On Wednesday David Letterman's Top Ten List was Top Ten Signs You're Watching Too Much NCAA Basketball. Are you?

"March Madness" at this time of year has nothing to do with Alice in Wonderland and going to the "Big Dance" has nothing to do with a prom date. “March Madness” means only one thing to College Basketball fans, the Annual NCAA Basketball Tournament. When Dr. James Naismith conceived the game of basketball in 1891, he most probably had no idea that basketball would become the phenomenon it is today. The NCAA Basketball Tournament has been an annual event since 1939. The term “March Madness” was originated by the Indiana High School Association for their annual basketball championships. When Chicago-based sports reporter Brent Musberger used the term to describe the NCAA Basketball Tournament in 1982, it became synonymous with the tournament.

How are the 65 teams selected for the tournament? 30 of the teams receive automatic invitations by winning their conference championships. If there are 31 conferences (the number of teams and conferences in Division I can vary from season to season), the champion of the lowest rated conference does not receive an automatic invitation. The remaining 34 teams, named 'at-large' teams, are selected through a quite complex process. The at-large invitations are based on a team's overall record and its RPI (Ratings Percentage Index - see 2008 College Basketball Ratings Percentage Index (RPI)). The selection committee also considers a team's record against top-ranked teams, its record in its last ten games, its record against both conference and non-conference teams, and more. The committee will even take injuries into account. The Opening Round game, (formerly known as the Play-In Game) is the first game of the tournament, played between the two last-seeded (i.e. 64th and 65th) teams. This year the game pitted St. Mary's vs. Coppin State.

The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single elimination tournament. Thus we will see, over three weeks, the field dwindling to the "Sweet Sixteen", the "Elite Eight" and then the "Final Four". Finally, the season’s championship game will be played between the winning teams from the Final Four. The championship game will be on Monday, April 7.

For more information about March Madness, you may wish to try such websites as BBC's March Madness Basketball Tournament, the Official Website of the NCAA, the Bracket History of the 64-Team Big Dance (1985-Present) or Doc's Sports History of March Madness. In addition, you can find several books, some with accompanying DVDs at our library:

How march became madness: how the NCAA tournament became the greatest sporting event in America by Eddie Einhorn with Ron Rapoport.

NCAA March madness: Cinderellas, superstars, and champions from the NCAA Men's Final Four with special commentary by John Wooden and Pete Newell.

A march to madness: the view from the floor in the Atlantic Coast Conference by John Feinstein.

Enjoy the games and may your favorite team win (or at least reach the Final Four)!