The Back Roads to March

The Unsung, Unheralded, and Unknown Heroes of a College Basketball Season

By: John Feinstein

Narrated by: John Feinstein

#1 New York Times bestselling author John Feinstein returns to his first love--college basketball--with a fascinating and compelling journey through a landscape of unsung, unpublicized and often unknown heroes of Division-1 college hoops.

"Uplifting...[A] heartfelt missive to college basketball." —The Wall Street Journal

John Feinstein pulls back the curtain on college basketball's lesser-known Cinderella stories--the smaller programs who no one expects to win, who have no chance of attracting the most coveted high school recruits. To tell this story, Feinstein follows a handful of players, coaches, and schools who dream, not of winning the NCAA tournament, but of making it past their first or second round games. Every once in a while, one of these coaches or players is plucked from obscurity to lead a major team or to play professionally, cementing their status in these fiercely passionate fan bases as a legend. These are the gifted players who aren't handled with kid gloves--they're hardworking, gritty teammates who practice and party with everyone else.

With his trademark humor and invaluable connections, John Feinstein reveals the big time programs you've never heard of, the bracket busters you didn't expect to cheer for, and the coaches who inspire them to take their teams to the next level.

Critic reviews

“Perfect. A wonderful book by a wonderful sports journalist.”
--Booklist (starred review)

"In this fascinating history, sportswriter Feinstein (A Season on the Brink) takes a look at lesser-known college basketball teams. In order to explore the 'real joys of college basketball,' Feinstein eschews the big money and future NBA stars of celebrated universities to focus on the sheer love of the game that characterizes smaller schools, covering the 2018 basketball season from November to the March playoffs. . . It’s all net for Feinstein’s passionate basketball history."
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Rousing . . . The author is a sympathetic observer, fan, reporter, and scholar all at once, and he delivers reams of information about how the game has evolved . . . Feinstein writes with warmth and enthusiasm of a beloved sport in a book that will grab any fan."
--Kirkus

The heart of college hoops, a story well told

You had me at Bjorn Broman! Great look at the true student athletes who play for live of the game, the school and their teammates

Great look into the lower levels of a sport that’s showing more and more of the top

A great look at the lower end of a sport that’s showing at the top is seeming more and more like a mini nba

A love letter to college basketball

John Feinstein does such a good job with sports books. With this one he went back to the sport that made him famous, college basketball. He spent the 2018-19 season attending mid and low major games. Reports on a lot of games, but it’s really the stories of the players and the coaches from that level. Coaches on the rise and a few who were once top major coaches and were doing a second act on a smaller stage: Cliff Ellis, Jim Calhoun and Tubby Smith. Feinstein has strong opinions and let’s them be known, but most of all it is his absolute love for college basketball that shines through.

I did learn one rule that I didn’t know that explains the length of NCAA tournament games. Halftime of a regular season game is 15 minutes. Halftime of an NCAA tournament game is 20 minutes AND the 20 minutes doesn’t start until the interview with the coach leaving the floor ends. That way each coach has the same amount of time with their players at half. (In theory). I’d recommend this to any college basketball fan.

Feinstein reads it and does an excellent job with the narration.

Must read Now-no tourney!

Such a great listen with no tourneys this year! Kept me in the spirit. Ku had great team this year but Kansas City is a great area for basketball through divisions 2 and 3 and home of NAIA national tournament! Thanks for backgrounds of coaches and teams. Love the little guys and underdogs. Made March for this former freshman and cyo coach enjoyable!!!

Great Fun

Written by a remarkable reporter who loves college basketball for others who love the game. The scores of the game are forgettable, the stories Feinstein tells will stay with me. Last season ended abruptly, this book made up for it. A little.