More College Basketball News
Explaining the “One and Done” Rule That Cooper Flagg Recently Practiced After His NBA Revelation
Cooper Flagg is all set to move to the NBA! But what is the one-and-done rule he is using to skip college?
Nate Ament NIL Deals and High School Stats: Exploring Tennessee Star’s Early Performance and Brand Collaborations
Explore Nate Ament’s rise in college basketball, his high school stats, and his growing presence in the NIL space
Dawn Staley Drops 7-Word Cryptic Message as Sources Hints Kim Mulkey to Welcome Ex-South Carolina Star
Dawn Staley reloads South Carolina’s roster through the transfer portal just in time. Here's everything that happened!
Calls Mount Against Juju Watkins’ Team’s Latest Move as NCAA World Expects Better From USC
Juju Watkins and her USC squad face rising scrutiny as the college basketball world questions their latest decision
Denim DeShields NIL Deals 2025: Exploring Ole Miss Star’s Brand Collaboration and Earnings
As Denim DeShields gets her move before the portal comes to a close, what does it mean for her NIL opportunities?
Dawn Staley’s Headache Gets Offloaded as Fresh Intel Confirms South Carolina’s Latest Acquisition in Transfer Portal
Sakima Walker walks, but Dawn Staley doesn't sweat—South Carolina finds backup in the portal to ease its post-depth headache.
“RIP”: Grief Strikes NCAA Community as Pope Francis’ Demise Triggers Deep Reactions From John Calipari & Dick Vitale
Grief strikes the NCAA community as the passing of Pope Francis make John Calipari and others give heartwarming tributes
Fresh Intel Reveals Dan Hurley Follows His Roots to Fuel Major UConn Front Office Shake-Up
Fresh intel from a basketball insider reveals that Dan Hurley will be bringing in another New Jersey native to his coaching staff
Who Are Ian Jackson’s Parents? Everything You Need to Know About Ex-UNC Star’s Family Life
From Harlem to the transfer portal, Ian Jackson’s next move is huge—but his biggest fans have always been his parents.
“Missed the Last Shot”: Cooper Flagg’s NBA Draft Move Triggers Fresh Pain for a Duke Community Still Reeling Over Final Four Heartbreak
Cooper Flagg is headed to the NBA draft but this announcement has triggered fresh trauma among Duke fans again
Calls Mount against Jon Scheyer as Duke Community in Uproar Over Cooper Flagg’s NBA Draft Call
Calls mount for Jon Scheyer's job after Cooper Flagg announced his intentions of joining the NBA draft this year
Stephen A. Smith Still Sulking Over Cooper Flagg’s Final Four Blunder Amid Duke Star’s NBA Draft Bombshell
As Cooper Flagg declares for the draft, Stephen A. Smith discusses the final four game against Houston as blemish on his resume
About College Basketball
College Basketball (NCAA): Latest News, Rumors, Schedule, Scores & More
College basketball is the primary path to the NBA for several talented athletes. Upon completing high school, budding basketball players join a university in hopes of shaping their careers professionally.
College basketball is currently governed by a list of collegiate athletic bodies that include National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and a few other organizations.
What does NCAA stand for?
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a non-profit organization headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is one of the primary organizations that govern college athletics for over 1,200 institutions across the United States and Canada.
NCAA stands as an organizer of college tournaments, which helps various students register their talent on a grand stage. Due to the overwhelming number of institutions emerging with respect to basketball and other major sports, the NCAA adopted the three-division structure in 1973.
Thus, there are Divisions I, II, and III that subdivide NCAA College Basketball teams. Moreover, the most enthralling tournament when it comes to college basketball is the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.
NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament
The NCAA’s Division I Men’s Basketball tournament was founded in 1939 by Ohio State coach Harold Olsen. The tournament is often played during March and hence, it has been branded “March Madness,” a yearly tournament that decides the national college champion!
The single-elimination tournament features 68 of the best college basketball teams from the 32 conferences that comprise NCAA’s Division I. Winners from each conference receive an automatic bid for the tournament, while the other 36 teams are awarded “at-large berths.”
The venues are pre-determined and the competing teams are seeded and split into four regions and organized into a single-elimination bracket. The University of North Carolina has the honor of receiving the most #1 seeds in the tournament with 17 to date.
As the games commence, teams get filtered, which is then followed by “Sweet Sixteen,” “Elite Eight,” and the coveted “Final Four.”
It is a well-structured tournament, as the Final Four teams will each represent one region (East, South, Midwest, and West) to determine the national champion.
Likewise, there is a similar tournament held for women with almost the same structure: 64 teams participate and a special committee will decide the participants for each edition.
Who has the most NCAA Division I titles?
Winning the national title is a daunting task. 64 teams enter the tournament with the same goal in mind, but only one can be crowned champion towards the end. With that said, the UCLA Bruins Men’s Basketball Team has won 11 national titles to date, the most by any school.
UCLA’s most recent victory came in 1995 when the Bruins beat Arkansas Razorbacks. Furthermore, here is a list of the Top 5 teams with the most NCAA Division I championships in history:
School | Titles | Years |
UCLA | 11 | 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1995 |
| Kentucky | 8 | 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998, 2012 |
North Carolina | 6 | 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009, 2017 |
| Duke | 5 | 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015 |
Indiana | 5 | 1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, 1987 |
When does the 2020-21 men’s college basketball season start?
The initial dates for the season had to be pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There are several tournaments that are scheduled to begin in the coming weeks, tentatively. The Division I men’s basketball tournament is scheduled to begin on November 25.
The conferences that comprise the governing bodies organize various tournaments, and the schedules are dropping in with regard to the restrictions that are in place. More information can be found on the NCAA website.
The organization has released the schedule for the highly anticipated “March Madness,” that is set to take place in 2021.
ROUND | DATES |
Selection Sunday | March 14 |
| First Four | March 16-17 |
First Round | March 18-19 |
| Second Round | March 20-21 |
Sweet 16 | March 25-26 |
| Elite Eight | March 27-28 |
Final Four | April 3 |
| National Championship | April 5 |
How college basketball stands out from the NBA
A lot of the aspects remain the same when comparing college basketball and the NBA. However, minor differences set these two leagues apart, which might affect the flow when watching an NBA game versus an NCAA game.
The first difference is that NBA games are played under four quarters of 12 minutes each. But college basketball is just two halves, and each half is 20 minutes long. This reduces the game time by a small margin, but athletes have to endure a longer half.
Moreover, there is also a major difference in the shot clock. The modern shot clock in the NBA is 24 seconds, while the NCAA allows 30 seconds for men’s basketball.
The distance from the three-point line to the backboard differs in the NBA and college basketball as well. The NBA’s three-point line traditionally measures 23 feet 9 inches at the top of the circle and 22 feet in the corners. However, this is not the case when it comes to the NCAA.
Starting from the 2019/20 season, NCAA adopted FIBA’s three-point line measurements which stand at 22 feet, 1¾ inches at the top of the circle, and 21 feet 8 inches at the corners. Besides these, there is a list of rules that differ between the NBA and NCAA. Click here to learn more.
