<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">NCAA 'March Madness' To Expand? 25th June, 2006 - 8:13 pm aol.com - In a perfect world, college basketball coaches would nearly double the size of the 65-team NCAA men's tournament field. Realistically, they'd accept a smaller victory. Motivated in part by George Mason's remarkable Final Four run last season, coaches will urge the NCAA to expand its most lucrative championship event during the men's and women's basketball committee meetings in Orlando, Fla., this week. "They'd love to see the tournament double to 128," said Jim Haney, executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. [READ]</div> Source I wouldn't really like it if it doubled, I like it how it is right now.
I think it would be a really stupid idea to expand it to 128 teams. That would make the regular season and conference tournaments not that important. What's the chances of more teams like George Mason advancing, it just doesn't happen that often. At most, they should make it 68 teams(4 play in games).
Stupid. This would make the whole regular season pointless. 128 teams is way too many, just keep it the way it is. It's perfect the way it is!
So basically, every single team that has at least a .500 record or even a few game below that will make the tournament. That would totally ruin college basketball, IMO. It is actually an honor to make the tournament at the current format and if they change it to 128, most teams would just fool around during the regular season because they know they're guaranteed to make the big dance. If this rule goes into effect, college basketball will be going down to the bottom on my list.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">NCAA Tournament field to remain at 65 for now The NCAA Tournament will remain at 65 teams for the foreseeable future after the men's basketball committee decided against any kind of expansion at its annual spring meetings this week in Orlando. A news release is expected to be issued by the NCAA. The National Association of Basketball Coaches had been pushing to expand the tournament beyond the 65 with a number to be determined. The NABC saw the access to the tournament as one of the reasons to expand, especially in light of the run by mid-majors of late and a few bubble teams not making the field that some coaches were convinced should have been included. Before the meeting, members of the committee like outgoing chair Craig Littlepage showed little enthusiasm for the proposal. The committee needed to see the great cause to expanding the tournament, how that would occur and in what format. There also are contractual issues that make expansion a non-issue for years to come. Creating more rounds would alter the postseason dates that would run into other programming on CBS, the network of the championship. Ultimately, the NCAA views conference tournaments as a way for all teams to have access to the NCAA Tournament. Teams that win conference tournaments (everyone has one now except for the Ivy) get into the field.</div> http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2504515
Great. I was starting to think that the age limit was playing a part into this. The NCAA might have thought that there will be talented players on less talented teams that deserve a shot to show themselves in the tournament. Don't know, hopefully it stays this way for a while...
That's good to hear. I rather have it the way it is right now. If they double how many teams make it right now, there will be way too many teams in the tournament.
I dont see how increasing the field to 128 would do anything. Then instead of 34 at large teams there would be 98, and that 99th team would be complaining just as much as the current 35th team. Its a good thing they didnt do this.
