And just as intriguing, who will emerge as the next Stephen Curry: the unknown player who will become the talk of the tournament after lifting his team to improbable wins?

“It’s like reading a great book, you turn the page and every three or four there is something that keeps you turning the page,” said Memphis coach John Calipari, whose team lost several key players of last season’s runner-up squad yet is one of the contenders again this year. “That’s what the NCAA tournament is about.”

That’s what CBS is counting on as it projects to bring in record viewership and ad revenue, even in these difficult times. The network will again make every game played in this tournament available online with CBS March Madness on Demand, courtesy of video streaming.

Fans don’t have to take off from work. They can sit at their desks and save valuable vacation time while watching any game on their computers. In additions to the millions who will still watch on television and fill the arenas, media analysts are expecting 7 million views on the Internet, which will be up from the 4.7 million that logged in last year. That also means a bump in ad revenue from $23 million in 2008 to at least $30 million.

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The NCAA tournament may be surpassed only by the Super Bowl in terms of interest and indeed rivals the NBA playoffs. Beyond that, the tournament that has grown from 16 to 32 to 48 to 64 and now 65 has no other peers.

“It really is special,” said UCLA coach Ben Howland. “Everybody in the country is involved from every corner and every Division I basketball league. That’s what makes it special. It really really is the greatest sporting event in this country.”

Naturally, when you have something great there are some who want to tinker with it to make it even greater. Ned Hirsch of Rockville Center, N.Y., is one who like to see the field expanded to include all 343 teams. He has started a campaign to that end.

Calipari, however, says not so fast. The NCAA tournament and the madness it brings in March is just fine the way it is.

“It’s an interesting thing, but I wouldn’t mess with it too much,” Calipari said. “They talk about adding this, adding teams. But don’t mess with it.”

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