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MARCH TO THE FINALS
Hardback Book with Dust Jacket
Written by Alan Minsky
Over 110 pages
Copyright © 1997 by Michael Friedman Publishing Group, Inc.
" In the beginning of March every year, a day of initiation rituals occurs:
Selection Sunday. On this fateful day, the decision is made regarding which
sixty-four men's basketball teams will be invited to the Big Dance (also known
as the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.) It is the first step on the road to the
championship, an elimination process that systematically cuts the field from sixty-four
to thirty-two to Sweet-Sixteen...and ultimately to the Final Four.
The tournament has become recognized as the most electrifying series of events in sports,
whether amateur or professional. March to the Finals: The History of College Basketball's
Illustrious Finale captures the drama and history of the men's basketball finals
with a dynamic year-by-year breakdown of tournament highlights and stars. "
" Chapter One - Beginnings, Controversy, and Growth: 1939-1954 - documents the initial
organization of the national championship and the growth of the tournament that
culminated with the advent of University of San Francisco star center Bill Russell,
who would single-handedly usher the sport into its modern era.
Chapter Two - The Evolution of Offense and Defense: 1955-1963 - covers the crystalizing
of the modern era, in which teams became known either for their stifling defense (à la
Russell's Dons) or for their offensive brilliance.
Chapter Three - The UCLA Dynasty: 1964-1975 - tells the remarkable story of John
Wooden's near-invincible UCLA Bruins, a team that over the better part of a decade included
Walt Hazzard, Gail Goodrich, Lew Alcindor, and Bill Watson and more or less owned the
championship, winning ten of twelve finals.
Chapter Four - The Big Dance: 1976-1985 - describes the rise of the tournament to immense
popularity, beginning in 1976 with Bobby Knight's unbeatable Hoosiers and ending in the
mid-1980s, when the great Georgetown teams headed by Patrick Ewing dominated college
hoops.
Chapter Five - March Madness Marches On: 1986-1996 - brings the reader up to date,
beginning with the exit of an unprecedented number of stars (Ewing, Michael Jordan, and
Hakeem Olajuwan among them) for the NBA and culminating with the heroics of the newest
bunch of NCAA hotshots. "
" Written by veteran sportswriter Alan Minsky and illustrated with dramatic black-and-white
and full-color photographs of the most exciting sports event in the world, March to the
Finals is a comprehensive guide to the college basketball championship tournament,
where the world turns to see the stuff that hoop dreams are made of. "
Contents include:
" Introduction
Chapter 1. Beginnings, Controversy, and Growth: 1939-1954
Chapter 2. Evolution of Offense and Defense: 1955-1963
Chapter 3. The UCLA Dynasty: 1964-1975
Chapter 4. The Big Dance: 1976-1985
Chapter 5. March Madness Marches On: 1986-1996
Appendix
Bibliography
Index "
The book is in very good condition with only minor wear.
The dust jacket is in good condition but has a few small tears and some wear.
No torn or ripped pages.
No markings or writing.
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