History of the NCAA Final FourFinal Four history is an important part of the history of basketball in general, and it is really not going too far to say that it is an important part of the history of the United States. Looking at Final Four history helps us to remember the other significant events that have impacted us over time. You can look back over Final Four History and realize all the major changes that have taken place in such a relatively short period of time.The first Final Four tournament was held in Patton Gym in Evanston, Illinois, a fact that is quite fitting given that March Madness got its own start in Illinois. This was the year after the first National Invitational Tournament and the NCAA along with the National Association of Basketball Coaches joined forces to make Final Four history. The teams in that first tournament were Oregon, Oklahoma, Ohio State, and Villanova. Oregon and Ohio State played for the championship which Oregon won 46-33. Oregon ended the season 29-5. For the first 12 years of Final Four history, the entire tournament would only have 8 teams that would be whittled down to the Final Four. Join the Millions of Americans who bet on Sports, Horses, play Poker and Blackjack at the World's largest online sportsbook and casino, Sportsbook.com! Win $100,000 in their Perfecr Parlay Contest! At the NEW Sportsbook.com Casino, Get Massive Progressive Jackpots and choose from over 120 Games! And always receive a 10% Cash Bonus, 21% Referal Bonus and tons of other great promotions! Join Sportsbook.com Today! The next major advance in Final Four History came in 1951 when the tournament expanded to include 16 teams. The games were played at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, MN. The final four that year consisted of Kentucky, Illinois, Kansas St., and Oklahoma A&M. Kentucky would beat Kansas State 68-58 in the final game and end their season 32-2. This was also the first year that a team, Columbia, would be undefeated at the beginning of the tournament. Columbia lost to Illinois in the first round against Illinois. FINAL FOUR - Saturday, April 5th Memphis Tigers vs UCLA Bruins Betting Odds, 6:05 PM EST CBS North Carolina Tar Heels vs Kansas Jayhawks Betting Odds, 8:45 PM EST CBS Over the years, the bracket grew and expanded. By 1953, the tournament would include 22 teams, 24 teams in 1954, 32 teams in 1957 and so forth until we reach this point in Final Four History. It wasn't until 1985 that the men's division one tournament expanded to its present form with 64 teams. The women's tournament took even longer to catch up to the men; that didn't happen until 1994. It was also in the 90's when most of the teams that dominate Final Four play today began to make history. For example, Coach K led his Duke Blue Devils to the national championship for the first time in 1991 with a team that included college basketball legends Christian Laettner and Grant Hill. --- by Bobby Latrel at 1800-sports.com on February 12, 2006
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