96 Team NCAA Tourney

[mason55]

So I'm watching Bob Ley run his old fat mouth on OTL right now and he's talking about a 96 team big dance. The first weekend is 33-96 seeds playing into a 64 team tournament, where everyone is re-seeded.

The idea is that the first weekend is more competitive.

What do you guys think? I think the conference tourneys are already the first few rounds of the NCAA tourney and we REALLY don't need more than 64 teams in the tourney. The conference tourneys are so much fun to watch that if you took 96 teams in the bid dance it would destroy the worth of the conference tourneys. We'd be talking about 10-18 teams as bubble teams. WHO THE [censored] CARES ABOUT A 10-18 TEAM. They're not going anywhere. No 10-18 team was beating Caroline or Illinois. And these guys on OTL are all acting like a 96 team tourney is the best idea since the wheel.

[Dead]

I think it should be the top 64 teams. And that's not what it is now. It's the top 45-50, plus a bunch of schools from tiny conferences that had auto bids.

[Clarkmeister]

The tournament is perfect. It already includes every single Division I school as any team can win their conference tournament and get an automatic bid. No reason to change anything as everyone already has a fair and equal shot.

[mmbt0ne]

Sounds like you're just upset one of those "schools from tiny conferences that had auto bids" beat your Orange.

[Dead]

It is just as easy to win the ACC as it is to win the MAAC. Gotcha.

[mason55]

[ QUOTE ]
I think it should be the top 64 teams. And that's not what it is now. It's the top 45-50, plus a bunch of schools from tiny conferences that had auto bids.

[/ QUOTE ]

How do you propose determining the top 64 teams?

In my mind, we're not getting the top 64 teams. But the tourney starts when the conference tourneys start. Sure, some teams have an easier first few rounds. But are you saying that if Indiana can't win the Big 10 tourney they still deserve go? I prefer to think of it as hey, they had a chance to qualify, they can't even win their own conference. If they're good enough they get a second chance but if they can't win their conference tourney they get no guarantees.

[Dead]

How do you think they do the BCS?

Maybe create a similar system for college bball.

[mason55]

[ QUOTE ]
How do you think they do the BCS?

Maybe create a similar system for college bball.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you're regessing if you do that. Most people want the BCS to be MORE like the BB tourney.

[mmbt0ne]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">En réponse à:</font><hr />
How do you think they do the BCS?

Maybe create a similar system for college bball.

[/ QUOTE ]

BCS &gt; March Madness ?!?!

Please tell me you're joking.

[Clarkmeister]

[ QUOTE ]
It is just as easy to win the ACC as it is to win the MAAC. Gotcha.

[/ QUOTE ]

It is easier to get a bid *from* the ACC than the MAC, that much is obvious. Finish in the top half with a winning record and you are in. Mid Majors mostly need to WIN their conference tourney.

Besides, who gives a rats ass if Indiana, Notre Dame and Maryland were in the tourney this year. None of them had any chance of winning, so why worry about it.

[mason55]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
How do you think they do the BCS?

Maybe create a similar system for college bball.

[/ QUOTE ]

BCS &gt; March Madness ?!?!

Please tell me you're joking.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly. I mean, for god's sake, the state of Texas voted to not allow their schools in the BCS. The AP voted to not allow their poll in the BCS.

I'm sorry Syracuse lost to Vermont, but they had their chance. Illinois and UNC had just as many chances to lose but they pulled it out.

[mason55]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
It is just as easy to win the ACC as it is to win the MAAC. Gotcha.

[/ QUOTE ]

It is easier to get a bid *from* the ACC than the MAC, that much is obvious. Finish in the top half with a winning record and you are in. Mid Majors mostly need to WIN their conference tourney.

Besides, who gives a rats ass if Indiana, Notre Dame and Maryland were in the tourney this year. None of them had any chance of winning, so why worry about it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Villanova is the lowest seed to win at a 8 seed. I don't think there's any team that has ever NOT made it that you could say should have made it AND been higher than a 8 seed.

[Dead]

I'm not saying we should do that. I just don't like this system that we have now. And it's not because SU lost to Vermont. Vermont probably would have gotten an at large bid anyway, had they lost their conference tourney.

[mason55]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm not saying we should do that. I just don't like this system that we have now. And it's not because SU lost to Vermont. Vermont probably would have gotten an at large bid anyway, had they lost their conference tourney.

[/ QUOTE ]

So name a team that has missed the tourney that had a chance to win.

[Dead]

What does that have to do with this? I'm not saying a team should have to be able to win the entire thing. I'm just saying that maybe the top 64 in the country should be considered instead.

I do understand the rationale behind the auto bid, however. Tiny schools in minor conferences might not ever have a chance to make the tourney without it, because it's tough to get big schools to play you. Big schools gain nothing by beating small schools, but big schools can lose respect if they lose to Northwest Colorado State(not sure if it exists, just throwing an example out there).

[mason55]

I guess my point is that if a team can't win it's conference tourney and it's not good enough for an at large it has no business being in the big dance.

I think too much emphasis is placed on getting in the tourney. There's many many teams that can't win the tourney that are in it every year. All they do is knock out good teams then loose to great teams, which is fine. But EVERY team has a chance to win 8 in a row and get the national title. And if you don't play a good enough regular season and don't play a good enough conference tourney then you don't deserve to have a shot. A small conference team that makes a run in the tourney at least should get a shot over a crappy major conference team that loses in their conference touruney. Both teams had their chance to guarantee a place in the dance, only one team took advantage of it.

[Dead]

It's 6 in a row, not 8 in a row.

Other than that, nice post. Too tired to argue about it more tonight. So it's bedtime

Syracuse pwns!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111111

http://www.scrantontimestribune.com/stories/mcnamara/other/images/FINAL_FOUR_SYRACUSE_TEXAS_NUA168_371221709042003.j pg

[mason55]

[ QUOTE ]
It's 6 in a row, not 8 in a row.

Other than that, nice post.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was including conference tourney when I picked that number, so it should have been 9 or 10 in a row actually.

[Dead]

Depending on byes, yes, 9 or 10.

For just the Big Dance, mostly 6. Unless you're in the play-in game, in which case it's 7. Go Oakland. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[zaxx19]

[ QUOTE ]
How do you think they do the BCS?


[/ QUOTE ]

Yes the BCS is flawless...and of course never produces split national championships...

Oh and there arent any weak conferences that get auto bids either....

Big Least whut???

I personally would love to see a 16 team playoff in college football. Doubt itll happen but heres to trying.

B10-2 bids
SEC-2
B12-2
PAC10-2
ACC-2
Big Least-1

5 at large bids.

Seed them like they seed th bball tourney with a panel of experts, ad's and the like.

[mason55]

[ QUOTE ]
Depending on byes, yes, 9 or 10.

For just the Big Dance, mostly 6. Unless you're in the play-in game, in which case it's 7. Go Oakland. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I had SYR in my final four this year and won a ton of money 2 years ago when I picked them if it makes you feel better /images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Dead]

Edit: I should stop harping on the Cuse, till november at least. /images/graemlins/blush.gif

[BreakEvenPlayer]

[ QUOTE ]
I think it should be the top 64 teams. And that's not what it is now. It's the top 45-50, plus a bunch of schools from tiny conferences that had auto bids.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, that would suck. Many small and mid-major conferences would not have a representative in the tournament and getting to the tournament is the main reason why these schools compete in Div. 1 basketball.

The play-in game was exciting to watch. Two small schools who nobody cared about all season got to play a game on national TV. Those teams played their hearts out and you could feel the excitement in the air.

Watching a first round matchup between a No. 1 seed and some team that won a third of their games in a major conference would be disgusting.

And obviously you are still butthurt from the Syracuse loss. The Vermont and Bucknell wins... this is the reason the tourney is exciting from the start to finish.

[jstnrgrs]

If I were to make changes to NCAA basketball, they would be:

1) Eliminate the opening round game. 33 at-large teams in more than enough. To appease those who are afraid on minor confrences dividing and eating up the at-large bids, I recomend that it be anounced that, in the future, there will be no new automatic bids.

2a) Eliminate confrence tournaments (at least for minor confrences). The existance of confence tournaments largely makes the regular season irrelevant.

2b)If conference tournaments must be kept, then i recomend a rule that a conference may not be awarded more NCAA tournament births than it would have gotten if it had given its strongest team its automatic birth. I don't think its fair that a conference is rewarded (at the expense of teams in other conferences) when a weak team [that is, one that could not have gotten an at large bid (providing that we are talking about conferences that send more than one team)] wins its tournament.

I think the same sytem that I have outlined above should be used for football, except that there would only be 16 teams (11 automatic, and 5 at large).

I think expanding the tournament is a terrible idea.

[Bulldog]

Here is the ultimate solution: Take all of them (330, I believe).

It'd only add one weekend to the season. The top 64 seeds would host the opening weekend games.