FLORIDA, USA -- The 2011 March Madness tournament is fast approaching and NCAA basketball fans cannot wait to start rooting for their favorite teams while trying to get into their heads and disrupt the rhythm of the opposing team's players once the 68 qualified teams will battle for college hoops supremacy.
Men's College Basketball March Madness kicks into high gear with Selection Sunday on March 13th, 2011. As soon as the NCAA Tournament Bracket fields are publicized, the crazy rush will follow to fill out the perfect bracket.
Top online USA sportsbook portal, OpenSportsbookUSA.com, yet again this year offers the best March Madness Blank Printable Bracket for everyone to print out free, as well as they list the most popular and visited sportsbook contests to win big prizes.
Here are the most popular 2011 March Madness Bracket Contests:
- BetUS.com is offering a March Mayhem bracket contest for a shot at $5 million! (Opens: Selection Sunday, March 13 - 7 p.m. ET. Closes: Thursday, March 17 - noon ET)
- BetOnline.com's March Madness contest is actually doable. They have a $5,000.00 guaranteed prize pool and a trip to the Final Four up for grabs. Also, predict each of the Final Four teams and win $1,000.00.
- BookMaker.com $50,000 Bracket Madness:
- 1 Free Entry for every $100 Deposit
- Double Betpoints on your Mobile Wagers
- Up to $750 Sportsbook Bonus on Every Deposit of $300 or more.
For the hardcore college basketball fans, it is important to take note of the schedules and venues of the games in order to avoid missing the action of your favorite teams. Below are the game schedules and locations of the 73rd Annual NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.
March Madness kicks off with the first round schedules to be played on March 15 and 16 at the University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio. This will surely ignite the competitive flames of the players as they go for the college basketball championship.
The second and third rounds will be played on a four-day stretch from March 17 to 20 in different sites. There will be games played in the following venues and on their corresponding dates:
- March 17 and 19 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado with the Mountain West Conference as the host
- March 17 and 19 at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida with the University of South Florida as host
- March 17 and 19 at the McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona and hosted by the University of Arizona
- March 17 and 19 at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. with Georgetown University serving as the host
- March 18 and 20 at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina with the University of North Carolina as host
- March 18 and 20 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois with the Big Ten Conference as host
- March 18 and 20 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio and the Cleveland State University will serve as host
- March 18 and 20 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma with the University of Tulsa as host
The level of competition will begin to escalate during the Regional's as the remaining teams gear up towards a possible Final Four appearance. Below are the game schedules for the Regional's along with their corresponding play date and venue:
- March 24 and 26 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California with the Big West Conference as host
- March 24 and 26 at the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana with Tulane University serving as the host
- March 25 and 27 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey and to be hosted by Seton Hall University
- March 25 and 27 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas with the University of Texas-San Antonio as host
For the teams gaining a Final Four berth, everything is on the line as they are getting closer to the NCAA championship. The Final Four will be played on April 2 and 4 at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. University of Houston and Rice University will co-host the Final Four.
Moving away from the bracket contests, bonuses and into the world of online sportsbooks, college basketball March Madness is the largest sporting event next to the Superbowl. The distinction is that while the Superbowl lasts for only 3 hours, where March Madness lasts for 3 weeks, creating a longer betting frenzy as the tournament progresses. Along with the tournament thrill of online betting, many players dream of predicting a perfect bracket where you can win millions.
