Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not by Feinstein's standards
Review: If you didn't attend an ACC school or follow ACC basketball closely in the early 90's don't read this book. Whereas his classic "A Season on the Brink" about the 1985-86 Indiana Baketball season is interesting for both the player development and the strong attraction of the volatile Bobby Knight, this book's players and coaches are no longer around in the NBA or ACC. Of the coaches profiled, only Dave Odom and Gary Williams are still with the same team. Feinstein's books depend on an exciting game, season, or characters and this book lacked all of the above UNLESS you followed ACC basketball during this time and are familiar with the story from the spectator's viewpoint. If you were a serious fan of ACC basketball at this time it's very fun to get the histories and dirt on the players and coaches.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, but expected more
Review: John Feinstein follows the nine teams of the Atlantic Coast Conference through a tumultuous season in this book. Given amazing access to most of the coaches and teams from the preseason to the Final Four, Feinstein captures the essence of playing basketball in the ACC. From sitting in on pre-game and half time conversations, to being right on the bench for games as the they unfold, Feinstein offers a picture that many fans would never see of the basketball game. One of the most interesting aspects of the book was the look into the lives of the coaches before reaching their current positions at the time of the book. The background information helps to define the styles that each of these men display on the court in the games described in the book and also in games they are coaching today in the NCAA. While some of the descriptions of games are quite bland, Feinstein does take a fan into a a part of the game they would not normally be exposed to. His ability to capture the feel of life in the ACC is quite an achievement. I would recommend this book to any fan of the ACC who would like an inside view of the league. The book loses 2 stars for the game descriptions but that should not deter someone interested in the league.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but expected more
Review: John Feinstein follows the nine teams of the Atlantic Coast Conference through a tumultuous season in this book. Given amazing access to most of the coaches and teams from the preseason to the Final Four, Feinstein captures the essence of playing basketball in the ACC. From sitting in on pre-game and half time conversations, to being right on the bench for games as the they unfold, Feinstein offers a picture that many fans would never see of the basketball game. One of the most interesting aspects of the book was the look into the lives of the coaches before reaching their current positions at the time of the book. The background information helps to define the styles that each of these men display on the court in the games described in the book and also in games they are coaching today in the NCAA. While some of the descriptions of games are quite bland, Feinstein does take a fan into a a part of the game they would not normally be exposed to. His ability to capture the feel of life in the ACC is quite an achievement. I would recommend this book to any fan of the ACC who would like an inside view of the league. The book loses 2 stars for the game descriptions but that should not deter someone interested in the league.
Rating:
Summary: Another Feinstein Winner
Review: John Feinstein has written another book. Some may think "You gotta be kidding me," but no, he has improved his previous performances. His books, Season on the Brink, A Good Walk Spoiled, and A Civil War, are, by far, the best, non-fiction sporting books available in my estimation. With "March to Madness," he has improved on allspects of writing. I do not consider myself an ACC Basketball fan, yet this book is one that I could not put down. His insight into all of of the coaches was incredible. I HIGHLY recommend it to ANY and ALL sports fans.
Rating: 
Summary: A Book Every ACC Fan Should Read
Review: John Feinstein is a great writer, and this book is a look at one season in the ACC. He follows the teams around the conference for a season, giving us the background of the players and coaches and showing us the high and low points of the season.
For those of us who didn't go to one of these schools, it's a great way to learn about the basketball traditions of the conference, the history of the rivalries, the conference tournament, the arenas, the fans, etc.
Even if you're not an ACC fan, if you like college basketball you should enjoy this book.
Rating:
Summary: Memorable tale of a colorful season in the ACC Conference
Review: John Feinstein is one of the most prolific writers in the field of sports journalism. He has written books covering everything from the harshness of playing for Bobby Knight ("A Season on the Brink") to romance of the little schools of the Patriot League ("The Last Amatuers"). When "A March to Madness" was released, I was quite pleased to find a tribute to a season that was so memorable to me. At the dawn of the 1996-97 NCAA Basketball season, I was in my second year at the University of Maryland. I found it difficult to really get into the basketball team my first year because it seemed like more hype than product. It was in 1996-97, that I truly began to embrace the Terrapins. "A March to Madness" chronicles their up-and-down season along with the other eight members of the ACC basketball conference (thought to be the best in the country). Feinstein was given unlimited access to all the teams by all the coaches (save for North Carolina's Dean Smith, who is notoriously stingy about that kind of access) and, as a result, put together a compelling record of, not only the season itself, but the background of the players, schools, and coaches that made that season what it was. Feinstein tells the story of Duke's Mike Krzyzewski leading the Blue Devils' resurgence to the top of the ACC standings just two years after a debilitating injury crushed himself and the Duke basketball program. He follows the quest of Dean Smith to break Adolph Rupp's all-time wins record. The journey of the conference's and country's best player, Tim Duncan of Wake Forest, to end his memorable 4-year career with a National Title comes to an end much too soon and is captured in agonizing detail by Feinstein. Feinstein also covers other notable stories like the surprising run by the upstart Maryland Terrapins to a Top 5 ranking before lack of depth and experience caused them to fall back to the back and the inexplicable implosion of Georgia Tech just one season after it missed the ACC Title by two points. Feinstein's gift when it comes to writing is that brings life to the people he covers rather than just treating them like statistics in a news report. In "A March to Madness", the reader comes to understand the backgrounds and struggles of all of the coaches. On one level or another, the reader can identify with all of them. Feinstein treats the notable players much the same way. This book is a quick read and a truly memorable exposition of the mad world of ACC Basketball.
Rating:
Summary: Memorable tale of a colorful season in the ACC Conference
Review: John Feinstein is one of the most prolific writers in the field of sports journalism. He has written books covering everything from the harshness of playing for Bobby Knight ("A Season on the Brink") to romance of the little schools of the Patriot League ("The Last Amatuers"). When "A March to Madness" was released, I was quite pleased to find a tribute to a season that was so memorable to me. At the dawn of the 1996-97 NCAA Basketball season, I was in my second year at the University of Maryland. I found it difficult to really get into the basketball team my first year because it seemed like more hype than product. It was in 1996-97, that I truly began to embrace the Terrapins. "A March to Madness" chronicles their up-and-down season along with the other eight members of the ACC basketball conference (thought to be the best in the country). Feinstein was given unlimited access to all the teams by all the coaches (save for North Carolina's Dean Smith, who is notoriously stingy about that kind of access) and, as a result, put together a compelling record of, not only the season itself, but the background of the players, schools, and coaches that made that season what it was. Feinstein tells the story of Duke's Mike Krzyzewski leading the Blue Devils' resurgence to the top of the ACC standings just two years after a debilitating injury crushed himself and the Duke basketball program. He follows the quest of Dean Smith to break Adolph Rupp's all-time wins record. The journey of the conference's and country's best player, Tim Duncan of Wake Forest, to end his memorable 4-year career with a National Title comes to an end much too soon and is captured in agonizing detail by Feinstein. Feinstein also covers other notable stories like the surprising run by the upstart Maryland Terrapins to a Top 5 ranking before lack of depth and experience caused them to fall back to the back and the inexplicable implosion of Georgia Tech just one season after it missed the ACC Title by two points. Feinstein's gift when it comes to writing is that brings life to the people he covers rather than just treating them like statistics in a news report. In "A March to Madness", the reader comes to understand the backgrounds and struggles of all of the coaches. On one level or another, the reader can identify with all of them. Feinstein treats the notable players much the same way. This book is a quick read and a truly memorable exposition of the mad world of ACC Basketball.
Rating:
Summary: A road of hardship
Review: John Feinstein really lets you feel the excitement of a NCAA tournament game. In this review of the 1996-97 season of the Atlantic Coast Conference he tells you about the games from a new point of view,a full court view. He commentates about a Duke- North Carolina game that went down to the last second. No one really goes into the depth of the tournament, "bracketville", and he thoroughly explains the game.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific look at the ACC
Review: No true college hoops should be without this book. Feinstein does another terrific job of showing the reader inside basketball. Thanks to the cooperation of the ACC coaches and players, the season becomes meaningful to the reader. AN enjoyable read. I would say something negative, but there was nothing bad about the book.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific look at the ACC
Review: No true college hoops should be without this book. Feinstein does another terrific job of showing the reader inside basketball. Thanks to the cooperation of the ACC coaches and players, the season becomes meaningful to the reader. AN enjoyable read. I would say something negative, but there was nothing bad about the book.
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