Photos show how the NCAA men's basketball tournament has changed throughout the years

Gabi StevensonApr 1, 2023, 16:51 IST

The NCAA men's basketball tournament, widely known as March Madness, has seen a lot of change since its inception in 1939.NCAA Photos/Getty Images; Jamie Squire/Getty Images

March Madness 2023 is well underway with the final four teams competing for the title this weekend.
Officially referred to as the NCAA men's basketball tournament, the annual event started in 1939.

In 1939, the NCAA held its first Division I men's basketball tournament.

The first-ever NCAA men's basketball championship game was held at a gymnasium in Illinois.NCAA Photos/Getty Images

The tournament's pool of contests expanded between the 1950s and the 1970s.

Bill Bradley is carried by his teammates after Princeton defeated North Carolina State in the semifinals of the East region of the NCAA men's basketball tournament on March 12, 1965.Bettmann/Getty Images

The UCLA Bruins created a championship dynasty in the tournament, boosting its popularity with elite teams in the 1960s and 1970s.

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Bruins play the Jacksonville University Dolphins in the NCAA men's basketball tournament championship on March 21, 1970.Rich Clarkson/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

The nickname "March Madness" wasn't associated with the tournament until the early 1980s, but the moniker has a long history.

Georgetown's Patrick Ewing acknowledges fans during the championship game against Villanova in Lexington, Kentucky, on April 1, 1985.Richard Mackson/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images

The 1996 Final Four was the last Final Four to be held in a basketball-specific arena.

A view of the court during the NCAA men's basketball tournament championship at Continental Air Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on April 1, 1996.Doug Pensinger/Allsport via Getty Images

Throughout the 2000s, the tournament was packed with players who would go on to become NBA greats.

Stephen Curry celebrates after a basket against the Georgetown Hoyas the NCAA men's basketball tournament on March 23, 2008, in Raleigh, North Carolina.Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

The first few years of the 2020s brought major changes to the game.

The Texas Longhorns play the Miami Hurricanes in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament on March 26, 2023, in Kansas City, Missouri.Jamie Squire/Getty Images

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