The 2024 March Madness, also known as the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I men's basketball tournament, will be held at Glendale, Arizona's State Farm Stadium, from March 19, 2024, to April 8, 2024. In order to select the NCAA Division I men's college basketball national champion for the 2023–24 season, 68 teams will compete in a single-elimination tournament.
Oregon, the first-ever NCAA tournament winner, emerged victorious in 1939 out of eight teams that competed in the first NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. There were 16 teams in 1951; 32 in 1975; 64 in 1985; 65 in 2001; and 68 in 2011. The number of participating teams grew over time. Three more games were added to the First Four in 2011, making it the first-ever round of competition.
In 1939, an Illinois high school official named Henry V. Porter coined the term "March Madness" for basketball. March Madness and the NCAA tournament weren't associated until Brent Musberger used the term during the 1982 tournament. One Shining Moment, the March Madness anthem, made its premiere following the 1987 NCAA men's basketball tournament.
Teams Start March Madness
March Madness, in its current format, starts with 68 teams. To be eligible to compete in the entire 64-team bracket, eight teams will compete in the "First Four" games. A combination of at-large bigs and automatic qualifiers make up the teams in the bracket.
The selection committee chooses the at-large teams, while the winners of their respective conferences or conference tournaments are the automatic qualifiers. The committee employs a range of statistics and criteria to choose the at-large teams.
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How many teams are in March Madness?
On Selection Sunday, March 17, 2024, the 68-team field, their seeds, and the brackets for the NCAA Tournament will be revealed by the NCAA selection committee. The 2023-24 March Madness team will be updated soon.
The 68 teams that participated last year are as follows:
Houston Cougars
Alabama Crimson Tide
Purdue Boilermakers
Kansas Jayhawks
Texas Longhorns
Marquette Golden Eagles
Gonzaga Bulldogs
UCLA Bruins
UConn Huskies
Arizona Wildcats
Baylor Bears
Xavier Musketeers
Kansas State Wildcats
Duke Blue Devils
San Diego State Aztecs
Indiana Hoosiers
Miami Hurricanes
Texas A&M Aggies
Tennessee Volunteers
Virginia Cavaliers
FAU Owls
TCU Horned Frogs
Creighton Bluejays
Kentucky Wildcats
Saint Mary’s Gaels
Maryland Terrapins
Northwestern Wildcats
Iowa State Cyclones
Utah State Aggies
Memphis Tigers
Arkansas Razorbacks
Penn State Nittany Lions
Michigan State Spartans
Oral Roberts Golden Eagles
Illinois Fighting Illini
Iowa Hawkeyes
VCU Rams
Charleston Cougars
Missouri Tigers
West Virginia Mountaineers
Boise State Broncos
USC Trojans
Providence Friars
Nevada Wolf Pack
NC State Wolfpack
Auburn Tigers
Pittsburgh Panthers
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Arizona State Sun Devils
Kent State Golden Flashes
Drake Bulldogs
Iona Gaels
Vermont Catamounts
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos
Grand Canyon Lopes
Colgate Raiders
Furman Paladins
Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
Princeton Tigers
Kennesaw State Owls
UNC Asheville Bulldogs
Montana State Bobcats
Northern Kentucky Norse
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders
Southeast Missouri State Redhawks
Howard Bison
Fairleigh Dickinson Knights
Texas Southern Tigers
FAQ's on How many teams start March Madness?
A. March Madness starts with 68 teams, with eight teams participating in the "First Four" before the main 64-team bracket.
A. March Madness features 68 teams. The 2023–24 teams will be revealed on Selection Sunday, March 17, 2024.
A. The 2024 March Madness is from March 19 to April 8 at Glendale, Arizona's State Farm Stadium.
A. March Madness began in 1939 with eight teams. It expanded over the years, reaching 68 teams in 2011.
A. Henry V. Porter coined "March Madness" in 1939. It became linked with the NCAA tournament in 1982 during Brent Musberger's coverage.
