It’s almost tourney time! Even though it may look different this year due to Covid, it is still going to be just as exciting. Some of you may be wondering what exactly do I mean by tourney time? The largest NCAA basketball tournament in the U.S. takes place every March. It is also known as the Dance. The top teams from all over compete in an elimination-style, six-round national championship tournament with everyone setting their hopes on being one of the last four teams.
It all starts this Sunday, March 14th at 6 pm when the NCAA reveals who’s been selected to be in the tournament. Teams will be eagerly awaiting to see who gets selected. Last year the tournament was canceled for the first time in 82 years due to Covid. So many players, fans, vendors, and spectators were disappointed.
Are you ready for the Dance?
There are two ways that a team can earn a bid to the NCAA tournament. The 32 Division I conferences all receive an automatic bid, which they each award to the team that wins the postseason conference tournament. Regardless of how a team performed during the regular season, if they are eligible for postseason play and win their conference tournament, they receive a bid to the NCAA tournament. These teams are known as automatic qualifiers. –-Andy Katz
The second way to get an invitation is an at-large bid. The selection committee meets up on Sunday, after all regular season and conference tournament games are played, and agrees on which 36 teams deserve an invitation to the tournament. 68 teams in total will participate in this tournament.
Our family loves basketball and looks forward to the tournament every year. All three of my kids and the hubby play basketball and are super excited to see which four teams make it to the final weekend. Once they announce the selections, we will get our brackets ready and plan our game night festivities. The best part for me is the snacks!!!
Ways to Enjoy the Dance
- Fill out your tournament brackets via Zoom with friends and family.
- Set up an inflatable movie screen, call some friends, grab some snacks and watch the games outside.
- Dress up in your favorite NCAA paraphernalia and stream games online.
FYI! All tournament games will be televised on either TBS, TNT, TruTV, or CBS. You can also stream every game here.
Miami Mom Collective is not an official sponsor of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
