March Madness Begins This Week
- On March 13, 2017
“March Madness” was first coined in 1982 when sportscaster Brent Musburger uttered it during his tournament coverage.
- 68 teams are invited:
- 32 teams receive automatic bids by winning their conference tournaments.
- 36 teams receive an at-large bid from the NCAA Selection Committee.
National TV advertising during the tournament reached $1.24 billion in 2016.
17.8 million total viewers watched the championship game in 2016.
70 million expected NCAA tournament brackets completed this year.
$10.4 billion expected to be wagered overall on March Madness tournament. AGA, which represents the U.S. casino industry, estimates only around 3 percent is wagered legally in the U.S. Most of the remaining $10.1 billion is wagered with offshore sportsbooks and local bookmakers.
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