The NCAA recently released a new slogan for their organization: “Show me the money.” Okay, they didn’t really do that, but they might as well have after having serious talks about expanding the NCAA tournament from 65 to 96 teams. No one from the association’s headquarters has come forward to reveal the reason for the possible expansion, but there can only be one motive: money. Simply put, more games would mean more television and ticket revenue. But would more teams make the tournament better? The answer appears to be a resounding no. There is no reason to fix something that isn’t broken, especially one of the few perfect things that still exists in sports. The expansion would not only lessen the excitement of the tournament but also diminish the importance of the regular season.
To reach the 96 team cutoff, the NCAA would virtually combine the 32-team NIT with the current NCAA tournament field and give the top eight seeds from each four regions a first-round bye. This would create an extra round. Follow me? I don’t even want to get started on how ridiculous and huge the bracket would look, suffice to say those small, dorm room TVs would be too small to fit the complete playoff ladder. Essentially the opening round would be full of mediocre teams playing other mediocre teams for the right to face the top squads in the nation.
With 96 out of the 347 division I basketball schools making the tournament, the regular season would just be a warm up for March, with teams only needing to be in the top third to qualify. Even now, the regular season isn’t that important. As long as you qualify for the tournament, anything can happen when you get there, as we witnessed this year. A mediocre year can be made up for with a deep run (Michigan State), or a great season can vanish in the blink of an eye (you know who). Coaches will start treating it more like the preseason if anything and the elite schools will make their schedules easier to keep their players fresh for the post-season.
Once the calendar turns to March, college basketball fans will already be tired from watching so many games that have minimal meaning. Of course there will still be arguments over rankings but they will revolve around whether a Seton Hall is a 17 or a 22 seed, and if Stony Brook University is a worthy bubble team. There’s simply not much fun in that.
The 2010 tournament had the weakest field of teams in a long time, including Arkansas-Pine Bluff and the Sam Houston State Bearkats—yes, Bearkats with a K. And now there are going to be 31 more teams in the Big Dance? Since when are 8th graders invited to the prom? If the expansion were put in place before this year, some potential matchups would be 24 seed Quinnipiac against 9 seed Florida State or the intriguing encounter of 15th seed Morgan State vs. 18th seed Wichita State. Please hold back your excitement, you’re spilling your popcorn on the floor.
If the NCAA has its way, who knows when they will stop expanding the tournament. Why stop at 96 teams? Let’s be fair and include everyone. The tournament should include all 347 schools in Division I and start in December. Who needs the regular season, it’s kind of overrated anyway.
