http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/s...ortCat=ncb
NCAA tourney is the best, but it could be even better
March 14, 2008
By Gene Wojciechowski
ESPN.com
Quote:The NCAA tournament is the best three-plus weeks of hoops, maybe of anything, on the planet. But that doesn't mean it's perfect. It isn't.
So I offer the NCAA 15 suggestions to improve March Madness. NCAA president Myles Brand can thank me later.
1: Quit trying to fake us out with the so-called "opening round game"
It's not an opening round game; it's a play-in game. Not only that, but it's a play-in game in Dayton, Ohio. I mean, haven't the kids suffered enough?
Nothing against Dayton, but if the NCAA is going to treat the 65th and 64th teams in the tournament like nasal drip, then the least it can do is schedule the game somewhere below the Rust Belt. I hear Orlando, Fla., is nice.
Or better yet, do away with the humiliating play-in game altogether. Or if the NCAA insists on keeping it (and it will), expand the tournament field to 68 teams and have four play-in games, all on the same day. Turn it into an event, rather than a stigmatizing, oh-by-the-way prelude to the real thing -- which is what you get with one lonely, obligatory play-in.
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AMEN...but as "broke" as it is, it's still better than football.
I would like to see the NCAA expand to 72 teams with the bottom 16 schools playing each other.
For example in 2007 the lowest at-large bid was #65 Stanford then you had 16+ schools below that number make the NCAA's
71 George Washington
72 Wright State
78 Albany
79 Long Beach State
80 Texas A&M C.C.
87 Oral Roberts
89 Penn
92 Miami (OH)
116 Belmont
126 Eastern Kentucky
136 Niagara
137 North Texas
143 Weber State
147 Central Conn.
168 Jackson State
171 Florida A&M
All these low performing schools can be sent to the play in.
Then it would be easier for deserving mid majors, for example Akron in 2006 to have a chance to dance with 25 plus wins.
My preference is to go to 68 teams first, which is what the NCAA should have done when they made the asinine decision to stop at 65, and have one "play-in" game per region. There could be a Tuesday night doubleheader and a Wednesday night doubleheader to set up all of the action for Thursday and Friday.
The bottom seeds, all autobid conference champions, would not be penalized however. All four lower seeds in each region would be bumped down one spot. The "play-in" games would feature the 12th Seeds vs. the 13th Seeds with the winners advancing to face the 5th Seeds in each region. Much fairer that way.
I say they include regular season conference champions AND tourny champions. Expand the field another 8 or so teams, so there are 2 'opening round games' per region. Then, any team w/ a below .500 conference (or overall) record are 1st selected to play in the opening round.
The Dance is the best RIGHT NOW. No more teams.
Bobby Knight was on ESPN saying how the best 64 don't getb in and they should double the field to 128 as it's only 1 more day, 1 more game. Guess he doesn't realize that if that were to happen teams thinking they belonged in the top 128 would be moaning how they got shafted and belong in the field of 128, when does it end? No matter how poor of a season anybody had, everybody has a shot at the NCAA tournament just by getting hot one weekend in the conference tourney. The current format is just fine, no matter what every March we get teams whining they belonged, we get high level teams getting knocked out early and low level schools vying to be that year's Cindarella, don't mess with it anymore.
Airport KC Wrote:All these low performing schools can be sent to the play in.
I don't think the teams that get an automatic bid should be the ones sent to the play-in. It should be the last few teams that needed an at-large to get in. Make the last two at-larges play the extra game.
OUVan Wrote:Airport KC Wrote:All these low performing schools can be sent to the play in.
I don't think the teams that get an automatic bid should be the ones sent to the play-in. It should be the last few teams that needed an at-large to get in. Make the last two at-larges play the extra game.
+1
Time4Church8 Wrote:OUVan Wrote:Airport KC Wrote:All these low performing schools can be sent to the play in.
I don't think the teams that get an automatic bid should be the ones sent to the play-in. It should be the last few teams that needed an at-large to get in. Make the last two at-larges play the extra game.
+1
If they're the last two to make the tournament, then they should be the first two to play - put'em in the play-in game in Dayton!
Not that it will ever happen, but it should.
OUVan Wrote:Airport KC Wrote:All these low performing schools can be sent to the play in.
I don't think the teams that get an automatic bid should be the ones sent to the play-in. It should be the last few teams that needed an at-large to get in. Make the last two at-larges play the extra game.
exactly
OUVan Wrote:Airport KC Wrote:All these low performing schools can be sent to the play in.
I don't think the teams that get an automatic bid should be the ones sent to the play-in. It should be the last few teams that needed an at-large to get in. Make the last two at-larges play the extra game.
That is a great idea, but those honks from the BCS conferences will never let that happen. Let's get rid of the lower tiered schools first...blah, blah, blah.
Ideally you could have four or eight play in games for the #8 and #9 seeds between those last eight in and last eight out. This year you would see maybe an Arizona State-Villanova matchup or something similar to fill out those 8-9 games. To me, this is much more intriguing than Mt. St. Mary's-Coppin State.
I think my idea of having the 12th Seed and 13th Seed in each region facing off in four "play-in" games for the right to advance against the 5th Seed in each region is the fairest way to handle this issue. There will be enough "big name" schools involved that many more people will be interested in watching the openers and the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th seeds would still be "protected" since they will have more than enough time to prepare for their contests against the 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th seeds.
Wojciechowski is a clown. The game is in Dayton for a number of reasons, one being that Dayton has great basketball fans who support a game between two average to below average teams.
NCAA is trying a "new look" tonight at Ford Field and Reliant Stadium in Houston. Court is located on the 50 yard line and is elevated 27 inches.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/ncaatourne...id=3316264
Will be interesting to hear the comments afterwards from both players and coaches. I suspect that coaches won't like it, as they are much farther away from the action and lower - can't work the officials as well. Check out the pix in the article.