- Any fan lucky enough to have attended the 2008 NCAA Basketball championship got to be a part of a memorable college basketball experience
- Anything can happen during the college basketball conference tournaments and NCAA basketball championship tournaments
Working at a company that produces electronic basketball scoreboards, Electro-Mech employees, most of us fans (and some fanatics) understand the importance of sports reporting. That’s why we make sure follow all the latest basketball news, trends, scandals and, of course, the games, as this article details on college basketball. It is our passion and pleasure to share our knowledge and expertise with you on our favorite sports. Just read on and find out for yourself!
There are several great college basketball tournaments held every year, mainly at the beginning and at end of the college seasons. There are early season holiday basketball tournaments, end of the season conference tournaments, and of course the biggest college basketball tournament of all, the NCAA Championship Tournament.
Holiday tournaments are held early in the college basketball season and can involve multiple conferences. One such tournament is the ECAC Holiday Tournament held at Madison Square Garden. This tournament is classified as an invitational tournament meaning the teams are invited to play in the tournament rather than earning their way in with victories. It combined teams of both the Big East and Conference USA. Most of these early season tournaments are used by coaches to gauge the ability of their teams before beginning conference play.
For fans of college basketball, the tournaments that everyone looks forward to all season long are the conference championship tournaments and the national championship tournament. After a grueling regular season, each of the major Division 1 conferences has a tournament to determine the winner of each. The conference winners, 32 in all, advance to the national championship tournament. The rules of each conference tournament differ as to how many teams qualify but they usually run about three rounds in length.
The major conferences, such as the ACC and the Big East, have some of the most competitive conference tournaments in the nation. The Big East tournament is one of the best since this conference had multiple teams in the top twenty at the end of the 2008 college basketball regular season. After a grueling tournament, the University of Pittsburgh defeated Georgetown University earning the conference’s automatic bid.
However the biggest college basketball tournament of 2008 and any year for that matter is the NCAA Championship tournament held in March. This tournament combines the 32 conference winners with an additional 32 teams that are selected by a committee. Every year, some of the most memorable college basketball games take place during this tournament. The 2008 tournament was no different as there were several thrilling games that went down to the wire during the tournament. The championship game was no different as Kansas defeated Memphis in overtime. Kansas forward Mario Chalmers hit the game tying three-point shot with just a few seconds left and a Memphis defender all over him. Kansas then went on to defeat the Memphis Tigers in overtime to claim the 2008 NCAA Men’s Basketball championship.
The numerous conference tournaments and national championship tournament serve as college basketball’s postseason. These games are some of the most exciting basketball games of the year and keep fans riveted to the edge of their seat. Fans have every March to look forward to some of the most exhilarating basketball on the planet.