March Madness in sports started with high school boys basketball in Illinois. It reached the college men’s basketball with the frenetic pace, close scores, final-second, game-winning shots, and excellent play.
March Madness has become larger than men’s college basketball. We add women’s and girls basketball, baseball Spring training with anticipation, and Winter sports decisions for playoff teams in professional basketball and professional ice hockey. The term March Madness fits all of the sports in this month for various sports, levels, and games. We enjoy!
Major League Baseball will make the transition to begin its regular season April 7.
To give college basketball its March Madness due, we offer the status of men’s and women’s Big Ten Conference situations in the NCAA (National Collegiate Conference Athletic Association.
• First, however, Elmhurst University in DuPage County and in the CCIW (Collegiate Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) deserves a salute for capturing second place in the Division III men’s basketball tournament. Elmhurst, ironically, took third place in the CCIW men’s nine-team conference standings. Illinois Wesleyan won the Conference championship with a 14-2 record followed by Wheaton, 12-4, and Elmhurst, 11-5. North Central College was in fourth place, 10-6.
Elmhurst won five games in the 64-game tournament to advance to the Division III championship game in Fort Wayne, Ind.. The Bluejays defeated, in order, Washington & Jefferson University, Pamona-Pitzer, Calvin, Mary Hardin-Baylor, and Wabash College to reach the championship game. Two Elmhurst victories were by three points or fewer and the semifinal victory against Wabash was 90-68. In a stunning reversal in the championship game Saturday, March 19, Randolph-Macon won by 95-45. Nonetheless, second place in any national competition is a wonderful accomplishment.
• University of Illinois, Loyola, and Notre Dame failed to move past the second round of the men’s Division I basketball tournament, however, in the near future their seasons will become more fulfilling. Many good teams are called and failed to defeat other good teams. Illinois met its match against an excellent Houston team. Houston moved better, rebounded well, and played hard-nosed, excellent, defense. Wait until next year.
• The men’s Big Ten teams in basketball will have two teams in the Sweet Sixteen Thursday and Friday this week, Michigan and Purdue. See the brackets on the back page for the 68-team tournament field. The men will reach the Final Four following games Sunday, March 27.
• The women’s teams in the Big Ten Conference will have four teams in the Sweet Sixteen, Friday and Saturday, Michigan again, Maryland, Ohio State, and Indiana. The Notre Dame women are in the Sweet Sixteen. The women will reach the final Four following games Monday, March 28.
• Final Four is the focus in the listing on page 10 of the schools in Illinois which have qualified for the Final Four. Men’s college basketball teams have risen a huge distance since the first NCAA Division tournament in Patten Gym on the campus of Northwestern University in 1939. Two weekends of games remain prior to determining champions. Enjoy!