More Rumors

[tornado]

There is a rumor circulating that NCAA Tournament Expansion is indeed on the way...explaining why a lot of talk and spin is already being spewed....

FWIW - but then aren't message boards the place for rumors??

supposedly from an ESPN source...

http://twitter.com/rushthecourt/status/8508878254

http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/source-march-madness-with-96-teams-done-deal-27742

[tornado]

http://dimemag.com/2010/02/report-ncaa-tournament-going-to-96-team-field/

[SFP]

I do not like the 96 team format. They either go to a 128 or keep it as is IMO. The 96 team format will favor the BCS guys like always and I guarantee the mid-majors will be on the road if there is not a designated neutral floor for these extra games or play each other more time then not to make it to the next round. This is not a ploy where the little guys will get the benefit of the doubt over the BCS schools.

What will happen to the NIT?

[BradleyBrave]

The NIT will probably go away, or be relegated to mid-majors and probably not even be televised (at least not by 'the network'). I am for expansion (there are nearly 350 DI teams), but 96 is too many. 3 extra play in games would be enough IMO.

[Bravesfan]

I do not like the 96 team format. They either go to a 128 or keep it as is IMO. The 96 team format will favor the BCS guys like always and I guarantee the mid-majors will be on the road if there is not a designated neutral floor for these extra games or play each other more time then not to make it to the next round. This is not a ploy where the little guys will get the benefit of the doubt over the BCS schools.

What will happen to the NIT?

The NIT probably goes away as it is run by the NCAA. But that would be good news for tourneys like the CIT and/or CI.com as they would step in and fill the void. So I think we will always have these "abc" type tourneys, but the more well known NIT will probably go the way of the dinosaurs.

[Bravesfan]

The NIT will probably go away, or be relegated to mid-majors and probably not even be televised (at least not by 'the network'). I am for expansion (there are nearly 350 DI teams), but 96 is too many. 3 extra play in games would be enough IMO.

Well I wouldn't go for 3 play-ins as this would be too confusing and nobody even watches the one play-in game that already exists! Who wants to see three sets of low-majors playing each other outside of the fans of their respective teams and conferences? I say add a new round with a full compliment of tv games and I think they would be okay. However, I am not for 96 teams.

Here is the way I would do this. Add 15 more teams to make it an even 80, and seed the teams in each of the four regions 1 through 20. Give the top 12 seeds in each region a first round bye, and have each of the 13 to 20 seeds play each other and reseed them before the next round. Exactly like the NIT did in the late 90's and early 00's except double the number of teams. I think the 15 extra teams will eliminate any doubt of who got gyped, but at the same time not water down the field with too many inferior teams. And if any team still complains they missed an expanded 80 team tournament, well too bad because the tournament has already been expanded to accomodate truly legitimate teams that may have had a legitimate complaint. But once you get past 80 teams, who cares? Send them to the NIT!

The other great thing about this format is that it would give even the #20 seeds a chance to actually win a game in the tournament before they get sent off to get slaughtered by a #1 seed. At the same time though, it may even increase the chance of a low seeded team upsetting a #1 seed as the better teams will probably eliminate the weaker teams during that first "play-in" round. So the days of a #1 seed automatically walking through the first round of the NCAA Tournament would be over if they adopted this format.

[LittleBrave]

I like an 80-team field.

Top 12 seeds get a 1st-round bye.
Seeds 13-16 play another 16 teams (teams 65-80) to earn a spot in the Prime Field (of 64). These 16 teams are arguably better than the last 16 who normally get in due to an automatic berth (winning cupcake conf. tournament)
Having any more than 80 would water down the tourney - and these 1st round games would matter more to see who will get a chance to play the nation's top 16 teams. Why penalize the 9-12 seeds? - not sure how it would be set up, but would imagine the 9-12 teams would have to play an extra round.

[Rusty 54]

Well I wouldn't go for 3 play-ins as this would be too confusing and nobody even watches the one play-in game that already exists! Who wants to see three sets of low-majors playing each other outside of the fans of their respective teams and conferences? I say add a new round with a full compliment of tv games and I think they would be okay. However, I am not for 96 teams.

I think that 3 play-ins might be a good thing, I feel like most years it would let most of the bubble teams in. I think this would let in a couple more mid-majors and also would probably let in some of the under-performing BCS teams, but I don't think that undeserving low-major schools would be the ones selected.

[real fan]

Adding more teams is a good idea and you are never going to get the perfect no. to please everybody, I think they need to come up with some criteria like no team with a 500 record in their conf. will qualify and the rpi has to be under a certain number so schools will have to schedule better games , I think it is a win win situation for 31 extra teams to get in plus the extra revenue that will be generated. I see no reason why the NIT cannot survive , now as far as the cbi and .com tournaments I believe they have run their course.

[LittleBrave]

I am not for 96 teams.

Here is the way I would do this. Add 15 more teams to make it an even 80, and seed the teams in each of the four regions 1 through 20. Give the top 12 seeds in each region a first round bye, and have each of the 13 to 20 seeds play each other and reseed them before the next round. But once you get past 80 teams, who cares? Send them to the NIT!

Totally what I was thinking! And I have had this idea for a few months - maybe we should make a proposal Bravesfan.

80 is the perfect solution.
Gets a few more mid-majors in, a few more deserving teams from BCS conferences and other solid conferences - Conf. USA, Colonial, WAC. that would be bigger threats than the last 16 we currently have.
AND, of the 15 or 16 extra teams, put some limits so that conferences don't overload the field, as they already tend to do.
80 is still over 20% of all D-I schools that get in.
Start the NCAA tourney on Tuesday for teams 49-80. They will get 1 day rest after round 1 - after all, they didn't earn the right to get a bye.

[Bravesfan]

I think that 3 play-ins might be a good thing, I feel like most years it would let most of the bubble teams in. I think this would let in a couple more mid-majors and also would probably let in some of the under-performing BCS teams, but I don't think that undeserving low-major schools would be the ones selected.

It could work, but let's make it 4 play-ins and assign one play-in to each region. Make it an "even" 68 teams instead.

I guess my gripe with the 4 play-ins is that is makes it will strip four low-majors the chance to upset one of the top teams in the country. And isn't that why viewers watch those first round games, to see a small team have a chance for the monumental upset?

At least with 80 teams the NCAA is sending a message that all low-majors will have to prove themselves in the "preliminary" round in order to get the chance to beat a great team.

[Braves4Life]

I guess I'm in the minority but there's already too much trash in the tournament as it is. I'd actually prefer 48 teams like the old days and return the luster to the NIT.

Of course, we all know this will NEVER happen since it's all about $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Keep watering things down and it all eventually becomes meaningless. But, it's just typical of today's culture -- people live beyond their means, banks made loans, government bails out those who least deserve it.......

[squirrelgotdead]

I had heard bits and pieces of this a few weeks ago. . .

CBS is leaning towards exercising its opt out this year. And the word is ESPN is prepared to overbid to get this event.

What in essence they are doing is combining the NIT into the NCAA. And this could all be in place next year.

And not long after that, ESPN could very well go under.

[SFP]

And not long after that, ESPN could very well go under.

Imagine if the BCS schools just decided to start their own association and regulated their own sport programs? NCAA would become a has been! Water down the product and take revenue away from the big programs and there is some possibility that this may happen. NCAA needs to walk a fine line between the greedy BCS schools and a perceived fair institution that is in this for the students.

[squirrelgotdead]

That's what the next step would be. . .

The 96-team tourney will lose interest. Ad revenues will wane. You'll see lots of makeshift conferences form to steal autobids after a few years.

The BCS walks and starts its own championship.