Our goal every year is to win the National Championship. The same can be said for SC, Baylor, Stanford, and the list goes on, but not on and on. There are schools that have a dream of making it to the final four. Iowa, Ohio State, Georgia, etc.
Now, the mid majors, the lower conferences, the schools that play for the dream of just having the opportunity to play college basketball. They really don't have such dreams, at least, not in the forefront of their minds. Win the conference championship, for that is their NC. Their biggest dream above that is just to make to the big dance, knowing that they really don't stand a chance to win, but the thrill of playing against one of the big boys, playing against the iconic players that they have watched on TV, and yes, having the chance to be on TV themselves, maybe for the first time and the last time in their basketball careers. You don't have to be "great" to play CBB, but the opportunity to be relevant in the game fuels their passion. They may not be good enough to play for a NC contender, but what is on their minds as they hoist up a shot in their driveway growing up. We all have done it, maybe we never played even High School basketball, but we have been to the FF in our minds, taking the shot that wins the NC for the local school. What I'm trying to say is that these kids in the lower schools deserve a better shot of getting in, having a chance to live out their dreams. Probably the worst feeling in the world to them is to win the year long conference title, but to lose in the conference tournament and lose their birth. The conference winner should get in, as well as the tournament winner. We should be giving these small leagues more ways to get in, not just reward at large bids to large schools based on reputation. Remember, this is just a game, and the excitement from these kids will last a lifetime in their minds, while for the other kids, just another year.
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