BasketBall Information

Ncaa Basketball Tourney Has A Nation Glued
By William
The NCAA Basketball Tournament is one of the most watched and awaited sports fixture in the US. It whips up a frenzy that is incredible. Almost the whole nation turns to basketball when the NCAA tournament starts.

The tourney is conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which lays down the rules for the 1,200-odd participating colleges and university members. Out of the 1,200 colleges and universities, 1,006 are active members and can participate in the NCAA tournament.

These colleges are organized into three divisions. Division I includes those colleges that sponsor at least seven sports each for men and women, or six for men and eight for women, with two team sports for each gender. Division II colleges are those that sponsor at least four sports each for men and women, with two team sports for each gender. Division III, which makes the bottom of the ladder, sponsors at least five sports each for men and women, with two team sports for each gender. The NCAA also lays down how many basketball matches each member is required to play in its Division.

The Division 1 tournament grabs the maximum public attention because the winners of this tournament qualify for what is known as March Madness. NCAA has laid elaborate rules for the selection of 64 women’s teams and 65 men’s teams that qualify for this grand event.

Thirty-one teams, both in men and women’s division, get an automatic entry, because they are the winners of their respective conferences. A selection committee decides the remaining teams, 34 for men and 33 for women. The whole nation waits with bated breath to learn of the names of these teams that are announced on television.

The field of 64 teams is divided into four geographical regions, and seeded according to their performance in the elimination tournament. The team that is seeded one is the best is its group, while the team that is seeded 16 is considered the weakest in that group. Generally, the teams perform according to their seeding. But sometimes, a low-seeded team may create an upset. Such a team then gets to be known as the tourney Cinderella.

The tourney itself is played over a period of three weeks, beginning usually on the third Thursday of March. The first two days have packed schedules, and as many as 32 teams make an exit. The excitement continues over the next two days when the teams are reduced to Sweet 16. A four-day break ensues for the next round that leaves the top four or the Final Four to battle for the crown.

The winners of this grueling tourney are crowned college basketball champions, and become the toast of the nation.

Nba Basketball Shoes Are Much More Than Just Footwear
By William
Whether you’re a serious baller or just practicing your jumper in the driveway, most good stores have got the shoes for you. You should be able to browse through a wide selection of styles and colors to match your game, while giving you the support and comfort you need. So whether you are looking for a little more lift to perfect that alley-oop shot or just working on dribbling the ball down the court, most good stores have what you need to get moving today.

The NBA basketball shoes are more than mere footwear. They are actually a fashion statement. You can be sure that a basketball shoe promoted by the game’s stars will be the most worn shoe that season. Basketball fans wait for shoe giants like Adidas, Nike and Reebok to announce their product line before the NBA season.

Each shoe launch is accompanied by a high voltage campaign. This campaign is run not only on newspaper pages but also on television screens and is plastered on hoardings across the nation. The race is to catch the star of the season, and make him endorse the shoe.

What is interesting is that the basketball players select a shoe according to the position in which they play. The most popular are high-cut shoes because they provide strong ankle support. However, power players who play inside prefer sturdy shoes because of the heavy pounding that their feet take. The perimeter players go for shoes that are light since light shoes help them to move and cut. These fine differences are unlikely to be noticed by fans because NBA rules require that all team players wear shoes that are of the same color.

The basketball shoes of some NBA players get written about because they have their names or numbers stitched on their shoes. Some even write messages on their shoes with markers. But the most unique case is that of Mark Jackson, an ex-Denver Nuggets player. He used to tie his wedding ring into the shoelaces to remind him of his wife and family!

Shoe giants initially used to name shoes after superstars like Michael Jordan. But now Reebok has entered into an agreement with NBA to market a line of NBA-Reebok shoes.
This arrangement, which came into effect in 2002, provides for the manufacture and marketing of two shoes — NBA Master Link and NBA Denial. Both these shoes carry the NBA logo on the tongue, sole, heel and sock liner.