Too many teams

[CajunHusky]

I agree with the premise that number of teams should be reduced. I would suggest 48 teams. However, if you did that the 16 at large teams would all come from major conferences, including the Big East. If there are any upsets in the Mid Major conferences the Regular season champion probably wouldn't get invited. If you reduce the number of teams, then I would also suggest you limit the number of teams a conference can get into the tournament.

Women's Tournament by Seeds. Wiki: NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament upsets - Wikipedia

Unlike the men's tournament where 14 and 15 seeds can win, not so in the women's tournament. A solution that would never be accepted is only have teams selected from certain conferences. I would suggest Power 5, Big East and possibly AAC. I'm sure there is another conference that should be considered.

rather than name recognition perhaps we could choose teams based on merit?

I think it hard to fine a better solution than the 64 team tournament now. Women's has adjusted to the cost issues by having the first two games on campuses.

But if you really feel a need to change how about getting rid of conferences altogether and play a variation of the premier league style of play, and using a promotion and relegation system..

 

[CajunHusky]

It's generically used to separate the varsity and JV D-I athletic departments, nothing really to do with a particular sport.

Power 5 is FOOTBALL. It came into being to establish a separate organization for a round robin National Championship which essentially prevents any non P5 college from competing for a National Championship. It has everything to do with college football and nothing to do with any other sport.

 

[Wbbfan1]

P5 is easier to write then listing ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac 12 individually. P5 is synonyms with the conferences I listed.

 

[Waquoit]

I think every conference deserves a bid. And if you do that, a 32 team tournament would leave out too many good teams. Besides a 16 beat a 1 once, that means it can happen again.

 

[Artifact]

I agree with the premise that number of teams should be reduced. I would suggest 48 teams. However, if you did that the 16 at large teams would all come from major conferences, including the Big East. If there are any upsets in the Mid Major conferences the Regular season champion probably wouldn't get invited. If you reduce the number of teams, then I would also suggest you limit the number of teams a conference can get into the tournament.

Women's Tournament by Seeds. Wiki: NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament upsets - Wikipedia

Unlike the men's tournament where 14 and 15 seeds can win, not so in the women's tournament. A solution that would never be accepted is only have teams selected from certain conferences. I would suggest Power 5, Big East and possibly AAC. I'm sure there is another conference that should be considered.

NCAA , never enough teams to compete. They prefer to just give a trophy to all the teams who participated, but don't strive to compete for excellence in winning the Championship Title Trophy. In that way, all the teams are equal & no feelings are hurt. & you all remain the same. NCAA appears to want to stifle competition & motivation to 'EXCELLENCE' !

 

[uconnfan68]

Stanford lost two starters to ACL injuries after the seeds were announced. If Stanford was healthy no way would Harvard have beenen them.

Just sayin’, stuff happens. And Feaster was the best player on the floor.

 

[maccca3232]

I agree with the premise that number of teams should be reduced. I would suggest 48 teams. However, if you did that the 16 at large teams would all come from major conferences, including the Big East. If there are any upsets in the Mid Major conferences the Regular season champion probably wouldn't get invited. If you reduce the number of teams, then I would also suggest you limit the number of teams a conference can get into the tournament.

Women's Tournament by Seeds. Wiki: NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament upsets - Wikipedia

There would still be 1 non-P5 At-Large bid (Missouri State) in either a 56 or 48 team field this year.

Below table shows team's that would be excluded for both proposed changes on this year's tourney.

 

[uconnfan68]

It's generically used to separate the varsity and JV D-I athletic departments, nothing really to do with a particular sport.

So UConn is JV?

 

[CajunHusky]

So UConn is JV?

On the one hand I guess they are "JV" in football but certainly not in any other intercollegiate sport ... which proves my point P5 relates to FOOTBALL.

 

[hoopsfan22]

So UConn is JV?

Technically, yes. It's stuck in a mid-major conference because when the conference realignment music stopped, there were no chairs left. That said, UConn easily holds its own against many of the grandfathered P5 teams in many metrics whether that be by athletic department size, media market, academic ranking, etc. Unfortunately until the money starts drying up, the P5 won't be in a hurry to kick out dead weight to make room for teams that could contribute more. That's why a premier league style conference as suggested above is intriguing. You either run with the big dogs or you get knocked down to the "everybody else" level.

 

[uconnfan68]

On the one hand I guess they are "JV" in football but certainly not in any other intercollegiate sport ... which proves my point P5 relates to FOOTBALL.

The original post was about going to 16 teams, 2 each from each P5, and 6 at-large teams. I agree that P5 shouldn’t have any bearing on wcbb selections.

 

[uconnfan68]

Technically, yes. It's stuck in a mid-major conference because when the conference realignment music stopped, there were no chairs left. That said, UConn easily holds its own against many of the grandfathered P5 teams in many metrics whether that be by athletic department size, media market, academic ranking, etc. Unfortunately until the money starts drying up, the P5 won't be in a hurry to kick out dead weight to make room for teams that could contribute more. That's why a premier league style conference as suggested above is intriguing. You either run with the big dogs or you get knocked down to the "everybody else" level.

Now I see why Mississippi gets 2 spots.

 

[FridaFriend]

Someone mentioned the movie, "Hoosiers". I grew up in Indiana and I liked the idea that every high school in Indiana competed in the tournament. There was something special about being able to compete even if you knew you wouldn't advance very far. I wouldn't try to do that for colleges, but I would be sad to see the NCAA tournament to be reduced below the 64 team starting group.

 

[freshler40]

The game experience is worth a thousand words. Gaining experience is what life is all about. Let them play at 64 teams. Everybody is richer for this opportunity. Let the players vote, see what they say!

 

[CajunHusky]

Technically, yes. It's stuck in a mid-major conference because when the conference realignment music stopped, there were no chairs left. That said, UConn easily holds its own against many of the grandfathered P5 teams in many metrics whether that be by athletic department size, media market, academic ranking, etc. Unfortunately until the money starts drying up, the P5 won't be in a hurry to kick out dead weight to make room for teams that could contribute more. That's why a premier league style conference as suggested above is intriguing. You either run with the big dogs or you get knocked down to the "everybody else" level.

but as suggested the "premier league" members would be different for each sport ..... the problem with the current setup is some people insist in applying P5 as a qualifier to non football championships such that if you want to play for a NC in any sport other than football you have to have a P5 football team. That is just absurd.

 

[bluedevil]

I saw an interesting stat: Since 2000 --14,15,16 seeds are 1-317! Wow..

 

[CajunHusky]

I think I am going to switch over to FEB and watch Tiffany Hayes and the Samuelson sisters play in the Spanish league.

Batouly is starting for the opposition

 

[Dokey]

Look, I started this thread and I am undecided. A quick look counted 32 Division 1 basketball conferences so if each champion makes it, that is half the field. It is easy to call the lesser conference champions “participation” ribbon winners but they do deserve recognition but not an automatic first game exit. Perhaps a better solution is to give first round byes to top seeded teams and pit lower seeded teams against each other. It might be fun to see High Point battle Utah Valley for the right to face a Stanford or UConn.

 

[fomalhaut]

Utah Valley made the tournament because Cal Baptist isn't allowed to play in the NCAA's yet. Cal Baptist gave Stanford a scare November 2019.

Cal Baptist is now in the NIT quarterfinals, at 26-0, with a 29-game winning streak which started last year. I hope they win the NIT to embarrass the NCAA.

 

[MooseJaw]

It can be boring for the great teams, but for teams from the weaker conferences it can be the memory of a lifetime. They generally can't recruit far beyond their own backyard, they don't have games on TV, or much local newspaper coverage. Within their competitive realm every conference champion had a great season.

Many years from now they might be telling their kids, I got to play in the NCAA tournament, I played against Uconn and Paige one time, and see their reaction. Remember too that maybe they are weaker teams in Division 1, but it still is Division 1. There are roughly 25,000 graduating high school women who played basketball. Only about 1,000 of those get to play for a Division 1 program.

Finally it is one game, and two days later most of those teams are eliminated. The last teams in are usually equivalent to number 35-40 nationally, so 12 seeds and better are pretty competitive, as is the tournament once they get to 32. It costs two days to give those teams their day in the sun, and a reward for a good season. I don't like the concept of play in games, but think the 64 team field is perfect. Arguably the greatest sporting event of the year, as is.

Oldhuskie, I knew if I read enough of the posts on this that someone would hit it out of the park, I Think you came darn close to a grad slam. A trip of a lifetime for many lower seeded teams, a chance to be seen on the tube, a great way to have recruits see your teams style of play and coaching. For some it's the last game of their college career. What's the down side, Like you I don't see any down side. While no one knows when they may loose each win gives the players another game and that's why they play the game they love. A chance, that's all they want, just a chance for the next win.

 

[UcMiami]

The fact is the P5 (football) conferences have a huge advantage in athletic department budget over all other colleges/universities and it shows in a general way across most team sports in their facilities and their ability to recruit top coaches and top HS talent. There are of course a number of P5 universities that do not invest heavily in excellence in other team sports, and some that do not invest heavily excellence in football, and there are some non-P5 universities that do invest heavily in excellence in certain team sports including football. BUT, as a rule, using 'P5' to designate high budget athletic departments vs other athletic departments works as a pretty good dividing line in football and men's basketball and women's basketball.

The OP was about the experience for the lowest seeded teams to end their season in a drubbing and how sad it was for their players to play in an NCAA tournament. And I think you could ask every one of the players and every member of their families and get a 99% positive response on the experience of being beaten by 40 or 60 or whatever.

Just have to look at the excitement displayed at Colgate when they invited Breanna to come thrash them by 44 - they had a blast and a much better experience than Ohio State invited her the same year with the same result! Or Nevada inviting Gabby to beat them by 31 vs Michigan State the previous game who lost by 34. Not to mention Texas and Miss State who both met Uconn in the second weekend of successive NCAAs and lost by 51 and 60 respectively - did they wish they had lost the round before so they wouldn't have been embarrassed in their last game of the season?

 

[fomalhaut]

Someone mentioned the movie, "Hoosiers". I grew up in Indiana and I liked the idea that every high school in Indiana competed in the tournament. There was something special about being able to compete even if you knew you wouldn't advance very far. I wouldn't try to do that for colleges, but I would be sad to see the NCAA tournament to be reduced below the 64 team starting group.

In England, The FA Cup is open to virtually any team in England, Wales, and the small surrounding islands. One year they had 763 teams.

Yesterday, the three best teams (in my opinion) in Division I won by blowouts. Many of the other games were reasonably competitive, and there were a couple near upsets. (Just got our first upset today, BYU 69, Rutgers 66).

Before you start cutting the tournament size down, you might ask High Point, Jackson State, or Utah Valley if they would rather just skip the tournament. Even #16 Mercer kept it reasonably close against South Carolina until mid 3rd quarter.

 

[BRS24]

Stanford lost two starters to ACL injuries after the seeds were announced. If Stanford was healthy no way would Harvard have beenen them.

With at least one (if not both) of the ACL injuries, Stanford chose not to divulge the detail(s) before the seeds were announced, however when Sales tore her achilles, UConn got punished with a 2 seed.

 

[DriveLH]

Anybody remember when Quinnipiac made the sweet 16?

 

[stamfordhusky]

Don't forget when Harvard beat Stanford a few years back. I have no doubt that Berube's team could have given Stanford fits this year. Of course, the NCAA would have put them as our 16 seed instead.

The 1-16 scenario involving Stanford and Harvard was a scenario that won't happen again. It was 23 years ago, and Stanford was crippled by injuries. The team they sent out onto the court vs Harvard was more like a seven seed. Lost stars Vanessa Nygaard and Kristin Folkl to serious knee injuries in the week prior to the game. And Harvard probably should have been no worse than a 14 seed. They were 21-5 and very experienced. Their seed was affected by anti-Ivy bias and/or a committee that was fairly clueless.

Vanderveer later said that after the second horrible ACL injury, her team really didn't want to play in the tournament.