Quirky March Madness Facts That Might Surprise You

The March Madness bracket is a unique equalizer within the sports forecasting market.

As the NCAA Men's College Basketball Tournament is more than just a national championship, it is a national obsession for many! Around 68 teams compete in basketball bonanzas that bring out Cinderellas, create unforgettable moments, and warm the hearts of millions of fans.

The youngest coach belongs to an elite wing, as do conference commissioners and NCAA executives. During NCAA tournament season, fans' pockets suffer, too, and not just for the millions lost per year in bracket pools. Ticket prices in Michigan State for the NCAA tournament game in 2021 started at around $1,500 (although considerably fewer fans attended in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

To keep up with cheering fans, beer is sold about 19% more than usual in a dome stadium. As a result, businesses lose $13.3 billion a year in productivity because employees are caught up in the excitement.

This NCAA basketball tournament isn't only about basketball. Money is just as important as the love of the game during March Madness, so we've examined the game from tip to title, emphasizing finances. Keep reading to discover some of the best fun facts about March Madness!

The History of March Madness

The concept of March Madness originated in Illinois. Learn some fun facts about March Madness right here.

• The NCAA holds its annual championship game in early April, and this NCAA championship game is the largest college basketball event in the world. 
• When the NCAA tournaments began in 1939, eight teams competed. Over the years, this national championship tournament has grown from eight teams in the early days to 16 in 1951.
• During the '80s, the single tournament doubled to 32 and then to 64. In the current tournament coverage, 68 teams qualify, with eight teams competing in play-in games to make up the 64-team field of the first-round matchup.
• A postseason college NCAA tournament such as March Madness wasn't the first. 1938 marked the inaugural National Invitational Tournament. While it was once a more popular event, the March Madness bracket has long since surpassed it as the most popular college basketball competition.

Statistics of NCAA tournament game

• The NCAA tournament was held in its entirety in a single state (Indiana) for the first time in 2021 (after first being canceled in 2020).
• COVID-19 has caused the NCAA championship team to lose $650 million in revenue in 2020.
• Among the 20 legendary coach individuals in the national championship, Kentucky's John Calipari was the only coach who made $8.2 million a year, while the president and governor of University of Kentucky make a combined $1 million a year.
• The average NBA rookie salary for a D1 men's basketball scholarship is $3.33 million, or 45.5 times the salary for a seven-month D1 scholarship.
• During March Madness, a $13.3 billion loss to the economy was incurred by unproductive employees.
• The University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball program generated an annual profit of $31.2 million, making it the highest-rated program.
• A total of $168.6 million was distributed to D1 schools by the NCAA in 2021.
• Indiana's Lucas Oil Stadium can hold 17,500, but it was capped at 25% of its capacity for the Final Four in 2021 due to Covid restrictions.

Rules of March Madness Brackets

The March Madness tournament has its own rules since it is a prestigious event. Let's read on to find out more fun facts about March Madness:

The bracket-filling rules are as follows:

• A single bracket: No-one will accept your claim that Davidson was one of the Elite Eight or that the 14 seed beat the 22 seed on your 14th bracket.
• Pick three upsets total: It makes no sense to have every seed from one to five in the Sweet Sixteen. There are many ways to upset people in this NCAA tournament: a nine-seed shouldn't be ahead of an eight or a five ahead of a four.
• After the bracket is set, you cannot change it. Although the game hasn't started yet, you cannot change what Digger Phelps and Dick Vitale predict about Purdue and Oklahoma.
• No bribes for making dumb picks: Don't take five bucks from your buddy to pick two 15 seeds in the NCAA tournament. Taking this action will remove your title of 'fan'.
• Do not duplicate brackets: If your brackets are just like Barack Obama's or Jay Bilas's, you're cheating 100%. You can take winners from expert brackets, but if your bracket is the same as theirs, that is cheating.
• Make sure your picks are backed up: It isn't good to say that you had a hunch when someone asks you why you have a 13 seed over a four.
• Show only five people your bracket: Any person submitting their picks already can see your bracket.
• Consult five people only: If you apply to your bracket up to 15 pieces of advice, you may apply three from each person.
• Enjoy yourself: Choosing a bracket shouldn't be difficult. If in doubt, choose one.

Interesting Facts About March Madness

Enjoying these fun facts about March Madness? If so, read on to find out more about the basketball season.

• Taking part in a perfect bracket is unlikely. The odds of winning the lottery in a single tournament, getting struck by lightning, and getting a boa constrictor to emerge from the toilet simultaneously are more likely to happen.
• NCAA tournaments are time-suckers. A total of a $13.3 billion is estimated to be lost by corporate organizations because of lost productivity due to March Madness.
• Your NCAA bracket cannot be a gamble. A sports-wagering organization considers sports pools, online sports betting, fantasy leagues, and parlay cards to be sports wagering. Therefore, when you wager something on something at risk, such as an entry fee, you violate the NCAA rules on sports wagering.
• Villanova won the tournament as the eighth-lowest seed ever. In 1985, the Wildcats were crowned champs. As the lowest seed, Louisiana State University reached the Final Four the following year, ranking 11th. George Mason repeated that feat in 2006 and Virginia Commonwealth University in 2011.
• The NCAA tournament made its debut in 1939 with the Oregon Webfoots emerging victorious. Oregon Webfoots defeated Ohio State Buckeyes to win the title, as only eight teams participated.
• From the mid '50s through the '70s, teams could participate in both the NIT and NCAA championships. However, only the City College of New York has reached the top of both brackets, achieving the feat in 1950.
• In 1950, New York College won both tournaments, but their dual success could not be distinguished from other teams' victories. A point-shaving scandal involving 30 players at seven schools ultimately implicated four program players the following year.
• In the first match-up with Ohio, Notre Dame shooter Austin Carr scored 61 points, setting a tournament record. David Robinson, who became an NBA Hall of Famer in 1987, came closest to that mark when he was still in the Navy team.
• Glen Rice set the record in 1989 for most points scored throughout tournament play for the University of Michigan, with 184. During 23 tournament games, Duke power-forward Christian Laettner scored 407 points. In 1992, his buzzer-beater secured the championship, making him the most famous basketball player of the century. What a career record!
• LMU-Michigan's second-round match in 1990 lacked in defense. However, the two teams combined for 264 points (149-115), the highest score in tournament history.
• The youngest national title-winning head coach held a position at Indiana. As the basketball coach for the Indiana Hoosiers in 1940, the fabulously monikered Branch McCracken was barely out of college. With his team winning another title in 1953, he became the youngest coach to ever win a national title at the age of 31.
• Bob Knight with Indiana and Joe B. Hall with Ohio State were championed as players and coaches, respectively. Knight played for Kansas and later coached Indiana and coached North Carolina, leaving an indelible mark on the basketball world.
• Larry Brown, the former Kansas Jayhawks coach who won the NCAA in 1988 and NBA championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004, is the only coach to claim champion status in both sports.
• Only 35 schools so far have won the top prize in this tournament, which has been running for nearly 80 years.
• The fifth seed has never won a championship. There have only been three teams to rise from that position to the title game, and none of them has won.
• The University of Connecticut has won national championships for men and women in the same year twice now! In 2004 and 2014, the Huskies won the big ten.
• Eight Kentucky championships have been won, and 77 times the University of Kentucky has been invited to the tournament. In addition, there have been 17 Final Four appearances for the Wildcats.
• The most decorated winner is UCLA, with 11 titles. Legendary coach John Wooden earned 10 of these titles while at UCLA, and seven of them came back to back undefeated. From 1967 to 1973, only UCLA topped the ladder.
• March is a month for eating lots of pizza and drinking lots of beer in the U.S. According to a study, it is estimated that there will be between 17-18 million barrels of beer produced in the United States in March, in contrast to the 14 million barrels produced every other month.

Did you know..?

Earn champion status by reading these fun facts about March Madness!

• Head coach Brent Musburger coined the term March Madness while covering the NCAA tournament in 1982. It should be noted that the Illinois High School Boys Basketball Championship claims its name has been in use since 1939. Each party was awarded separate rights to the dual-use trademark due to a court decision.
• A total of around eight teams competed in the first NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held in 1939: it has now reached 68!
• UCLA has won 11 NCAA men's basketball championships in NCAA history, the highest number of title wins in school history. Kentucky holds the second spot with eight titles.
• It is possible you won't win if you gamble on the games. If you're ever lucky, you might even win the lottery in the first round. A perfect bracket can be filled out one in every 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 times after most blocked shots; that is nine quintillion!