The Original March Madness

March 20, 1897 the first five-man basketball team intercollegiate game was held at New Haven. Yale beat Penn 32-10. According to ivyleaguesports.com Yale’s basketball legacy is alive and well in the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.  Tony Lavelli is one of the all-time greats in Yale Basketball history. A 6-3 forward from Somerville, Mass., Lavelli scored 1,964 points in his four seasons, including 671 as a senior, leading Yale to the NCAA Tournament. He was named the National Player of the Year in 1949 and graduated as the fourth-highest scorer ever in major college basketball histoy. He was a four-time All-America selection and a first-round draft choice of the Boston Celtics. March madness has wandered a little from its Ivy League roots.  It traveled westward in New Haven to Southern Connecticut State University.  The women’s team recently won the 2007 Division II National Championship.