The ''NCAA Basketball'' (formerly ''NCAA March Madness'') series was a

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

game which was published by

EA Sports EA Sports is a division of Electronic Arts that develops and publishes sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to imitate real-life sports networks by calling themselves the "EA Sports Network" ...

from 1998 until 2009. After EA Sports' rival publisher

2K Sports 2K is an American video game publisher based in Novato, California. 2K was founded under Take-Two Interactive in January 2005 through the 2K Games and 2K Sports labels, following Take-Two Interactive's acquisition of Visual Concepts that same m ...

cancelled its own college basketball game, College Hoops, in 2008, EA changed the name of the series from ''NCAA March Madness'' to ''NCAA College Basketball''. The series was discontinued on February 10, 2010. It was released on

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the na ...

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...

and

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...

. Like other games based on

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

sports, it could not feature the players' names (as that is against NCAA policy/rules), so only the players' numbers were used in the rosters. Users were able to edit the rosters, putting in the correct names for each team if they wished to do so. Many player last names were built into the in-game commentary, like in the ''NBA Live'' series.

Verne Lundquist Merton Laverne Lundquist Jr. (born July 17, 1940) is an American sportscaster. Biography Early life and career Lundquist was born in Duluth, Minnesota. He graduated from Austin High School in Austin, Texas, before attending Texas Lutheran Un ...

Brad Nessler Bradley Ray Nessler (born June 3, 1956) is an American sportscaster, who currently calls college football and college basketball games for CBS Sports. Career Early assignments Nessler began his professional broadcasting career sharing play� ...

, and Gus Johnson lent their voices for play-by-play in the games at various times. Lundquist was the original announcer, with Nessler taking over in the mid-2000s and Johnson joining him for the most recent game in the series.

Bill Raftery William Joseph Raftery (born April 19, 1943) is an American basketball analyst and former college basketball coach. High school and college years Raftery attended Saint Cecilia High School in Kearny, New Jersey, where he starred in basketball an ...

and

Dick Vitale Richard John Vitale (; born June 9, 1939), also known as "Dickie V", is an American basketball sportscaster. A former head coach in the college and professional ranks, he is well known for his 41-year tenure as a college basketball broadcaster fo ...

were analysts. Raftery originally worked with Lundquist on their games and returned to work alongside Johnson for CBS-branded games in ''NCAA Basketball 10'', while Vitale and Nessler joined the series at the same time.

Games

''NCAA March Madness 98''

''NCAA March Madness 98'' is the 1997 installment in the ''NCAA March Madness'' series. It was released on February 28, 1998 for the

. Former Wake Forest player and retired

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

player

Tim Duncan Timothy Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Big Fundamental", he is widely regarded as the greatest power forward of all time and one of the greatest players in NBA histor ...

the now

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

r is featured on the cover.

''NCAA March Madness 99''

''NCAA March Madness 99'' is the 1998 installment in the ''NCAA March Madness'' series. It was released on December 18, 1998 for the PlayStation. Former

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

player

Antawn Jamison Antawn Cortez Jamison (; born June 12, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He serves as director of pro personnel for the Washington Wizards. Jamison playe ...

is featured on the cover.

''NCAA March Madness 2000''

''NCAA March Madness 2000'' is the 1999 installment in the ''NCAA March Madness'' series. It was released in December 1999 for the PlayStation. Former

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

player

Steve Francis Steven D'Shawn Francis (born February 21, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player. He was selected with the second overall pick of the 1999 NBA draft and was named co-NBA Rookie of the Year (along with Elton Brand) in his fi ...

is featured on the cover.

''NCAA March Madness 2001''

''NCAA March Madness 2001'' is the 2000 installment in the ''NCAA March Madness'' series. It was released on December 7, 2000 for PlayStation. Former

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

and NBA player

Kenyon Martin Kenyon Lee Martin Sr. (born December 30, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who played 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a power forward, he played for the New Jersey Nets, Denver Nuggets, Los An ...

is featured on the cover.

''NCAA March Madness 2002''

''NCAA March Madness 2002'' is the 2001 installment in the ''NCAA March Madness'' series. It was released on January 9, 2002 for

. Former

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

player and former

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...

player

Shane Battier Shane Courtney Battier (born September 9, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He's also worked for ESPN and recently joined the board of Yext. Battier is best known for his four years playing basketball at Duke, his 13 ye ...

is featured on the cover.

''NCAA March Madness 2003''

''NCAA March Madness 2003'' is the 2002 installment in the ''NCAA March Madness'' series. It was released on November 21, 2002 for PlayStation 2. Former

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

Jayhawks player

Drew Gooden Andrew Melvin Gooden III (born September 24, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player who is currently a broadcaster for NBC Sports Washington. The power forward played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). ...

is featured on the cover. The game's cover shows deformities within the artwork.

''NCAA March Madness 2004''

''NCAA March Madness 2004'' is the 2003 installment in the ''NCAA March Madness'' series. It was released on November 17, 2003 for PlayStation 2 and

. Former

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

player

Carmelo Anthony Carmelo Kyam Anthony (born May 29, 1984) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been named an NBA All-Star ten times and an All-NBA Team me ...

is featured on the cover. Commentary is done by

and "Mr. College Basketball"

as he is introduced in the game. This is the first time the player can pick their favorite school and the menus are stylized in the school's colors and a cheerleader or mascot can appear on the main menu while playing the school's fight song. The game plays similar to ''

NBA Live 2004 ''NBA Live 2004'' is the 2004 installment of the '' NBA Live'' video games series. The cover features Vince Carter as a member of the Toronto Raptors and in Spain copies of ''NBA Live 2004'' feature Raul Lopez. The game was developed by EA Spor ...

''.

''NCAA March Madness 2005''

''NCAA March Madness 2005'' is the 2004 installment in the ''NCAA March Madness'' series. It was released on November 16, 2004 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Former

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

player, Charlotte Bobcats player, New Orleans Hornets player, Washington Wizards player, and New Orleans Pelicans player and current NBA free agent player

Emeka Okafor Chukwuemeka Ndubuisi "Emeka" Okafor (born September 28, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. Okafor attended Bellaire High School in Bellaire, Texas and the University of Connecticut, where in 2004 he won a national champ ...

is featured on the cover.

''NCAA March Madness 06''

''NCAA March Madness 06'' is the 2005 installment in the ''NCAA March Madness'' series. It was released on October 12, 2005 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Former

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

player

Raymond Felton Raymond Bernard Felton Jr. (born June 26, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. Felton played college basketball for the University of North Carolina under head coach Roy Williams. At North Carolina, Felton led the Tar Hee ...

is featured on the cover.

''NCAA March Madness 07''

''NCAA March Madness 07'' is the 2006 installment in the ''NCAA March Madness'' series. It was released on January 17, 2007 for PlayStation 2 and

. Former Gonzaga player

Adam Morrison Adam John Morrison (born July 19, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. Morrison played for three years at Gonzaga University and was considered to be one of the top college basketball players in 2005–06. He was a finalist ...

is featured on the cover.

''NCAA March Madness 08''

''NCAA March Madness 08'' is the 2007 installment in the ''NCAA March Madness'' series. It was released on December 11, 2007 for

, PlayStation 2, and Xbox 360. Former

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

and current Brooklyn Nets forward

Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant ( ; born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for t ...

is featured on the cover. It was the only ''March Madness'' game to debut for the PlayStation 3 until the name change.

''NCAA Basketball 09''

''NCAA Basketball 09'' is the 2008 installment in the NCAA College Basketball series. It was released on November 17, 2008 for the

, and

. The cover featured former

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

and current

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

forward

Kevin Love Kevin Wesley Love (born September 7, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a five-time All-Star, a two-time member of the All-NBA Second Team and ...

''NCAA Basketball 10''

''NCAA Basketball 10'' is a

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

developed by

EA Canada EA Vancouver (formerly known as EA Burnaby, then EA Canada) is a Canadian video game developer located in Burnaby, British Columbia. The development studio opened as Distinctive Software in January 1983, and is also Electronic Arts's largest and ...

and published by

. It was released November 17, 2009 on

and

. Former

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

and current

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

forward

Blake Griffin Blake Austin Griffin (born March 16, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Oklahoma Sooners, when he was named the consensu ...

was featured on the cover. The ''NCAA Basketball'' series was discontinued after ''NCAA Basketball 10''.

Cover Athletes

Discontinuation of ''NCAA Basketball Series''

The video game series had used likenesses of college athletes, threatening their amateur statuses. The amateur rules of collegiate sports overruled any claim that the athletes had towards compensation based on the ''Likeness Licensing Litigation;'' there is a contractual agreement made when scholarships are given out to do this.

Games

''NCAA March Madness 98''

''NCAA March Madness 99''

''NCAA March Madness 2000''

''NCAA March Madness 2001''

''NCAA March Madness 2002''

''NCAA March Madness 2003''

''NCAA March Madness 2004''

''NCAA March Madness 2005''

''NCAA March Madness 06''

''NCAA March Madness 07''

''NCAA March Madness 08''

''NCAA Basketball 09''

''NCAA Basketball 10''

Cover Athletes

Discontinuation of ''NCAA Basketball Series''

References

External links