1. What team are you cheering for?
MARCH MAYHEM
Opening Round Tips Off Tuesday, March 17, 2009
What team are you cheering for?

4. Which teams will make it into the tournament?
CBS will televise the men’s selection show at 6 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, March 15th.
Then, print off brackets and schedules from NCAAsports.com to make your picks and see when your team is playing!
From there, we will keep track of which teams are still in the tournament and how that affects participation in the March Madness Exercise Program!

5. The Final Four THEN
1939 – The first national collegiate men’s basketball tournament was held comprised of 8 teams from different regions of the country.
1946 – The championship game was televised locally in New York City by CBS-TV with only 500,000 viewers.
1963 – The “Sports Network” was selected to air the championship game as television rights totaled $140,000.
1969 – NBC was selected to air the championship game as television rights totaled $547,000. The tournament’s net income of $1,032,915 was the first time above the million dollar mark.

6. The Final Four NOW
1979 – 18 million households viewed the Michigan State championship victory over Indiana State, which is still ranked 3rd in viewings.
1991 – the NCAA and CBS agreed upon a
7-year, $1 billion contract to own all media rights to the tournament.
1999 – the NCAA and CBS agreed upon another contract of $6 billion for the next 11 years of media rights.
2000 – the tournament expanded to 65 teams.

7. Indiana Teams to Make it to the “Big Dance”
IU wins over Kansas
IU wins over Kansas 69-68
Purdue loses to UCLA 92-72
IU wins over Michigan 86-68
1979 – Indiana St. loses to Michigan St.75-64
1981 – IU wins over North Carolina 63-50
1987 – IU wins over Syracuse 74-73
2002 – IU loses to Maryland 64-52

8. This Years “Final Four”
Ford Field in Detroit Michigan is hosting the Men’s 2009 Final Four.
The Scottrade Center in St. Louis Missouri is hosting the Women’s 2009 Final Four
The games begin on April 4th and the championship game will be on April 7th.
**Just a side note: Lucas Oil Stadium will be hosting the 2010 Final Four Tournament right here in Indianapolis!**