Inside The Brackets As We Get Ready For 2011 March Madness

The first steps on the way to 2011 NCAA March Madness starts with the eagerly anticipated Selection Sunday which takes place on March 13th. This is where the official picks of the college basketball match-ups are announced and then the opening round games take place on March 15th and 16th.

The winner of the National Championship will be determined following the month of basketball skill, effort and determination, culminating in the final four games played on April 2. These final four games will be played at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. This year marks a change to the March Madness line-up with 68 teams participating as opposed to 64.

Selection Sunday is a big day in the sporting calendar

The 68 teams that are participating will be announced at the Selection Sunday event and the teams will also be seeded at this time. This is followed by placing teams into the brackets and the 2011 March Madness will finally start to take shape.

31 of the 68 sports are taken by the winners of the individual conference tournaments and a team from the Ivy League, which does not host a post-season tournament. The remaining 36 teams are selected by a committee, and sometimes seemingly at random.

The First Four get it all underway

The tournament begins with the first four play-in games, known as the First Four. These matches see the eight lowest seeded teams face off with the four winners progressing to the main tournament. This sees 64 teams competing in a single-elimination competition to produce the eventual winner on the final held on 2nd of April.

Much like the opening round of games has its own name, the later rounds have a name specific to the number of teams that remain in the competition. These rounds have the names of Sweet Sixteen, the Elite Eight and the Final Four. Reaching these stages is an achievement in itself but obviously only one team walks away with the ultimate prize, being crowned NCAA champions.

UCLA have the best record at March Madness

UCLA have the best record in the March Madness competition and can boast of being 11 time champions. Their nearest rivals are Kentucky who have 7 victories to their name and Indiana, who have triumphed 5 times. North Carolina and Duke follow next, both having four wins in the NCAA Championships.

In the past 16 years, the number one seed has won every time in the first round and the number two sides have only been defeated on three occasions. Will this year go against the odds?