson’s and the Michigan State Spartans. Michigan State took home the title with a 75-64 victory  but the biggest winner was the sport as a whole.  The 1974 Championship game was and is the highest rated televised basketball game in the history of the sport. Fans were born out of that match-up and they followed both players into the NBA as they became both superstars and celebrities.

By 1983 the tournament had notched its place on calendars of sports fans the country, and that year 52 teams were included in the field.  In one of the most fantastic finishes in the history of college basketball, the underdog NC State Wolfpack and coach Jim Valvano captured the National Championship with a win over the Houston Cougars on a last second dunk by Lorenzo Charles.

The lasting image of Valvano, with his arms outstretched, running on the court to celebrate has become synonymous with tournament.

Tournament Field Size

1960 – 25 teams

1961 – 24 teams

1962-1964 – 25 teams

1965 – 23 teams

1966 – 22 teams

1967-1968 – 23 teams

1969-1974– 25 teams

1975-1978 – 32 teams

1979 – 40 teams

1980-1982 – 48 teams

1983 – 52 teams

1984 – 53 teams

To read Part 1: History of the NCAA College Basketball Tournament click here.

September 24, 2009 | Filed Under Research and Analysis, TV, Tournament History | Leave a Comment 

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