College basketball most often refers to the American basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions conferences organizations Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III. Division I (or D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States Division II (or DII) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Division III (or DIII) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association of the United States.

Game between the Illinois State Redbirds and the Ball State Cardinals on February 17, 2007, in an ESPN Bracketbuster contest. The Illinois State Redbirds are the athletic teams that represent Illinois State University in Normal Illinois. The Ball State Cardinals Basketball team is the basketball team that represent Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

Conferences

Division I

A map of all NCAA Division I basketball teams.

There are 341 schools in 31 Division I basketball conferences. Division I (or D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States Each conference receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship. The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single elimination Tournament held each spring featuring 65 College basketball teams in the The conferences are as follows:

There are also (as of 2008) nine independent Division I schools without conference affiliation. Member schools There are nine schools with full membership All-Time Conference Membership The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10 is a Mid-major college athletic conference which operates mostly on the United States' eastern seaboard The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. The Atlantic Sun Conference (A-Sun is a college athletic conference which operates primarily on the east coast of the United States The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of twelve schools located mostly in the central United States. The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of seventeen Universities in the northeastern southeastern and midwestern United The Big South Conference is a College athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA ’s Division I. The Big Sky Conference (or BSC) is an intercollegiate College athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA ’s Division I, with football The Big West Conference ( BWC) is an NCAA -affiliated Division I major college athletic conference that formerly sponsored Division I-A (now known as Division I FBS The Colonial Athletic Association, also known as the CAA, is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located in East Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. Membership Former members History Foundation In May 1978 DePaul University hosted a meeting with Bradley Dayton Detroit The Ivy League is an Athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. Member Institutions The MAAC has ten Member Institutions Associate Member Institutions Men's Lacrosse Mount Saint Mary's The Mid-American Conference ( MAC) is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA Division I college athletic conference with a membership The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC is a Collegiate athletic conference of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs in the Southeastern Membership Affiliate members Eastern Illinois University (men's soccer not sponsored by the Ohio Valley Conference) The Mountain West Conference (or MWC) the youngest of the College athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA ’s Division I FBS (I-A officially The Northeast Conference (NEC is a College athletic conference whose schools are members of the NCAA The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC is a college athletic conference which operates in the midwestern and southeastern United States. The Pacific-10 Conference ( Pac-10) is a college athletic conference which operates in the western United States. The Patriot League is a College athletic conference which operates in the Northeastern United States. The Southeastern Conference (SEC is a College Athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which operates in the southeastern The Southern Conference (or SoCon) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA 's Division I The Southland Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the south central United States. "Southwestern Conference" redirects here For the former major conference in Texas and Arkansas see Southwest Conference; for the Ohio High School Conference The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA 's Division I since 1976. Membership Associate members Eastern Illinois University (November 3 2005 - swimming and diving Former members Current members Former members University of the Pacific (1952-1971 San Jose State University (1952-1969 The Western Athletic Conference (commonly referred to as the WAC, pronounced "wack" was formed on July 27 1962 making it the sixth oldest of the 11 College NCAA Division I independent basketball schools are four-year institutions that do not belong to a basketball conference

Division II

A map of all NCAA Division II basketball teams.

There are 23 Division II basketball conferences. Division II (or DII) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The conferences are as follows:

Relationship to professional basketball

In past decades, the NBA held to tradition and drafted players who had graduated from college. Member schools Sports The CACC sponsors intercollegiate athletic competition in men's Baseball, men’s and women’s Basketball, men’s History The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, founded on the campus of Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in 1912 is the oldest African-American Member schools Sports Conference Carolinas sponsors intercollegiate athletic competition in men's and women's Swimming, men’s Baseball History The East Coast Conference was founded in 1989 as the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference Current members Associate Members Former Members Sports The GLIAC sponsors intercollegiate athletic competition Membership Member schools The league currently has 9 full members Football Memberships Central Washington University - North Central Conference Conference History Originally known as the Mid-South Conference, the GSC was formed by six universities in the summer of 1970 Delta State, Florence State (now Member schools The Heartland Conference included the following schools for the 2005-2006 school year Sports The Heartland Conference sponsors 13 sports 7 for Current members Teams Abilene Christian Wildcats Angelo State Rams Cameron Aggies Member schools Former members Between 1912 and 1924 several other private colleges were members of the conference Central Wesleyan College Missouri History The NCC was formed in 1922 Charter members of the NCC were South Dakota State University, College of St Membership Current members Former Members Conference Facilities President's Cup Champions Sports Member schools History The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference was founded in 1932 Since 1932 16 institutions have competed in the NSIC Current members The league currently has 8 full members New Pacific West Conference Hawai’i Pacific University along with the three other Division II schools in Current members The league currently has 11 full members Expansion The conference announced on June 18, 2007, that it had invited three private universities to join the conference Charter Members University of Colorado at Boulder (left 1938 to form the Mountain States Conference) Colorado State University Member schools Conference Stadia Conference sports Conference member schools Current members Former members Conference Stadia Championships Membership Current members Former Members Conference Facilities National Championships The Sunshine State Conference History The conference rates as one of the oldest in intercollegiate athletics dating back to its founding in 1924 by the West Virginia Department of Education This was a mutually beneficial relationship for the NBA and colleges—the colleges held onto players who would otherwise go professional, and the NBA did not have to fund a minor league. As the college game became commercialized, though, it became increasingly difficult for "student athletes" to be students. Specifically, a growing number of poor, under-educated, highly talented teenage basketball players found the system exploitative—they brought in funds to schools where they learned little and played without income.

The American Basketball Association began to employ players whose college classes had not yet graduated. The American Basketball Association ( ABA) was a professional Basketball league founded in 1967, and eventually merged in part with the National After a season of junior college, a season at the University of Detroit, and an Olympic gold medal, Spencer Haywood played the 1969-70 season with the ABA's Denver Rockets. The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries University of Detroit Mercy (UDM is a Comprehensive university in Detroit Michigan, United States, created in 1990 The United States, coached by Henry Iba of Oklahoma State University, went 9-0 Spencer Haywood (born April 22 1949, in Silver City Mississippi) is a retired American professional Basketball player Denver Rockets were a charter member of the American Basketball Association. He signed with the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics in 1970, before his college class graduation, defying NBA rules. The Seattle SuperSonics (also called the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional Basketball team based in Seattle Washington that played Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Haywood pleaded that, as his family's sole wage earner, he should be allowed to earn a living in the NBA or else his family would face destitution. The ensuing legal battle went to the U.S. Supreme Court which ruled in 1971 that the NBA does not have the same antitrust exemption enjoyed by Major League Baseball. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the federal judiciary. Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. Thereafter, collegiate players demonstrating economic hardship were allowed early entry into the NBA Draft. The NBA Draft is an annual North American event in which the National Basketball Association 's (NBA thirty teams (29 in the United States and one in The hardship requirement was eliminated in 1976. Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

In 1974, Moses Malone joined the Utah Stars of the ABA (now merged with the NBA) straight out of high school and went on to a Hall of Fame career. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. Moses Eugene Malone (born March 23 1955 in Petersburg Virginia) is an American former National Basketball Association (NBA Basketball player who This page is about the American Basketball Association (ABA team The American Basketball Association ( ABA) was a professional Basketball league founded in 1967, and eventually merged in part with the National The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in downtown Springfield Massachusetts, honors players who have shown exceptional skill at Basketball The past 30 years have seen a remarkable change in the college game. The best international players routinely skip college entirely, many American stars skip college (Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Amare Stoudemire and LeBron James) or only play one year (Carmelo Anthony), and only a dozen or so college graduates are now among the 60 players selected in the annual NBA Draft. Kevin Maurice Garnett (born May 19, 1976 in Mauldin, South Carolina) is an American professional Basketball player Kobe Bean Bryant (born) is an American All-Star Shooting guard Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr (born May 24 1979 in Bartow Florida) is an American professional Basketball player currently positioned at starting LeBron Raymone James (born December 30 1984 in Akron Ohio) is an American professional Basketball player who plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers of Carmelo Kiyan Anthony (born May 29 1984 is an American professional Basketball player for the Denver Nuggets, of the National Basketball Association The NBA Draft is an annual North American event in which the National Basketball Association 's (NBA thirty teams (29 in the United States and one in Fewer high schoolers will progress directly to the NBA without at least one year of college basketball beginning in 2006; citing maturity concerns after several incidents involving young players, the labor agreement between players and owners now specifies that players must turn 19 years of age during the calendar year of the draft to be eligible. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Additionally, U. S. players must be at least one year removed from their high school graduation.

The pervasiveness of college basketball throughout the nation, the large population of graduates from "major conference" universities, and the NCAA's marketing of "March Madness" (officially the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship), have kept the college game alive and well. The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single elimination Tournament held each spring featuring 65 College basketball teams in the Some commentators have argued that the higher turnover of players has increased the importance of good coaches. Many teams have been highly successful, for instance, by emphasizing personality in their recruiting efforts, with the goal of creating a cohesive group that, while lacking stars, plays together for all 4 years and thus develops a higher level of sophistication than less stable teams could achieve.

Distinctions with NBA play

The NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee, consisting of coaches from all three divisions of the NCAA, sets the rules for college men's basketball play. Although many of the NBA rules apply in NCAA play, there are differences that make NCAA play unique. ^[1]

An NCAA game is divided into two halves, each 20 minutes long, while NBA games are played in four quarters of 12 minutes each. The NCAA shot clock gives a team 35 seconds to shoot while the NBA's shot lock gives teams 24 seconds. A shot clock is used in some sports to quicken the pace of the game Also, NCAA teams are allowed ten seconds to move the ball past half court, while NBA rules allow only eight. In Basketball, the basketball court is the playing surface consisting of a rectangular floor with baskets at either end

Though the height of the basket, the foul line's distance from the backboard, and the court dimensions are the same, the distance between the three point line and the backboard is different. The NBA three point line measures 23 feet 9 inches (7. 2 m), or 22 feet (6. 7 m) in the corners. On the NCAA court, the three point line is a constant 19 feet 9 inches (6. 0 m), although the NCAA Rules Committee voted in May 2007 to extend it a foot more to 20 feet 9 inches (6. 3 m), which will become effective from the 2008–09 season. ^[2] The NCAA lane measures 12 feet (3. 7 m) in width, while the NBA lane is 16 feet (4. 9 m).

NCAA players are allowed five personal fouls before fouling out, as opposed to their NBA counterparts, who are allowed six. In Basketball, a personal foul is a breach of the rules that concerns illegal personal contact with an opponent The number of team fouls alotted is also different. In both NBA and NCAA games, team fouls can be categorized as shooting or non-shooting. A shooting foul occurs when a player gets fouled in the act of shooting, giving him the chance to shoot free throws. Main article Basketball moves In Basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted A non-shooting foul consists of all other fouls, including making contact with the opposing player while "reaching in" to steal the ball.

A team may make a certain number of non-shooting fouls per period before the opposing team is awarded free throws. In the NBA, the fifth team foul in a quarter places the team in penalty. For every foul after the fifth, whether it's shooting or non-shooting, gives the opposing team two free throws. In the NCAA, the penalty begins after the seventh team foul in a half. However, the fouled player must make the first free throw in order to get the second. This is called a "one and one" or "one and the bonus" situation. After the tenth team foul, the "double bonus" situation comes into play, meaning that every subsequent team foul results in two free throws for the opposing team.

When a dispute over ball possession arises, the jump ball is used in the NBA. A jump ball is a method used to begin or resume play in Basketball. In the NCAA, no jump ball occurs after the opening tip. Since 1981, a possession arrow on the scorer's table has dictated which team should possess the ball, with the arrow switching directions after each use.

In addition, the NBA limits what types of defense a team can play, primarily in an effort to prevent coaches from slowing down the pace of the game by using zone defenses. Zone defense is a type of defense used in Sports which is the alternative to Man-to-man defense; instead of each player guarding a corresponding player on the In NCAA basketball, no such rules exist, and coaches are free to design a variety of defensive techniques.

Other divisions

While less commercialized than Division I, Division II and Division III are both highly successful college basketball organizations. Division II (or DII) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Division III (or DIII) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association of the United States. Women's Division I is often televised, but to smaller audiences than Men's Division I. Generally, small colleges join Division II, while colleges of all sizes that choose not to offer athletic scholarships join Division III. D-II and D-III games, understandably, are almost never televised, although CBS televises the Championship Final of Division II, while CBS College Sports Network televises the semifinals as well as the Division III Final. CBS College Sports Network (usually promoted with the "Network" portion excised from the branding is a multimedia network and the first dedicated exclusively to

The NAIA also sponsors men and women's college level basketball. The NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship has been held annually since 1937 (with the exception of 1944), when it was established by James Naismith to crown a national champion for smaller colleges and universities. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men's Basketball National Championship has been held annually since 1937 (with the exception of 1944 James A Naismith (November 6 Unlike the NCAA Tournament, the NAIA Tournament features only 32 teams, and the entire tournament is contested in one week instead of three weekends. The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions conferences organizations The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single elimination Tournament held each spring featuring 65 College basketball teams in the Since 2002 the NAIA National Tournament has been played in Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. Municipal Auditorium is a large multi-purpose facility in Kansas City Missouri with three halls The Arena Music Hall and Little Theatre Kansas City Missouri only Items for the metro area Kansas City Kansas or North Kansas City MO should go on their respective pages (From 1994-2001 it was held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and from 1937-1993 it was held at Municipal then Kemper Arena in Kansas City). Kemper Arena American Royal Center is a 19500 seat indoor arena in Kansas City Missouri, USA that has hosted NCAA Final Four Basketball

Since 1992, the NAIA has sponsored a Division II championship, similar to the NCAA Division I and II.

The only school to have won national titles in both the NAIA and NCAA Division I is Louisville; the Cardinals have also won the NIT title. The Louisville Cardinals basketball team is the 18th winningest College basketball team in NCAA Division I history and has the 11th best winning percentage in college The National Invitation Tournament (NIT is a men's college Basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Southern Illinois has won NAIA and NIT titles. The Southern Illinois Salukis basketball team represents Southern Illinois University Carbondale in Carbondale, Illinois. Central Missouri and Fort Hays State have won NAIA and NCAA Division II national titles. The sports teams at the University of Central Missouri are known as the Mules (men and Jennies (women Fort Hays State University (FHSU is a public Co-educational University located in Hays, Kansas.

See also

• NCAA Men's Division I all-time wins and losses
• NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
• NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament all-time team records
• NCAA Men's Division I Tournament Bids By School and Conference
• NCAA Men's Division I Final Four appearances by school
• NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship
• NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship
• NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship
• NCAA Men's Division III Basketball Championship
• NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship
• NAIA
• NAIA Men's Basketball Championship
• NAIA Women's Basketball Championship
• College football
• College hockey
• Black participation in college basketball

References

External links

• NCAA Basketball Statistics
• NAIA Men's Basketball
• Statistics and Analysis
• College Basketball & Sport Rankings
• CHN College Basketball
• Division II Basketball
• Pistol Pete Maravich Video and Film Clips from LSU
• Division III Basketball
• Hoops Writers College Basketball