Product Description
Journalists who have covered the NCAA Tournament known as March Madness over the past 25 years share their experiences and opinions in this collection of short stories.Amazon.com Review
No, CBS hasn't broadcast the Final Four every year since Dr. Naismith first hung a peach basket in his gym; it only seems that way. Still, the network has been present at the men's NCAA basketball tournament without interruption since 1982, and it's become synonymous enough with the hoops extravaganza that it's earned the name-above-the-title treatment it gets here.

With its oral history format, CBS Sports Presents is a useful companion to March Madness. It examines the thrills--and agonies--of 21 Final Fours going back to the early '50s. Along the way, it stops to focus on Wilt Chamberlain; the UCLA juggernaut; the 1966 Texas Western-Kentucky confrontation with racial implications far beyond the court; the 1979 game that first shone a national spotlight on Magic and Bird; and on into the '80s and '90s with Duke, North Carolina, Georgetown, Villanova, UConn, and, of course, NC State's improbable victory over Houston. Each Final Four comes with scores, all-tourney teams, and the requisite factoids; there's even a section for TV junkies on how CBS prepares for and covers the event.

As editor, Fulks is smart enough to avoid replaying the events from a reporter's distance. Once he's set the scene, he moves off camera and lets the participants themselves recall the action, the glory, and the heartbreak through their own eyes and in their own voices. His roster of first-person accounts is impressive--Lovelette, John Wooden, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Kent Benson, Denny Crum, Guy Lewis, Steve Alford, Billy Tubbs, Mike Krzyzewski--all add color, immediacy, perspective, and some fascinating analysis from the inside. Still, it's the names scratched from the lineup--Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Grant Hill, Rollie Massimino, Christian Laettner, Bobby Knight, Dean Smith, and anyone from the '66 championship Miners--that so tantalize. CBS Presents would have only benefited by hearing from them. --Jeff Silverman ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Lots of great memories
I didn't think that I would learn a great deal about "The Big Dance" since I've been an avid fan since I can remember.Boy, was I wrong!This book has a ton of tidbits from the guys (hey-they're the ones that played & coached!) that lived it.The only part of the book whichinvolved CBS was the end where they give you a behind the scenes look atthe TV, which was kind of interesting too.But the memories that Coach Kand others have are well worth the price of admission!

Cheaper than anosebleed seat and a good read while watching the show!

Best Basketball Book Ever!
I read the book this past weekend - it was great! I couldn't wait to read the next story. I have never seen a book with such a comprehensive list of storytellers, from John Wooden to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to Steve Alford, toJim Boeheim, to my favorite - Mike Krzyzewski. The majority of the storiesare fascinating.

This book is a must-read for any college basketball fan.Now I'm even more fired-up about March Madness! ... Read more

Product Description
Texas Western College, then a small and uknown school tucked away in the far corner of West Texas, came out of nowhere to pull the biggest upset in the history of college basketball in 1966.

The Miners' victory over University of Kentucky, coached by legendary Adolph Rupp, in the finals of the NCAA Tournament was a story of triumph of character and heart over hardship and seemingly impossible odds.

The victory also had a big impact on socity. For the first time, five blacks started in the finals of the NCAA Tournament. The victory overcame many prejudices against the ability of black athletes to function in a team concept and opened doors for them throughout the South. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Accurate Account of Baketball's Biggest Upset
I just finished reading the book, "Basketball's Biggest Upset" by Ray Sanchez and I was extremely impressed with the detailed account of how the 1966 Texas Western College Miners really won the NCAA basketball championship.
This is the only account I've read that gives not only the background of each player but a game by game history of that miraculous season that, as the book says, changed the sport forever.It was so unlike the movie, Glory Road, which was more fiction than fact in many places.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will treasure it forever as the true and wonderful story of the 1966 Miners.I still get chills thinking about it.I give it five stars.

Boring!
The author of this book obviously knows this subject verywell,being that he was a reporter for the El Paso newspaper during the time of the historic NCAA championship game. Mr. Sanchez's writing style does not make for an exciting read. This book is very dry and sticks to dull statistics.It basically is a game by game telling of the season. I knew a little about the Texas Western- Kentucky game before the reading this book, unfortunately I know very little more after reading this book.

Sportswriters should stick to columns
This book is not nearly as good as the book "And the Walls Came Tumbling Down" by Frank Fitzpatrick, about the same subject.Ray Sanchez should stick to newspaper articles. He does not do a good job of developing characters or themes, and did not do enough research.There is no bibliography, and most of the book sounds like fan-speak.On the other hand, I am a fan so it is in my library.There are several typos in the book which detracts from it and makes it hard to take seriously.Ray Sanchez was not the reporter who covered the Miners in 1966, but was working for the paper that year and remembers the events personally.This perspective is critical to an understanding of the 1966 Miners, and is why I give the book 3 stars instead of the 2 stars it deserves based on literary merit.

Thrilling, historic, and entertaining.
Twelve young men arrived at Texas Western College in 1966, never dreaming that someday they would pull the biggest upset in the history of college basketball and change the sport forever. Texas Western College became known as University of Texas at El Paso in 1967 ... Read more

Product Description
This is the 1985-1986 College Basketball special issue of SI, and it features Cheryl Miller, Bruce Dairymple, and Mark Price on the cover. Inside, there are features on Georgia Tech, Bobby Knight, Women's NCAA Basketball, Cheryl Miller, Billy Packer, and much, much more! ... Read more