NCAA tournament expanding to 128?

[Plebe]

The article's focus is on MCBB, but any expansion would likely apply to the women's tournament as well:

Baylor's Drew wants 128 teams in NCAA tourney

Baylor head coach Scott Drew would like to see the NCAA tournament expand to 128 teams, citing the "great parity" in college basketball.

www.espn.com

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark told ESPN on Wednesday that the conversation about possible expansion has to include the men's and women's tournaments.​

​

"... I'm open to it -- for both men's and women's [basketball], not just men's. It has to go both ways. You're talking about [College Football Playoff] expansion. Why not expansion in March for the basketball tournaments?"​

 

[nwhoopfan]

NOOOOOOOO! You cannot find anywhere remotely close to 128 teams deserving of a bid. It would be so watered down as to just about ruin the whole thing. It ain't broke, so let's not fix it.

 

[sun]

It seems to be an off the cuff remark.
128 teams would be duplicative since that's why each conference has its own tournament to narrow the field.
Plus money is already awarded to the conferences which then splits it up among its member teams.

 

[Cuango]

Short term greed kills the long term goose! How do you take a chance on messing up the most popular sporting event in the country? If they do this, it’s likely they’ll end up with the goose that lays the lead eggs!

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Coach for the 129th Team: We were snubbed and deserved to make the field.

Me: CLICK!

 

[visitingcock]

How about expansion to 96 with first round play-in games for teams 33 through 96?

All conference champs must be placed in 1-32 thus getting the benefit of the “bye” in the first round. Home court for all “pre-regionals” belongs to team with the higher average home game attendance.

 

[Zarathustra]

They are trying to kill off the NIT! The Seton Halls of the WBB
world will go to the NCAAs and be eliminated and then there will
be no # 2 status for the S H Pirates for making the Finals of
the WNIT! Business as usual. Does anyone remember the
premier " end of season NIT" in New York City?? Ancient History, No??

 

[Travelman6]

Even expanding it from 64 to 65 and then 68 has been dumb. 64 was nice, it was a sensible number, it was neat and orderly, 6 rounds and that is it. But I wouldn't be shocked if they expand it to some other bizarre number like 72 where 56 teams get a bye or 80 where 48 teams get a bye or even 96 where only 32 top teams get a bye, the last of which would most certainly be made up of only P5 teams + Gonzaga in that hypothetical 32.

Can't see 128 because then all teams need to play 7 games, making it harder for the darlings to win it all because it increases the likelihood of getting tired and thus bowing out early + another game just means another possible upset chance.

 

[mbr33ct]

 

[oldude]

A bit of history for those who may not know. The first NCAA MBB tournament was held in 1939 with just 8 teams. We’re now at 68 teams. Whether the NCAA tournament goes to 128 teams or some number in between, we should not lose sight of the fact that this is mostly about money, $8.8 billion and counting.

The most disturbing element of this discussion is not the prospect of 128 teams for March Madness. It’s Bob Huggins suggestion that the P5 (soon to be the P2) have their own tournament. The greatest aspect of the tournament is when little known teams from minor conferences take down the big guys, like last season’s 1st round upset of mighty KY by tiny St Peters.

 

[Stymie]

Are the additional non competitive games televised?
98-26 scores?
Total joke and unwatchable matchups.
Should do well to further the popularity of NCAA WBB.

 

[mbr33ct]

A bit of history for those who may not know. The first NCAA MBB tournament was held in 1939 with just 8 teams. We’re now at 68 teams. Whether the NCAA tournament goes to 128 teams or some number in between, we should not lose sight of the fact that this is mostly about money, $8.8 billion and counting.

The most disturbing element of this discussion is not the prospect of 128 teams for March Madness. It’s Bob Huggins suggestion that the P5 (soon to be the P2) have their own tournament. The greatest aspect of the tournament is when little known teams from minor conferences take down the big guys, like last season’s 1st round upset of mighty KY by tiny St Peters.

I wonder how Bob Huggins would feel when he's coaching at a non P5/P2 conference down the road.

 

[oldude]

Are the additional non competitive games televised?
98-26 scores?
Total joke and unwatchable matchups.
Should do well to further the popularity of NCAA WBB.

Depends on who you’re rooting for. When UConn crushed MS St 98-38 in 2016 (piranhas on a roast), I certainly enjoyed the game.

 

[topogigio]

If that's the case, just do away with a regular season and go right to a tournament.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Depends on who you’re rooting for. When UConn crushed MS St 98-38 in 2016 (piranhas on a roast), I certainly enjoyed the game.

You beat me to it though I was gonna use the Texas Sweet Sixteen 105-54 beat down the year prior as my example.

 

[mbr33ct]

As if the P5 conferences not getting enough teams in the tourney now, they want all the teams to go to the tourney.

 

[Ozimoto]

Consider the expansion of the MLB playoffs. More games for TV revenue. Less drama and excitement (at least in my opinion) at season's end unless you happen to have a "wild card" team in the hunt, and quite frankly, fatigue by the time the World Series comes along.

 

[eebmg]

At least young kids are learning their 2's multiplication / power tables.

 

[Beemer]

NOOOOOOOO! You cannot find anywhere remotely close to 128 teams deserving of a bid. It would be so watered down as to just about ruin the whole thing. It ain't broke, so let's not fix it.

This x 1,000,000. As it stands now some of the lowest seeded teams make the tournament with .500 or sub-.500 records because they got hot at the right time & won their conference tournaments. Then they get slaughtered in the first round, they're basically cannon fodder for the #1 seed.

Nope. Do not like.

 

[Beemer]

They are trying to kill off the NIT! The Seton Halls of the WBB
world will go to the NCAAs and be eliminated and then there will
be no # 2 status for the S H Pirates for making the Finals of
the WNIT! Business as usual. Does anyone remember the
premier " end of season NIT" in New York City?? Ancient History, No??

I can remember when the NIT was THE tournament. Now it is a consolation prize if you don't make it to the NCAAs.

 

[Waquoit]

View attachment 79924

Everybody gets to play now...if you rightly consider conference tournaments as early rounds of the Big Dance. Every team has a chance to win their way in.

 

[Stymie]

Depends on who you’re rooting for. When UConn crushed MS St 98-38 in 2016 (piranhas on a roast), I certainly enjoyed the game.

I would not classify that as a game or athletic competition.
More like a human sacrifice.
I find no pleasure in watching a team steamrolled like that and young athletes being embarrassed like that.
Enjoying a “game” like that seems a bit perverse to me.
But that’s just me.

 

[Zarathustra]

If that's the case, just do away with a regular season and go right to a tournament.

Of course, then we could have a best of 5 series for each early round competition, then
expand to best of 7 series for all games in the "SOUR SIXTEEN" and
the FINAL four "FINALLY"! being played some time in April. Of course,
this is based on blogger "topogigio's" suggestion of no regular season.
Perhaps the tournament could start with all seedings being
based on the statistics applied to the previous year's "TOURNAMENT "!!
i.e. margin of victory, bonus points for games won by over 50, 60, or
70 points.... you get the idea. Then again how about dividing the television revenue
among all the WBB players,, not based on games played, but everyone
who suits up for even one game get an equal share of the $$ bounty.
The players on the winning NC team get the same " income" / maybe
individual scholarships or grants-in-aid. This player $$ then could be
tax free. The taxes on income ( in my fantasy world) would be paid by the NCAA
= now that would be quite a players' union negotiation point!
This whole idea of a 128 team tournament is depressing to me!

 

[WFFL]

NCAA wants to get greedy and make more money so they expand it smh . If they do they will need to give 1/2 seeds an automatic bye if not a double or triple bye . Playing against teams who could not even finish above .500 would be a waste of energy for teams with true title aspirations.

 

[oldude]

I would not classify that as a game or athletic competition.
More like a human sacrifice.
I find no pleasure in watching a team steamrolled like that and young athletes being embarrassed like that.
Enjoying a “game” like that seems a bit perverse to me.
But that’s just me.

It is just you. I was at the arena in Bridgeport with approximately 11,000 mostly UConn fans who thoroughly enjoyed the game. Beyond the one-sided nature of a Sweet-16 game against a pretty good SEC team under Vic Schaefer, that had won its first 2 tournament games, the 60 pt victory by UConn was a celebration of one of the best Husky teams ever.