The Big Dance: The Story of the NCAA Basketball Tournament

Barry Wilner · Ken Rappoport

Feb 2012 · Taylor Trade Publications

About this ebook

Covered by four networks, allowing every game to be televised, “March Madness” has become an American phenomenon as anticipated as the Super Bowl. This is the story of the tournament from its beginnings seventy-three years ago as just an eight-team “bracket” to today’s sixty-eight-team format. From the “Cinderella” teams like Butler and Gonzaga to perennial powerhouses such as UCLA and Kentucky, covering buzzer-beaters, upsets, and dynasties, the story of one of the most-followed sporting events in history is comprehensively told here.

Ratings and reviews

I've been an avid college basketball fan for over 40 years. College basketball is far and away my family's favorite sport and March is our favorite time of year. This book brought a lot of fond memories back to mind. Overall, though, I found the writing juvenile with no real depth of development for any of the games described. Maybe I was expecting more or just indoctrinated with the quality of reading Sports Illustrated.

About the author

Barry Wilner has been a sports writer for the Associated Presssince 1975. He has covered virtually every major sporting event, including twelve Olympics, nine World Cups, twenty-six Super Bowls, the World Series, and the Stanley Cup finals, and has written thirty-nine books. He lives in Garnerville, N.Y.

Ken Rappoport is the author of more than fifty sports books for adults and young readers, including The Little League That Could for Taylor Trade Publishing. Working for the Associated Press in New York for thirty years, he has written about every major sport. His assignments included the World Series, the NBA Finals, and, as the AP’s national hockey writer, the Stanley Cup Finals and the Olympics.