ACC coaches are pushing for an all-inclusive NCAA tournament, since it looks like there may be limited non-conference play.

I have contended for years that we ought to do away with conference tournaments and allow every team that is eligible to participate in the Dance, moving like the old Indiana HS tournament did, from district to sectional to regional (or vice versa?) and then to the Final Four. Including every team would take away all the griping about who made the tournament and who didn't. 64 X 2 = 128 X 2= 256 x 2 = 512, and that more than takes in the total number of D1 teams. Two or three more games (or one more week, the week that would have been for conference tournament) is all it would take. And the season is not even any longer.

(09-10-2020 09:07 AM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  ACC coaches are pushing for an all-inclusive NCAA tournament, since it looks like there may be limited non-conference play.

I have contended for years that we ought to do away with conference tournaments and allow every team that is eligible to participate in the Dance, moving like the old Indiana HS tournament did, from district to sectional to regional (or vice versa?) and then to the Final Four. Including every team would take away all the griping about who made the tournament and who didn't. 64 X 2 = 128 X 2= 256 x 2 = 512, and that more than takes in the total number of D1 teams. Two or three more games (or one more week, the week that would have been for conference tournament) is all it would take. And the season is not even any longer.

If there was ever a year to try this, this is it! It would address and hopefully solve a myriad of problems facing the college basketball season this year.

It would do away with the necessity of non-conference play to determine at large bids since everyone gets in. Seeding by the committee is done by their “eye test” anyway, so just use KenPom or some other program that ranks all teams to do your initial seeding. If reseeding needs to be redone after the field is whittled down, so be it.

Since non-conference games would not be played by anyone, all of the sticky legal problems that will come up about this team or that choosing to not play a non-conference game already contracted go away.

Conferences could go ahead and start conference round robins or whatever they choose right after Thanksgiving, and have until the end of February or so to get it done. This would allow a lot a cushion to reschedule conference games that might have to be postponed as they go along. (See what is happening all over in college athletics who are trying to compete this fall).

And for the mid-majors who need the payday games, since everybody is in the tournament, all schools get some share of the NCAA pot to help make up for the money games lost. Of course the payouts would still be based on how many games played, so advancing means more dough (so the big boys would agree).

We can go back to “normal” next season, when please let things be at least a lot closer to “normal”. In the crazy situation we have this year, there needs to be some serious thinking outside the box!

NCAA is saying they have no plans to do this. But it seems like a good idea to me. In a year when everything has gone wrong, a few teams would make the tournament that might not ever get the chance again.

(09-10-2020 03:44 PM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  NCAA is saying they have no plans to do this. But it seems like a good idea to me. In a year when everything has gone wrong, a few teams would make the tournament that might not ever get the chance again.

Army and William & Mary would certainly appreciate it!