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If I Was in Charge: The NCAA Tournament would never expand
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Patrick Breen / USA TODAY NETWORK
Stop. Messing. With. Perfection. You will only ruin it.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about what we would do if we were in charge of our favorite position group, team, conference, or sport. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”If I Was in Charge” articles here.
Perfection is a tough bar to clear. Whether it is in relationships, work, family, or responsibility, most people strive to reach something they may never achieve. However, there is one thing that is perfect in the world:
The NCAA Basketball Tournament and March Madness.
Whether it is the men’s or women’s NCAA Tournament, everyone looks forward to the opening two rounds of basketball, filling out their brackets and waiting to see what memorable moment will make it onto One Shining Moment after the national championship game.
And now, there are talks — and unfortunately, very real talks — to expand the tournament from 68 teams to 80 or 96 or an even higher number. So, to keep with the theme this week here at Land-Grant Holy Land, if I was in charge of the NCAA, I would never expand the NCAA Tournament.
I accepted when the tournament went from 64 to 68 teams because that is a small number, and they didn’t add to the actual tournament but instead added the first four, which has ended up being a nice appetizer to the entrée that is the 64-team tournament. But now, I am putting my foot down.
68 is a fine number and four regions of 16 teams is perfect. The No. 1 playing the No. 16 has caused recent drama, and I don’t want that to go away. There is no actual point in expanding the tournament. No one has ever thought, “If only there were more teams, it would be better and more fair.”
And all they would do is add more teams from Power Five conferences that are average or even below average. The one-bid leagues would stay one-bid leagues, and teams from the Big Ten, ACC, and SEC that are 7-13 in the conference and 16-16 overall would continue to get into the tournament without earning it.
Other collegiate administrators share the same concerns.
“It worries me every day of my life,” VCU athletic director Ed McLaughlin told ESPN back in March. “Not only because we’re so focused on men’s basketball and women’s basketball and how important the sport is for our institution.
McLaughlin added, “But it’s the single greatest sporting event in our country. More people get involved in March Madness as casual sports fans, really, than anything else.”
Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin also told ESPN in March, “It’s too much of a public trust for us to blow the thing up. You can do a new model [for college sports] down the road while maintaining an inclusive national basketball tournament.”
I live by the motto, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The NCAA Tournament clearly is not broken. It will draw in viewers and eyeballs every single season, no matter the number of teams. Let’s keep it a clean 64 teams (68 before the first four) and continue to love what is the best three-week span of the year.
Keep the tournament as is, and stop messing with perfection. Please.
Continue reading...
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Patrick Breen / USA TODAY NETWORK
Stop. Messing. With. Perfection. You will only ruin it.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about what we would do if we were in charge of our favorite position group, team, conference, or sport. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”If I Was in Charge” articles here.
Perfection is a tough bar to clear. Whether it is in relationships, work, family, or responsibility, most people strive to reach something they may never achieve. However, there is one thing that is perfect in the world:
The NCAA Basketball Tournament and March Madness.
Whether it is the men’s or women’s NCAA Tournament, everyone looks forward to the opening two rounds of basketball, filling out their brackets and waiting to see what memorable moment will make it onto One Shining Moment after the national championship game.
And now, there are talks — and unfortunately, very real talks — to expand the tournament from 68 teams to 80 or 96 or an even higher number. So, to keep with the theme this week here at Land-Grant Holy Land, if I was in charge of the NCAA, I would never expand the NCAA Tournament.
I accepted when the tournament went from 64 to 68 teams because that is a small number, and they didn’t add to the actual tournament but instead added the first four, which has ended up being a nice appetizer to the entrée that is the 64-team tournament. But now, I am putting my foot down.
68 is a fine number and four regions of 16 teams is perfect. The No. 1 playing the No. 16 has caused recent drama, and I don’t want that to go away. There is no actual point in expanding the tournament. No one has ever thought, “If only there were more teams, it would be better and more fair.”
And all they would do is add more teams from Power Five conferences that are average or even below average. The one-bid leagues would stay one-bid leagues, and teams from the Big Ten, ACC, and SEC that are 7-13 in the conference and 16-16 overall would continue to get into the tournament without earning it.
Other collegiate administrators share the same concerns.
“It worries me every day of my life,” VCU athletic director Ed McLaughlin told ESPN back in March. “Not only because we’re so focused on men’s basketball and women’s basketball and how important the sport is for our institution.
McLaughlin added, “But it’s the single greatest sporting event in our country. More people get involved in March Madness as casual sports fans, really, than anything else.”
Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin also told ESPN in March, “It’s too much of a public trust for us to blow the thing up. You can do a new model [for college sports] down the road while maintaining an inclusive national basketball tournament.”
I live by the motto, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The NCAA Tournament clearly is not broken. It will draw in viewers and eyeballs every single season, no matter the number of teams. Let’s keep it a clean 64 teams (68 before the first four) and continue to love what is the best three-week span of the year.
Keep the tournament as is, and stop messing with perfection. Please.
Continue reading...