Author: kI8Qp6HX0lW42b4RCh1I (Page 16 of 19)

For sports fans, there may be no better four-day stretch during the year than the opening weekend of March Madness. Millions of Americans participate in office pools during the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. For those in charge of running these pools, keeping track of all the participants and their scores can be extremely difficult. Now, an NCAA office pool worksheet is available to do the work for you.

NCAA Office Pool: Tracking the Action

The March Madness field is comprised of 68 teams and a total of 67 games will be played to crown a national champion. The second and third round of the tournament consists of 48 games over a four-day stretch, with 16 games apiece on Thursday and Friday, and eight games apiece on Saturday and Sunday.

Documenting all the action can be a nightmare for those running a March Madness office pool, especially if there are a large number of participants. That’s why an NCAA office pool worksheet can substantially ease the burden placed on those responsible for tracking the action.

NCAA Office Pool: Using the Worksheet

The March Madness office pool worksheet is easy to use and understand. The first step is to determine how many points each victory in the respective rounds will be worth. Some will award only one point for each victory throughout the tournament, while others will use a weighted system that either rewards upsets or victories by teams that advance deep in the tournament.

Next, it’s time to put in the schools who will be playing against each other and when. This may initially appear to be a daunting task, but it will save so much time in the long run because results and point totals will automatically be calculated following the conclusion of games.

Finally, it’s time to put the players in the March Madness office pool and their picks in the worksheet. The worksheet will automatically keep track of their predictions, what percentage of their predictions are correct and how many cumulative points they have earned.

March Madness is a time for sports fans that is supposed to be enjoyed. With the office pool worksheet, you can enjoy all the action AND keep track of your March Madness pool at the same time.

Download: NCAA Office Pool

The National Invitational Tournament, otherwise known as the NIT Tournament, is a postseason college basketball event that began in the 1930s. The current version of the NIT involves 32 teams, with the final four advancing to play at Madison Square Garden in New York. The opening round of the NIT in 2013 will begin on Tuesday, March 19th. The championship game will take place on Thursday, April 4th.

History of the NIT Tournament

The postseason NIT began in 1938, which is a year before the NCAA men’s basketball tournament started. The inaugural NIT had only six teams and Temple beat Colorado in the first championship game. The NIT bracket has expanded from six to eight, to 12, to 14, to 16, to 24, to 32 and to 40 teams during its existence. Forty teams were involved from 2002-2006 before it went back to 32 teams, which is slightly less than half of the NCAA Tournament field.

The Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association was in control of the NIT until it was purchased by the NCAA in 2005. The NCAA bought the rights to the tournament for 10 years in an antitrust lawsuit settlement. The NCAA paid MIBA over $56-million for the rights to the NIT.

No school has run through the NIT bracket for the championship more than St. John’s. The New York-based school has won a record six championships and appeared in the NIT Tournament a record 16 times. The Bradley Braves have appeared in the NIT eight times and won four titles. Dayton and Michigan have won three NIT championships apiece.

Stigma of the NIT Tournament

For several reasons, the NIT is often viewed as far less important than the NCAA Tournament. One reason is because teams are sometimes reluctant to accept invitations to the NIT after being passed over for the NCAA Tournament. The NIT has also garnered such nicknames as the “Not Important Tournament” and “No Important Team.”

Preseason NIT Tournament

In addition to the postseason NIT, the preseason NIT has been in existence since 1985. The event was renamed the “NIT Season Tip-Off” after the NCAA bought the rights in 2005. Duke won the inaugural tournament in ’85. Others who have rolled through the NIT bracket include Syracuse, Arizona, Kansas, North Carolina, Butler, and most recently, Michigan.

Download: NIT Basketball Tournament

The SEC basketball tournament is one of the longest-running men’s hoops tournaments in the United States. The first round of the 2013 SEC basketball tournament will get underway on Wednesday, March 12th in Nashville, Tennessee. The championship game will be held on Sunday, March 16th, which is the same day the field for the NCAA Tournament will be revealed.

History of the SEC Basketball Tournament

The first SEC basketball tournament was held in Atlanta, Georgia in 1933. Kentucky defeated Mississippi State, 46-27, in the inaugural SEC basketball championship game at the Atlanta Athletic Club. It was the first of a conference-high 27 tournament championships for the Wildcats, who last captured the tournament crown in 2011.

There was a 25-year lull in the event, as the tournament was abandoned in favor of a round robin schedule from 1951-1978. The tournament did return in 1979, with Tennessee outlasting Kentucky in overtime.

Alabama has the second-most tournament championship victories with six, but its last title came in 1991. In 2012, Vanderbilt defeated Kentucky to win its second tournament title. The winner of the current SEC basketball tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

When the SEC tournament resumed in ’79, the conference began handing out Most Valuable Player awards. Kentucky’s Kyle Macy took home the first honor. Other notable players to be named SEC Tournament MVP include Dominique Wilkins, Charles Barkley, Chuck Person, Allan Houston, Jamal Mashburn, Tayshaun Prince, Al Horford and John Wall.

Women’s SEC Basketball Tournament

The women’s SEC Tournament was created in 1980. In that year, Tennessee took down Ole Miss, 85-71, in the inaugural championship game in Knoxville. The Volunteers have won 16 SEC Tournament titles, including three straight from 2010-12. Vanderbilt is second with six tournament titles.

The women’s 2014 SEC Basketball Tournament will begin Wednesday, March 5th at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia.

Download: SEC Basketball Tournament

The 2014 Big East basketball tournament will begin on Wednesday, March 12th at Madison Square Garden in New York. The championship game will take place Saturday night, March 15th, which is a day before “Selection Sunday” for the NCAA Tournament.

History of the Big East Basketball Tournament

The first Big East tournament took place at the Providence Civic Center in 1980. That year, Craig Shelton led Georgetown to an 87-81 win over Syracuse in the inaugural championship game. The Hoyas went on to win six of the first 10 Big East basketball championship games.

Georgetown and Connecticut have each won a conference-best seven Big East tournament championships. Syracuse sits alone in second place with five titles. St. John’s has won three. Louisville defeated Cincinnati in the 2012 championship game to earn its second title. The winner of the tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Future basketball Hall of Famers Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin are among those who have been named Most Valuable Player of the Big East tournament. Other MVP’s include Alonzo Mourning, Kerry Kittles, Caron Butler, Ben Gordon, Jeff Green and Kemba Walker.

Longtime Big East powers Pitt and Syracuse left the conference for the ACC after 2013. UConn also bolted for the American conference.

Women’s Big East Basketball Tournament

The women’s Big East basketball tournament was created in 1983. That year, St. John’s knocked off Providence, 74-63, in the inaugural championship game. St. John’s won the first two Big East championship games and three of the first six, but hasn’t won the tournament since 1988.

Connecticut has won an astounding 19 of the 29 tournaments since ’83. After winning five straight and seven-of-eight tournament titles, UConn was beaten by Notre Dame in the finals in 2013.

Villanova has three overall titles, while Miami has won two.

Download: Big East Basketball Tournament

The ACC basketball tournament is one of the longest-running postseason events in all of men’s hoops. The opening round of the 2013 ACC basketball tournament will begin on Wednesday, March 12th in Greensboro, North Carolina. The ACC tournament bracket championship game will be held on Sunday, March 17th, which is the same day the NCAA Tournament field will be announced.

History of the ACC Basketball Tournament

The first ACC tournament took place in 1954. North Carolina State needed overtime to outlast Wake Forest, 82-80, in Raleigh, North Carolina in the inaugural championship game. NC State went on to win the first three tournaments, with a win over Duke sandwiched between victories over Wake.

Unlike the majority of conferences, the winner of the ACC tournament bracket is declared the conference championship. There has not been a “regular season” ACC champion since the conference instituted the policy after the 1961 season.

Since joining the conference in 1953, Duke has racked up a record 19 ACC basketball championships. The Blue Devils have won nine championships since 2000 alone. The rival North Carolina Tar Heels are right behind Duke with 17 titles. NC State has won 10. Miami beat North Carolina to win the championship in 2013.

A number of future NBA stars have been named Most Valuable Player of the ACC basketball tournament. James Worthy, Mark Price, Christian Laettner, Tim Duncan, Elton Brand, Shane Battier and Carlos Boozer are just a few of the future NBA stars. Former Duke guard J.J. Redick is among the players who have won the MVP award twice.

Women’s ACC Basketball Tournament

The women’s version of the ACC tournament bracket has been around since 1978. The Maryland Terrapins won the inaugural tournament and have collected a league-high 10 ACC basketball championships overall. North Carolina is right behind with nine titles, while Duke has captured eight.

Download: ACC Basketball Tournament