Question
Fred Bowen is a sports writer. In this text, he writes about the National Collegiate Athletic
Association (NCAA) men's basketball tournament also known as "March Madness."
As you read, identify evidence that demonstrates the author’s point of view.
Some call it “March Madness.” Others call it
“The Big Dance.” Regardless of what you call it,
the National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) men’s basketball tournament draws
millions of viewers every year.
Across the country, sixty-eight teams compete
over three weeks and play in a total of 67
games. In addition to the millions of fans who
tune in, millions more fill out their “brackets”
trying to predict the winners of the games.
But the NCAA men’s tournament has not
always been the phenomenon it is today.
When the tournament was first played with
eight teams in 1939, not much set it apart
from the National Invitation Tournament (NIT)
founded a year before. Though it is now
widely regarded as a second-tier tournament,
the NIT was once the preferred college basketball tournament, with many teams turning down
invitations to the NCAA tournament in favor of the NIT. It wasn’t until 1950 when the NCAA
tournament expanded to include eight “at-large” teams, or teams who hadn’t won their
conference, that it began to gain in popularity.
The Rise of the Cinderella Story
The more teams, the more of a sense that anything could happen. Just a few years prior1
in
[1]
1. Prior (adjective) earlier in time
1
1944, the NCAA tournament saw its first “Cinderella story.” The University of Utah wasn’t
supposed to play in the tournament, but they took University of Arkansas’s place at the last
minute and went on to win the whole thing.
The appeal of the underdog, which grew when the tournament expanded to 32 teams in 1975
and 64 teams in 1985, has proven powerful at attracting fans and viewers ever since. In 2018,
people rallied behind the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) when they stunned
the top team in the country, University of Virginia, 74-54. In 2022, people were on the edge of
their seats as St. Peter’s shocked three big-name schools, including Kentucky, who was ranked
number 2 in the country and Purdue, ranked number 3, to reach the Elite Eight.
These David versus Goliath2
stories are countless. But in analyzing3
the five men’s NCAA
basketball tournaments from 2018 to 2023, it’s clear the NCAA rarely gives smaller schools and
conferences much of a chance.
Who gets an invite to the ball?
A total of sixty-eight teams are invited to the tournament, almost half of which get in by winning
their conference tournament. The NCAA selection committee (the Committee) then chooses 36
“at-large” teams based on their play during the regular season. The majority of these spots go
to teams from the six major conferences, or so-called “power conferences,” in men’s basketball:
the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), the Big East, the Big Ten, the Big 12, the Pac 12, and the
Southeastern Conference (SEC).
Of the 181 “at-large” teams selected in tournaments between 2018 to 2023, 84% were chosen
from the six power conferences. Some of these teams had poor conference records. Twentyone power conference schools were selected despite losing at least half of their games against
conference opponents. Two teams, Iowa State in 2022 and Oklahoma in 2019, had 7-11 inconference records. That’s seven wins to 11 losses.
But even when smaller conference teams are selected, the NCAA doesn’t make it easy for them.
Since 2011, eight teams have had to play in the so-called “First Four” games just to earn their
invitation to the tournament.
Between 2018 and 2023, more than two thirds of those “First Four” teams (27 out of 40) were
from the 26 smaller non-power conferences. This means some smaller teams were forced to
play an extra game even after winning their conference.
The NCAA’s poor treatment of smaller schools does not stop there. The Committee places every
[5]
[10]
2. a Biblical story where a Hebrew man named David defeated a giant named Goliath in battle
3. Analyze (verb) to separate into parts for close study; to examine
2
"March Madness: A True Cinderella Story?" by Fred Bowen. Copyright © 2024 by CommonLit, Inc. This
text is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Unless otherwise noted, this content is licensed under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license
team in one of four 16-team regions. The best teams get the first seed in their region. The
weakest teams are placed in lower seeds, ending with the 16th seed. In the opening round of
the tournament, each first seeded team plays the 16th seeded team in their region, each
second seeded team plays the 15th seeded team, and so on until the eighth seed is matched up
against the ninth seed.
The Committee almost always places the smaller conference teams in the 12th through 16th
seeds. In the five tournaments analyzed, only four power conference teams were seeded 12-16.
That means every tournament, twenty small schools are matched against a Top 20 team in the
first round.
Looking this closely, it appears as if the Committee is trying to get rid of the smaller schools as
fast as they can despite the impact they have made on the tournament and its viewership. After
all, while the 2023 NIT final drew in just over a million viewers, over 13 million more tuned into
the NCAA men’s final that same year.
If the NCAA won’t treat the smaller schools more fairly, maybe it’s time for the smaller
conferences to start their own tournament. That event could be competitive and succeed at
drawing its own viewers. It could also remind the NCAA, and the bigger conferences, who
makes the tournament fun and exciting.
[15] The Cinderella teams.
3
Text-Dependent Questions
Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete
sentences.
1. What is a central idea of the text?
A. Over time, the Committee has made changes to the NCAA men's
basketball tournament to make it fair for underdog schools, but less
interesting for viewers.
B. While power conference teams are usually seeded unfairly, they almost
always find a way to make it to the final rounds of the NCAA men's
basketball tournament.
C. The Committee's special treatment of power conference teams
undermines underdog teams and compromises the appeal of the NCAA
men's basketball tournament.
D. Since it was founded in 1939, the NCAA men's basketball tournament has
fought to compete with the attention given to the NIT tournament and is
still struggling to increase its viewership.
2. Which detail reveals a criticism the author has of the NCAA tournament?
A. "When the tournament was first played with eight teams in 1939, not
much set it apart from the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) founded a
year before." (Paragraph 3)
B. "The appeal of the underdog, which grew when the tournament expanded
to 32 teams in 1975 and 64 teams in 1985, has proven powerful at
attracting fans and viewers ever since." (Paragraph 5)
C. "The majority of these spots go to teams from the six major conferences,
or so-called 'power conferences,' in men's basketball" (Paragraph 7)
D. "After all, while the 2023 NIT final drew in just over a million viewers, over
13 million more tuned into the NCAA men's final that same year."
(Paragraph 13)
3. Which statement best describes the relationship between the number of teams in
the NCAA men's basketball tournament and its appeal with viewers?
A. As the number of teams in the tournament has increased, more people
are interested in watching.
B. As the number of teams in the tournament has decreased, more people
are interested in watching.
C. As the number of teams in the tournament has increased, fewer people
are interested in watching.
D. As the number of teams in the tournament has decreased, fewer people
are interested in watching.
4
4. What does the author mean by a "Cinderella Story"?
A. a player finding romance while playing basketball
B. an unexpected team winning the championship
C. a strong team succeeding over weaker teams
D. an unknown coach becoming famous
5. What does the section "Who gets an invite to the ball?" reveal about the author's
point of view?
5
Discussion Questions
Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be
prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion.
1. Do you agree or disagree with the author's suggestion that smaller conference teams
should start their own tournament? Use evidence from the text to support your
answer.
2. Did the author convince you that the Committee treats teams from smaller
conferences unfairly? Why or why not? Can you think of any acceptable reasons why
the Committee might give higher seeds to power conference teams instead of
smaller conference teams, even if both teams won their conference?
3. Do you watch March Madness? If so, what do you like about it? If not, what are other
events from sports or culture that you like to watch? Why do you enjoy them?
4. The author references the "appeal of the underdog" (Paragraph 5). Why do you think
people often root for the underdog? Why do you think people find underdog stories
so compelling? Use examples from your own personal experiences, pop culture, or
literature to support your thinking.
Association (NCAA) men's basketball tournament also known as "March Madness."
As you read, identify evidence that demonstrates the author’s point of view.
Some call it “March Madness.” Others call it
“The Big Dance.” Regardless of what you call it,
the National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) men’s basketball tournament draws
millions of viewers every year.
Across the country, sixty-eight teams compete
over three weeks and play in a total of 67
games. In addition to the millions of fans who
tune in, millions more fill out their “brackets”
trying to predict the winners of the games.
But the NCAA men’s tournament has not
always been the phenomenon it is today.
When the tournament was first played with
eight teams in 1939, not much set it apart
from the National Invitation Tournament (NIT)
founded a year before. Though it is now
widely regarded as a second-tier tournament,
the NIT was once the preferred college basketball tournament, with many teams turning down
invitations to the NCAA tournament in favor of the NIT. It wasn’t until 1950 when the NCAA
tournament expanded to include eight “at-large” teams, or teams who hadn’t won their
conference, that it began to gain in popularity.
The Rise of the Cinderella Story
The more teams, the more of a sense that anything could happen. Just a few years prior1
in
[1]
1. Prior (adjective) earlier in time
1
1944, the NCAA tournament saw its first “Cinderella story.” The University of Utah wasn’t
supposed to play in the tournament, but they took University of Arkansas’s place at the last
minute and went on to win the whole thing.
The appeal of the underdog, which grew when the tournament expanded to 32 teams in 1975
and 64 teams in 1985, has proven powerful at attracting fans and viewers ever since. In 2018,
people rallied behind the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) when they stunned
the top team in the country, University of Virginia, 74-54. In 2022, people were on the edge of
their seats as St. Peter’s shocked three big-name schools, including Kentucky, who was ranked
number 2 in the country and Purdue, ranked number 3, to reach the Elite Eight.
These David versus Goliath2
stories are countless. But in analyzing3
the five men’s NCAA
basketball tournaments from 2018 to 2023, it’s clear the NCAA rarely gives smaller schools and
conferences much of a chance.
Who gets an invite to the ball?
A total of sixty-eight teams are invited to the tournament, almost half of which get in by winning
their conference tournament. The NCAA selection committee (the Committee) then chooses 36
“at-large” teams based on their play during the regular season. The majority of these spots go
to teams from the six major conferences, or so-called “power conferences,” in men’s basketball:
the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), the Big East, the Big Ten, the Big 12, the Pac 12, and the
Southeastern Conference (SEC).
Of the 181 “at-large” teams selected in tournaments between 2018 to 2023, 84% were chosen
from the six power conferences. Some of these teams had poor conference records. Twentyone power conference schools were selected despite losing at least half of their games against
conference opponents. Two teams, Iowa State in 2022 and Oklahoma in 2019, had 7-11 inconference records. That’s seven wins to 11 losses.
But even when smaller conference teams are selected, the NCAA doesn’t make it easy for them.
Since 2011, eight teams have had to play in the so-called “First Four” games just to earn their
invitation to the tournament.
Between 2018 and 2023, more than two thirds of those “First Four” teams (27 out of 40) were
from the 26 smaller non-power conferences. This means some smaller teams were forced to
play an extra game even after winning their conference.
The NCAA’s poor treatment of smaller schools does not stop there. The Committee places every
[5]
[10]
2. a Biblical story where a Hebrew man named David defeated a giant named Goliath in battle
3. Analyze (verb) to separate into parts for close study; to examine
2
"March Madness: A True Cinderella Story?" by Fred Bowen. Copyright © 2024 by CommonLit, Inc. This
text is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Unless otherwise noted, this content is licensed under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license
team in one of four 16-team regions. The best teams get the first seed in their region. The
weakest teams are placed in lower seeds, ending with the 16th seed. In the opening round of
the tournament, each first seeded team plays the 16th seeded team in their region, each
second seeded team plays the 15th seeded team, and so on until the eighth seed is matched up
against the ninth seed.
The Committee almost always places the smaller conference teams in the 12th through 16th
seeds. In the five tournaments analyzed, only four power conference teams were seeded 12-16.
That means every tournament, twenty small schools are matched against a Top 20 team in the
first round.
Looking this closely, it appears as if the Committee is trying to get rid of the smaller schools as
fast as they can despite the impact they have made on the tournament and its viewership. After
all, while the 2023 NIT final drew in just over a million viewers, over 13 million more tuned into
the NCAA men’s final that same year.
If the NCAA won’t treat the smaller schools more fairly, maybe it’s time for the smaller
conferences to start their own tournament. That event could be competitive and succeed at
drawing its own viewers. It could also remind the NCAA, and the bigger conferences, who
makes the tournament fun and exciting.
[15] The Cinderella teams.
3
Text-Dependent Questions
Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete
sentences.
1. What is a central idea of the text?
A. Over time, the Committee has made changes to the NCAA men's
basketball tournament to make it fair for underdog schools, but less
interesting for viewers.
B. While power conference teams are usually seeded unfairly, they almost
always find a way to make it to the final rounds of the NCAA men's
basketball tournament.
C. The Committee's special treatment of power conference teams
undermines underdog teams and compromises the appeal of the NCAA
men's basketball tournament.
D. Since it was founded in 1939, the NCAA men's basketball tournament has
fought to compete with the attention given to the NIT tournament and is
still struggling to increase its viewership.
2. Which detail reveals a criticism the author has of the NCAA tournament?
A. "When the tournament was first played with eight teams in 1939, not
much set it apart from the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) founded a
year before." (Paragraph 3)
B. "The appeal of the underdog, which grew when the tournament expanded
to 32 teams in 1975 and 64 teams in 1985, has proven powerful at
attracting fans and viewers ever since." (Paragraph 5)
C. "The majority of these spots go to teams from the six major conferences,
or so-called 'power conferences,' in men's basketball" (Paragraph 7)
D. "After all, while the 2023 NIT final drew in just over a million viewers, over
13 million more tuned into the NCAA men's final that same year."
(Paragraph 13)
3. Which statement best describes the relationship between the number of teams in
the NCAA men's basketball tournament and its appeal with viewers?
A. As the number of teams in the tournament has increased, more people
are interested in watching.
B. As the number of teams in the tournament has decreased, more people
are interested in watching.
C. As the number of teams in the tournament has increased, fewer people
are interested in watching.
D. As the number of teams in the tournament has decreased, fewer people
are interested in watching.
4
4. What does the author mean by a "Cinderella Story"?
A. a player finding romance while playing basketball
B. an unexpected team winning the championship
C. a strong team succeeding over weaker teams
D. an unknown coach becoming famous
5. What does the section "Who gets an invite to the ball?" reveal about the author's
point of view?
5
Discussion Questions
Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be
prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion.
1. Do you agree or disagree with the author's suggestion that smaller conference teams
should start their own tournament? Use evidence from the text to support your
answer.
2. Did the author convince you that the Committee treats teams from smaller
conferences unfairly? Why or why not? Can you think of any acceptable reasons why
the Committee might give higher seeds to power conference teams instead of
smaller conference teams, even if both teams won their conference?
3. Do you watch March Madness? If so, what do you like about it? If not, what are other
events from sports or culture that you like to watch? Why do you enjoy them?
4. The author references the "appeal of the underdog" (Paragraph 5). Why do you think
people often root for the underdog? Why do you think people find underdog stories
so compelling? Use examples from your own personal experiences, pop culture, or
literature to support your thinking.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
Fred Bowen's article on the NCAA men's basketball tournament, commonly known as "March Madness," presents a clear point of view that critiques the tournament's selection process and its treatment of smaller conference teams. Several pieces of evidence support this perspective:
1. **Critique of the Selection Process**: The article states, "84% were chosen from the six power conferences," highlighting the disproportionate number of at-large bids given to major conference teams, suggesting bias against smaller schools (Paragraph 7). The preference for power conference teams is further emphasized with the mention of their placement: "The Committee almost always places the smaller conference teams in the 12th through 16th seeds," indicating an intention to limit their chances of success (Paragraph 10).
2. **Highlighting Inequities**: Bowen illustrates the unfairness of the selection process by citing examples of power conference teams that received spots despite poor performance, such as Iowa State and Oklahoma, which had losing conference records. This disparity in treatment raises questions about the fairness of the entire system (Paragraph 9).
3. **Emphasis on the Underdog Narrative**: The author discusses the appeal of "Cinderella stories," noting their ability to attract fans and viewers. He refers specifically to examples like UMBC and St. Peter’s, which garnered public support, thus underscoring the excitement these underdog narratives bring to the tournament (Paragraph 5). Yet, he contrasts their significance with the lack of equitable treatment they receive from the NCAA committee.
4. **Call for Change**: Bowen concludes by suggesting that if the NCAA does not improve its treatment of smaller schools, these teams "should start their own tournament." This recommendation reflects his frustration with the current system and a belief in the necessity of change in order for all teams to be adequately represented and ensure the tournament remains exciting for viewers (Paragraph 13).
In summary, through a critical lens, Bowen argues that the NCAA men’s basketball tournament's structure favors larger programs over smaller ones, ultimately undermining the tournament’s appeal and the true spirit of competition. His call for the establishment of an alternative tournament for smaller conferences reveals his advocacy for fairness and excitement in college basketball.
1. **Critique of the Selection Process**: The article states, "84% were chosen from the six power conferences," highlighting the disproportionate number of at-large bids given to major conference teams, suggesting bias against smaller schools (Paragraph 7). The preference for power conference teams is further emphasized with the mention of their placement: "The Committee almost always places the smaller conference teams in the 12th through 16th seeds," indicating an intention to limit their chances of success (Paragraph 10).
2. **Highlighting Inequities**: Bowen illustrates the unfairness of the selection process by citing examples of power conference teams that received spots despite poor performance, such as Iowa State and Oklahoma, which had losing conference records. This disparity in treatment raises questions about the fairness of the entire system (Paragraph 9).
3. **Emphasis on the Underdog Narrative**: The author discusses the appeal of "Cinderella stories," noting their ability to attract fans and viewers. He refers specifically to examples like UMBC and St. Peter’s, which garnered public support, thus underscoring the excitement these underdog narratives bring to the tournament (Paragraph 5). Yet, he contrasts their significance with the lack of equitable treatment they receive from the NCAA committee.
4. **Call for Change**: Bowen concludes by suggesting that if the NCAA does not improve its treatment of smaller schools, these teams "should start their own tournament." This recommendation reflects his frustration with the current system and a belief in the necessity of change in order for all teams to be adequately represented and ensure the tournament remains exciting for viewers (Paragraph 13).
In summary, through a critical lens, Bowen argues that the NCAA men’s basketball tournament's structure favors larger programs over smaller ones, ultimately undermining the tournament’s appeal and the true spirit of competition. His call for the establishment of an alternative tournament for smaller conferences reveals his advocacy for fairness and excitement in college basketball.