NCAA Tournament to expand to 96 teams?

[J.Will]

Apparently everyone gets to play. Forget that a 16 seed has never beat a number one seed. Let's just go ahead and water down the tournament a little more...

The NCAA is pondering adding to its 65-team men's basketball tournament, making it a 96-team field. It is locked into the current format only through this year's championship game. After that, it can re-negotiate its $6-billion contract with CBS.

The 96-team field is a dumb idea, based on greed.

So expect it to happen.

NCAA basketball tournament isn't broken, so why fix it? - latimes.com

 

[bamahippie]

Apparently everyone gets to play. Forget that a 16 seed has never beat a number one seed. Let's just go ahead and water down the tournament a little more...



NCAA basketball tournament isn't broken, so why fix it? - latimes.com

What in God's green earth?

I guess they'll disband the NIT, CBI, and whatever the other blah tourney was, right? Because if they don't, literally 1/2 of Division 1 BBall teams will be going to a tourney. Puh-Leaze! At least the way football is now, only 1/2...oh, never mind. :biggrin2: I agree, 'tis watered down.

 

[Fury]

Apparently everyone gets to play. Forget that a 16 seed has never beat a number one seed. Let's just go ahead and water down the tournament a little more...



NCAA basketball tournament isn't broken, so why fix it? - latimes.com

To be fair... those 15 & 16 seeds aren't the last teams invited. Those are weak conference teams with automatic bids. I don't want to see it expanded, it's great now. There's always gonna be squabble over who should be the last teams invited NO MATTER HOW MANY TEAMS ARE IN THE TOURNAMENT. Adding more teams doesn't change the controversy (it's the same in football too).

 

[J.Will]

To be fair... those 15 & 16 seeds aren't the last teams invited. Those are weak conference teams with automatic bids. I don't want to see it expanded, it's great now. There's always gonna be squabble over who should be the last teams invited NO MATTER HOW MANY TEAMS ARE IN THE TOURNAMENT. Adding more teams doesn't change the controversy (it's the same in football too).

Alright ask yourself this question? After the brackets were determined did you say to yourself, "Damn 31 teams got hosed." Or 15? Or 10?

This is just so ESPN can make more money. They want that extra week.

 

[BLAKE55]

If it is expanded to 96 teams I like our chances of getting an invitation. Until then, I'm hoping we can go to the NIT. (Fingers crossed)

 

[rolltideface]

I personally would love it. March Madness is the best sporting event of the year (minus the SECCG or BCSCG or for that matter- any Bama SEC football game) so I am all for it. Hell- let's make it 129 teams. I can see my 2 page bracket now...

 

[Bama Reb]

Great. Now we'll have March Madness, April Anger, May Mania, June Irrationality, July Lunacy, August Absurdity, etc., etc.,... When will it ever end?

 

[BLAKE55]

Great. Now we'll have March Madness, April Anger, May Mania, June Irrationality, July Lunacy, August Absurdity, etc., etc.,... When will it ever end?

We already have August Absurdity...Auburn fans call it August AUdacity. It's happens every pre-season when they predict that they will be great. The absurd part is that it never comes to pass.

 

[ALA2262]

Great. Now we'll have March Madness, April Anger, May Mania, June Irrationality, July Lunacy, August Absurdity, etc., etc.,... When will it ever end?

Actually, they would be adding only two more days to the tournament. On the front end. With a 96 team tournament you are starting with 32 teams with a bye. Starting on Monday, you play 16 games and Tuesday morning you now have 48 teams in. Tuesday you play 16 games and on Wednesdsay morning you have 64 teams in . On Thursday you start your 64 team tournament, just as you would have if you had not added the additional 32 teams.

You also would do away with the inane playing of #1's against #16's and #2's against #15's. For a #24 to play a #1, they would have to beat a #9 to EARN that right. For a #23 to play a #2, likewise would require them to beat a #10 in order to do so.

 

[CrimsonChuck]

It is bad for another reason too. I don't think that any team seeded lower than 8th (???) has ever won an NCAA tourney. Correct me if I am wrong about that.

Why should we add 31 more teams that have no real chance of winning, when we already have 33 teams that have no real chance of winning? Lower seeded teams make the Final Four sometimes, but then they never do anything once they get there.

 

[ALA2262]

It is bad for another reason too. I don't think that any team seeded lower than 8th (???) has ever won an NCAA tourney. Correct me if I am wrong about that.

Why should we add 31 more teams that have no real chance of winning, when we already have 33 teams that have no real chance of winning? Lower seeded teams make the Final Four sometimes, but then they never do anything once they get there.

IMO, the 31 teams that have no chance of winning, the small conference automatic bids, are for the most part, already in the tournament. What they would be adding is, again for the most part, the 31 in the middle that should have been there to begin with.

 

[ALA2262]

Great. Now we'll have March Madness, April Anger, May Mania, June Irrationality, July Lunacy, August Absurdity, etc., etc.,... When will it ever end?

Would not add any days to the tournament. In essence, instead of #'s 64 and 65 in a "play-in game", you have #'s 33-96 playing "play-in games" on Monday and Tuesday or Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday, as usual, you are down to 64 teams. The difference being, is that you now have the best 64 teams.

 

[BAMA1979]

Didn't we already have enough average at-large teams in the tournament this year? See Texas, Wake Forest, Florida, Minnesota, Louisville, etc., etc. We'll still have to hear Vitale complain about how a few below average teams were left out of the tournament. In my opinion, an expansion will not improve the tournament.

 

[BAMA1979]

Would not add any days to the tournament. In essence, instead of #'s 64 and 65 in a "play-in game", you have #'s 33-96 playing "play-in games" on Monday and Tuesday or Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday, as usual, you are down to 64 teams. The difference being, is that you now have the best 64 teams.

What we'll have is about 30 good teams and about 66 teams that are average to bad. :biggrin2:

 

[RTR91]

Doug Gottlieb said today that he believes an expansion will cause coaches to lose their jobs more than now. His reasoning is an AD will say, "You can't make the field of 96?" I agree. If coaches can't make the tourney with a field of 96, I can easily see them getting fired.

 

[bamanut_aj]

You may surprised to know that prior to March Madness, college basketball ratings are down. There are just too many games on tv. You can watch college basketball every night. Expansion is all about increasing (they hope) ratings and recouping money that their losing by saturing the regular season.

Oh, not that I support college football playoff, but the presidents claim that one is reason for not having it is that they can't justify letting players miss that much school....... :rolleye2:

 

[CajunCrimson]

Alright ask yourself this question? After the brackets were determined did you say to yourself, "Damn 31 teams got hosed." Or 15? Or 10?

This is just so ESPN can make more money. They want that extra week.

I guess ESPN would make a little, but the Tournament is on CBS ....... and has been for years.

With that said..........I'm not opposed to adding the 32 add'l teams, because I have to admit, the first 4 days of the Tournament are Christmas to a Basketball fan.....and I love it...........

The add'l 32 teams this year would have added the likes of: North Carolina, Ole Miss, Miss State, Illinois, Cinci, Rhode Island, Va Tech, UConn, UAB, Memphis, Nevada, etc.......

Top 8 seeds get byes....and now you have 64 play in teams, 32 add'l games. Once those games are over, you reseed 9-16 in each region, and you have your field of 64. Then you filter out the Lehighs of the world......and make better games....

I'm for it..........let's do it!

 

[DzynKingRTR]

If they expand to 96 teams I will quit watching and only have a passing interest when it gets down to the final 4. I know for a fact that I am not alone.

Yay everyone gets a trophy yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.

 

[CajunCrimson]

I really don't get the huge negativity from fans on this......I really don't.

You basically are merging the NCAA and the NIT......

Coach K's suggestion of bringing in the 31 Conference Champs and the 31 (or less) Tournament winners seems to make it a bit more intriguing....

Plus it gives us 16 add'l games.......what fun!! I really don't see the negatives....

People complained when it went from 48 to 64.......that it was diluting the games.... but this year had some of the best games ever. If you weren't pumped after Xavier vs Kansas State......you have no soul.

Basketball is so competitive year in and year out.....it's fun......I love seeing the games this year....I would love to watch another two days of fun.

My wife on the other hand? She'd hate it!

 

[RJ YellowHammer]

I really don't get the huge negativity from fans on this......I really don't.

You basically are merging the NCAA and the NIT......

Coach K's suggestion of bringing in the 31 Conference Champs and the 31 (or less) Tournament winners seems to make it a bit more intriguing....

Plus it gives us 16 add'l games.......what fun!! I really don't see the negatives....

People complained when it went from 48 to 64.......that it was diluting the games.... but this year had some of the best games ever. If you weren't pumped after Xavier vs Kansas State......you have no soul.

Basketball is so competitive year in and year out.....it's fun......I love seeing the games this year....I would love to watch another two days of fun.

My wife on the other hand? She'd hate it!

Me too! I am so excited by the possibility of the 36th best team playing the 89th best team in the 2nd or 3rd round, and now I don't have to watch any college basketball until the semi-finals of the conference tournaments because none of the regular season will mean anything. Next year, we can have 13 teams from the Big East in the tournament and this year, the team that lost in the C-USA Championship Game would've been an easy at large team. This is going to be great! /sarcasm...