Field of 96 for NCAA Basketball a "done deal"

[RabbitObsessed]

Re: Field of 96 for NCAA Basketball a "done deal"

I've also heard and read sources stating that a post-season conference tourney will be required for an automatic bid. In other words, no more awarding the auto-bid to the regular season conference champ. If you don' have a tourney, no auto-bid.

I wasn't aware that any regular season winners recieved auto bids in bball?

[zooropa]

Re: Field of 96 for NCAA Basketball a "done deal"

I wasn't aware that any regular season winners recieved auto bids in bball?

The Ivy League.

It doesn't have a conference tournament.

Unless you view the 14 game season as a double elim. round robin sort of affair.

[jackmd]

Re: Field of 96 for NCAA Basketball a "done deal"

I wasn't aware that any regular season winners recieved auto bids in bball?

I know the Ivy league awards is bid to the regular season champion and holds no conference tourney. Off the top of my head I can't think of any other conferences right now.

I forgot to include that the source I read also suggested that all teams in a conference that are eligible for post-season play need to be included in the conference tourney. They were trying to justify a system that allows ultimately every team a playoff spot. In other words, at the end of the regular season every DI team in a conference would have to lose another game to be knocked out of the post-season tourney.

[RabbitObsessed]

Re: Field of 96 for NCAA Basketball a "done deal"

I know the Ivy league awards is bid to the regular season champion and holds no conference tourney. Off the top of my head I can't think of any other conferences right now.

I forgot to include that the source I read also suggested that all teams in a conference that are eligible for post-season play need to be included in the conference tourney. They were trying to justify a system that allows ultimately every team a playoff spot. In other words, at the end of the regular season every DI team in a conference would have to lose another game to be knocked out of the post-season tourney.

Crazy. I just assumed they all had tourneys.

I can't believe they are changing something so good.

[Jacks99]

Re: Field of 96 for NCAA Basketball a "done deal"

I'm all for change, but I'm not sure a large scale change, rather than a tweak would be good for the tourney.

There is essentially already a tourney that allows almost every team to compete for the national title. The only teams left out are bottom dwellers of conferences that don't seed all teams, like the bottom two of the Summit and those that don't have a tourney, Ivy League?

The current system allows the better teams that don't win their conf. tourneys one more chance. Adding sub .500 Big Schools will only water it down and make it more like the worthless low bowl games.

End the end, the NCAA has shown that money is pretty much their only consideration in post season set ups.

[hareball]

Re: Field of 96 for NCAA Basketball a "done deal"

I see no need for any expansion. The only change in number of teams I would make would to be drop it from 65 to 64. The current loser of the play in game receives very limited benefit under the current system. The only other change I would propose would be to put a limit on the number of teams from one conference making the tournament. If you neither finish in the top half of your conference nor win the yearend conference tournament, you don't deserve to make the NCAA tournament. Some of the teams excluded under this scenario may be better that some teams that make the tournament, but they have nobody to blame but themselvers. I believe over the last few years the tournament has lost some of its appeal as too many at large bids are given to the power conferences. With fewer teams from the nonpower conferences there are obviously fewer chances of upsets. Upsets and mid and lower majors advancing past the first round are what make the tournament such a fan favorite.

[Jacks99]

Re: Field of 96 for NCAA Basketball a "done deal"

Agree on both points.

[90Jackrabbit]

Re: Field of 96 for NCAA Basketball a "done deal"

I'm dead against changing the tournament, it's not broke , don't try to fix it. So if the tournament expands to 96 teams what would the tournament format look like? I'm assuming the top 32 seeds get a bye and the bottom 64 play one game to narrow the field to 64. One more question, did anyone listen to coach K on Dan Patrick yesterday?

[FargoBison]

Re: Field of 96 for NCAA Basketball a "done deal"

I listened to Saul Phillips the other day and it sounds like the coaches want this. He said a lot of good coaches have lost jobs because the field is too tough to get into.

I still wish the NCAA would go to 68 and have the last at-large teams play in. Of course that solution is so logical that it would never work for the NCAA. I think it would add four great games, since it would feature evenly matched teams. Honestly it would be great basketball watching the a mid-major that might have been snubbed play there way in by taking out an overrated BCS team.

Last year Creighton(26-6, MVC regular season champ) and St. Marys(24-6, 2nd place in WCC) were snubbed. I would have loved to see either one play a 17-12 Arizona team(that made the field) in a play-in.

[Jacks99]

Re: Field of 96 for NCAA Basketball a "done deal"

It would at least be different than the current play-in game where two of the lowest auto-qualifiers play.

[NightHawk78]

Re: Field of 96 for NCAA Basketball a "done deal"

I'm not too keen on expanding the tournament, but if the NCAA does bump the pool to 96, the new tournament should be based on these principles (assuming the eventual formation of a 32nd conference if the Big East splits up):

1) Give the 32 byes to the teams that win the conference tournaments. For the power conferences, their conference tournaments often have little meaning for the elite teams. The lure of an automatic bye should add to the intensity of these tournaments.

2) Give each conference one at-large bid to be determined by the committee. The #2 team would likely have the edge, but the committee could take out-of-conference schedules into account and add some suspense to the process.

3) The remaining 32 at-large bids are filled in the same fashion as the current 34 at-large spots.

I'm not holding by breath on these changes being made; I fully expect about 30 byes being given to teams from the power conferences and a .500 Minnesota eam making the "Big Dance" on a regular basis . . . ugh.

[SturgisJeff]

Re: Field of 96 for NCAA Basketball a "done deal"

The guys on Fox Sports Network radio here in Detroit are all against expanding. With the poor quality of play this year in most conferences expanding the field wont add much in terms of exictment or quality. They also said Brit Griner should be suspended for a year.

[mitchellrabbit]

Re: Field of 96 for NCAA Basketball a "done deal"

joe lunardi did a bracketology on college gameday yesterday using 96 teams. 2 of his last 4 teams in would have been arizona 10-8 in a weak pace 10 and 16-14 overall and northcarolina 5-11 in the acc 16-15 overall. there would be no reason for the major conferences to have a conference tourney if the top 10 teams in the acc would get in anyway. one guy on espn radio suggested that if they went to 96 that they give all the regular season champs and auto bid and then give the conference tourney champ an auto bid. if the reg champ and tourney champ are the same in the smaller conferences then that would leave an open spot for a major conference bubble team.

[LakeJack]

Re: Field of 96 for NCAA Basketball a "done deal"

Nice story

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/22/sp....html?emc=eta1

[BTownJack]

Re: Field of 96 for NCAA Basketball a "done deal"

Nice story

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/22/sp....html?emc=eta1

Great article...thanks for posting.

I really like the idea iin this article of giving the extra spots (if they go to 96) to the regular season champs of each league.