NCAA Basketball (video game)
The NCAA Basketball series was a collection of college basketball video games published primarily by Electronic Arts (EA) under their EA Sports label. The series began in the early 1990s and spanned multiple console generations, covering platforms like the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.
The games typically featured licensed teams, players (with generic names due to NCAA regulations regarding name, image, and likeness), and arenas from Division I college basketball programs. Gameplay generally simulated the college basketball experience, including recruiting, training, season play, and the annual NCAA Tournament.
Key features of the NCAA Basketball series often included:
- Dynasty Mode: A career mode where players managed a college basketball program over multiple seasons, recruiting players, setting training schedules, and competing for championships.
- Recruiting: A crucial aspect of Dynasty Mode, allowing players to scout and recruit high school players to improve their team.
- Gameplay Mechanics: Attempts to replicate the strategic and tactical elements of college basketball, including different offensive and defensive schemes.
- Roster Management: Allowing players to manage their team's lineup, player roles, and playing time.
- NCAA Tournament Simulation: The ability to play through the NCAA Tournament, also known as March Madness, with accurate bracket representation and seeding.
The series was discontinued after the 2009-2010 season due to legal issues surrounding the use of player likenesses without compensation, similar to the issues that led to the discontinuation of the NCAA Football franchise. The legal battles centered on whether EA Sports was unfairly profiting from using players' likenesses without their consent, even though the players were not explicitly named. This situation resulted in the end of both the NCAA Basketball and NCAA Football series. While EA Sports has hinted at a possible return to the college sports gaming market in recent years following changes to NCAA rules regarding name, image, and likeness, no new NCAA Basketball game has been released as of the current date.