Online sportscaster keeps users in the game.(Company Business and Marketing)

SportsLine.com soaks up the pressure from fans who want up-to-date scores and site reliability

A RITE OF SPRING beloved by college basketball fans, the NCAA men's basketball championship popularly known as March Madness, has grown into one of the year's more popular sporting events on television and the Internet.

The 65-team, single-elimination championship kicks off March 13 and maintains the interest of students, graduates, family, and office-pool enthusiasts throughout each grueling round of elimination.

At the epicenter of the event is CBS, which owns the tournament's broadcasting rights. But because first-and second-round games take place during workday hours, the company's online counterpart, SportsLine.com, publisher of CBS SportsLine.com, bears the daily responsibility of keeping millions of viewers updated with scores and results. The Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.-based sports Web site must therefore provide on-demand site availability and …