By now I'm sure you've heard that the NCAA is likely on the verge of expanding the men's basketball tournament to 96 teams.
A wordy press conference was held in Indianapolis yesterday, which ESPN's Dana O'Neil summarily tore apart.
Bob Medina said,
I have been against an Ivy League tournament at the end of the season. If the NCAA goes to 96 teams, the Ivy League tournament probably becomes a reality.
Too bad. It makes the season almost meaningless.
Bob M
Gregg Lange said,
WHOA!
Fabulous oldies tie-in from the young whippersnapper !!!
All the Mysterians salute you, Jon! [bet you can imagine what that looks like......]
Stuart Schulman said,
If the NCAA offers automatic bids to regular season champions and conference tourney winners, then I think Bob is right--the Ivy League would be leaving a free invite on the table if they didn't start a tournament going.
If the NIT is essentially going to be folded into the NCAA, then it would be logical for them to extend these two invites per league, as regular season champs who do not go to the NCAA are already automatic bids to the NIT.
However, such an arrangement might create some perverse incentives.
Jon Solomon said,
Gregg,
I booked a ? show in Chicago in the mid-1990s at Empty Bottle, but that's another story for another forum...
Jon
Jon Solomon said,
If the tournament *has* to expand, I'd be pro-68 teams, with the play-in game blown up and the last eight at-large teams battling for the final four bids.
Jon
R.W. Enoch, Jr. said,
I agree. If you think about this year, the only teams people seemed upset about not making the tournament were Illinois, VT, and Mississippi State. They all would have been in with a 68 team format (although, not if you added the Great West).
Stuart Schulman said,
If the field were 68 teams then teams 69-72 would be kvetching. No matter how many teams you have in the tournament, there will be a bubble. And someone will feel cheated.
I would be more willing to entertain a 96-team tournament if someone could make a case that an 18 seed that would otherwise have gone to the NIT, has a legitimate chance to make the Final Four or beyond.
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