The Big Ten Conference is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1896, it predates the founding of its regulating organization, the NCAA. It is based in the Chicago area in Rosemont, Illinois. For many decades the conference consisted of 10 prominent universities. As of 2014, it consists of 14 member institutions and 2 affiliate institutions, with 4 new member institutions scheduled to join in 2024. The conference competes in the NCAA Division I and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, the highest level of NCAA competition in that sport.
The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Spirit Squads compete in the UCA and UDA College National Championships.
The 2005 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 15, 2005, and ended with the championship game on April 4 at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.
The 1979 NCAA Division I basketball tournament involved 40 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 9 and ended with the championship game on March 26 in Salt Lake City. A total of 40 games were played, including a national third-place game. This was the tournament's only edition with forty teams; the previous year's had 32, and it expanded to 48 in 1980. The 1979 Indiana State team was the most recent squad to reach a national title game with an undefeated record, holding that distinction for 42 years until the 2021 Gonzaga Bulldogs team won a 93-90 OT national semifinal over UCLA to reach the 2021 title contest vs. Baylor with a 31-0 record.
The 2009 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament commenced 21 March 2009 and concluded 7 April 2009 when the University of Connecticut Huskies defeated the Louisville Cardinals 76–54.
The 2010 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament started Saturday, March 20, 2010, and was completed on Tuesday, April 6 of the same year with University of Connecticut Huskies defending their title from the previous year by defeating Stanford, 53–47.
The 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the Clemson Tigers, unbeaten and untied, claiming the national championship after a victory over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. This was also the first year of the California Bowl, played in Fresno, California; this game fancied itself as a "junior" version of the Rose Bowl as it pitted the Big West Conference champion vs. the Mid-American Conference champion.
The 2015 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament was played between March and April 2015, with the Final Four played April 5 & 7. The regional locations, after a one-year experiment allowing tournament teams to host, returned to four neutral sites: Oklahoma City, Spokane, Greensboro and Albany. The subregionals were played 20–23 March, while the regionals were played 27–30 March. This represented a change; in the past, the rounds were played starting on a Saturday and ending on a Tuesday. In 2015, the opening rounds and regionals were played starting on a Friday and ending on a Monday. The Final Four was played at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. For only the third time in history, all four of the number one seeds made it to the Final Four.
The 2012–13 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2012–13 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Huskies, coached by Geno Auriemma, played their home games at two different venues—the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, and on campus at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut. Connecticut was a member of the Big East Conference in the league's final season before its split along football lines into the football-sponsoring American Athletic Conference and the new, non-football Big East. Connecticut, as an FBS football school, became a member of The American, which retained the charter of the original Big East.
The 2015–16 Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team represented the University of Alabama in the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Crimson Tide played its home games at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, as a member of the Southeastern Conference. Avery Johnson was in his inaugural season as head coach of the team. He was hired on April 6, 2015, to replace Anthony Grant, who was fired on March 15 after serving as Alabama's head coach for six seasons. The team finished the season 18–15, 8–10 in SEC play to finish in 10th place. They defeated Ole Miss in the second round of the SEC tournament to advance to the quarterfinals where they lost to Kentucky. The Crimson Tide received an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament as a #5 seed, where the team lost to Creighton in the first round.
The 2015 Paradise Jam was an early-season men's and women's college basketball tournament. The tournament, which began in 2000, was part of the 2013-14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season and 2013-14 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The tournament was played at the Sports and Fitness Center in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, South Carolina won the men's tournament, in the women's tournament Rutgers won the Island Division and Maryland won the women's Reef Division.
The 2013 Paradise Jam was an early-season men's and women's college basketball tournament. The tournament, which began in 2000, was part of the 2013-14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season and 2013-14 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The tournament was played at the Sports and Fitness Center in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Maryland won the men's tournament, in the women's tournament Duke won the women's Island Division and Syracuse won the women's Reef Division.
The 2012 Paradise Jam was an early-season men's and women's college basketball tournament. The tournament, which began in 2000, was part of the 2011-12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season and 2011-12 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The tournament was played at the Sports and Fitness Center in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, New Mexico won the men's tournament, in the women's tournament Connecticut won the women's Island Division and South Carolina won the women's Reef Division.
The 2011 Paradise Jam was an early-season men's and women's college basketball tournament. The tournament, which began in 2000, was part of the 2011-12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season and 2011-12 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The tournament was played at the Sports and Fitness Center in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Marquette won the men's tournament, in the women's tournament Alabama won the women's Island Division and Michigan won the women's Reef Division.
The 2009 Paradise Jam was an early-season men's and women's college basketball tournament. The tournament, which began in 2000, was part of the 2009-10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season and 2009-10 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The tournament was played at the Sports and Fitness Center in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Purdue won the men's tournament, the men's final game included a spectacular play where Purdue's Chris Kramer swam down the court in order to poke the ball from a dribbling Tennessee player, knocking the ball off another Tennessee player to give Purdue the ball. In the women's tournament Notre Dame won the women's Island Division and Rutgers won the women's Reef Division.
The 2008 Paradise Jam was an early-season men's and women's college basketball tournament. The tournament, which began in 2000, was part of the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season and 2008-09 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The tournament was played at the Sports and Fitness Center in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Connecticut won the men's tournament, in the women's tournament Wisconsin won Island Division, and California won the women's Reef Division.
The 2005 Paradise Jam was an early-season men's and women's college basketball tournament. The tournament, which began in 2000, was part of the 2005-06 NCAA Division I men's basketball season and 2005-06 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The tournament was played at the Sports and Fitness Center in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Wisconsin won the men's tournament, in the women's tournament Minnesota won the Saint Thomas division, and Tennessee won the Saint John Division.
The 2004 Paradise Jam was an early-season men's and women's college basketball tournament. The tournament, which began in 2000, was part of the 2004-05 NCAA Division I men's basketball season and 2004-05 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The tournament was played at the Sports and Fitness Center in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Arkansas won the men's tournament, in the women's tournament NC State won the Saint Thomas division, and Rutgers won the Saint John Division.
The 2003 Paradise Jam was an early-season men's and women's college basketball tournament. The tournament, which began in 2000, was part of the 2003–04 NCAA Division I men's basketball season and 2003–04 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The tournament was played at the Sports and Fitness Center in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Boston College won the men's tournament, in the women's tournament Virginia Tech won the Saint Thomas division, and Southwest Missouri State won the Saint John Division.
The 2017 Paradise Jam was an early-season men's and women's college basketball tournament. The tournament, which began in 2000, was part of the 2017-18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season and 2017-18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The tournaments are normally held at Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands at the Sports and Fitness Center on the campus of the University of the Virgin Islands. However, due to major damage to the Virgin Islands from Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria, the tournaments were moved to the U.S. mainland. Tournament organizers solicited hosting bids from all schools in the men's and women's tournaments, with each tournament originally intended to be awarded to one of its participating schools. The substitute host for on September 29, 2017 it was announced that the Vines Center on the campus of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, would host the men's tournament. On October 4, The women's tournament which is organized into two separate four team round four-team tournaments, was The Reef division will be held at the Charles E. Smith Center on the campus of George Washington University in Washington, D.C., while the Island division will be held at Titan Field House on the campus of Eastern Florida State College in Melbourne, Florida. Colorado won the men's tournament, in the women's tournament West Virginia won the Island Division and Syracuse won the Reef Division.
