There is something pure about the college game – or is that purely exciting? Basketball is the sport of choice in March when the NCAA collects the best teams in the country, scatters them throughout the nation and proclaims March Madness officially underway.

Thanks to EA SPORTS™ and Black Ops Entertainment, the fervor of that game is put in your hands. You decide who moves along, who goes home, and how the game is played. Fancy yourself a latter-day John Wooden? Here’s your chance to prove it. Head into the coaches mode and select offensive, defensive and inbound plays.

NCAA March Madness 2001 is loaded with options. There are 20 game play options that cover fatigue, momentum, shot difficulty, dunk window and scoreboard overlay (to mention, but a few). You can adjust rosters, or create your own players. There are 19 cheats you can unlock, with such names as Getsome (need three blocks by a single player on your team), or Cuatdrak (reach the tourney with Howard University), or Caniclown (win a conference game).

But where this game really soars above the rim is in the variety of game modes. There is the quick start, exhibition and tournament modes, but also a dynasty mode, women’s Sweet 16 and dream tourney. Of course to begin any of these modes, you will have to have a memory card and some room on it. The Dynasty mode takes 14 blocks of memory.

As for game play, this game is quick similar to EA SPORTS™ NBA Live 2001. The players are a little sharp-edged, but the movement is excellent and the overall action quite authentic. The sound track is crowd-dominated, though the occasional squeak of a sneaker against the hardwood, or the sound of the ball sliding through the net are both authentically reproduced. There is, however, one aspect of the audio track that can really get on one’s nerves – the musical score. Though it is supposed to represent the school band sound, it comes woefully short – there is a lack of vibrancy and joy in the sound. Even the rendition of “Rocky Top” by the Tennessee women’s crowd sounds tired.

Control elements for this product are as varied as another other basketball console game. The entire controller comes into play. Whether you wish to ‘shimmy’ the ball side to side, jab step to the side, use a cross-over dribble or spin move, or execute the flawless give and go, this program will have you stabbing all four L and R keys, the D-pad and four primary buttons. Patience in learning – exhibition play is a good starting ground – and experience are the only way you will learn to milk all the athletic ability you can from your team.

NCAA March Madness 2001 is rife with the big-name college programs, and is a wonderfully paced, exciting hoops game. The wide array of options make this a slam dunk.

Install: N/A

Gameplay: 8.5
This is all about playing the game of basketball, and is wonderfully paced. You can call timeouts to set up designed plays, or configure those options into your coaching scheme before the game starts, but you may have to make adjustments along the way.

Graphics: 8
 Like NBA Live 2001, this is a mixed bag, with sharp, angular polygonal players countering the realistic movement. Environment graphics are nicely rendered.

Sound: 6.5
The basketball sounds are what one would expect from this type of game, but the musical score is weak.

Difficulty: 8.5
This is lay-it-on-the-line tourney action at its finest. The shot clock is running and the season is on the line with no difficulty levels aside from skill level of your players. The difficulty comes in managing that team, using the abilities of the team and learning the controls to effectively manage the squad through the tourney.

Concept: 7.5
EA SPORTS™ has had other March Madness titles, but the game keeps building on the strong background by adding the new coaching mode, motion-captured moves and new moves.

Multiplayer: 8.5
This is team play, head-to-head, no-split screen and ‘snooze you lose’ action that is just right for multiplayer gaming. However, the single player career mode is also very good.

Overall: 8.5
Aside from certain audio elements that fail to live up to EA SPORTS™’ otherwise high standards, this is a wonderful product. The Women’s Sweet 16 tourney is a terrific addition, and is bound to have girls interested in the program. The movements, the venues and the ‘feel’ of the tourney are faithfully captured here, making this one of the best hoop console games in the current market.