No Expansion Needed

Leave It At 64

Just to erase any doubt I am a HUGE college basketball fan and I LOVE MARCH MADNESS. For me its Christmas again but this time it last a whole month. I haven't had the fortune to attend a Final Four but I have been to opening round games as well as a Sweet 16 game. I pick games in pools and have won big time. In my former career, I would schedule Thursday and Friday off just so I wouldn't miss a game. Just wanted to give a little background so you knew how passionate I am about College basketball. So when I heard that the NCAA is looking to expand the tournament, I thought to myself why mess up the best event in all of sports. The only answers I could come up with are money and job security for coaches.

Its All About The Benjamin's

The money angle is this. Their contract with CBS for 12 billion, and yes I did say billion is about to expire. So the NCAA is looking for a way to generate more revenue for their respective schools. By expanding the tournament and bringing it to cable (say ESPN/ABC) you can expand your audience somewhat. CBS has a clause that it must break the games up in two segments to show local news and people on both coast are missing games that are in progress. I agree bringing it to cable will help grow the sport. ESPN has a truckload of networks and you could watch all first round games on their 20 ESPN channels. Now for people who don't have cable or satellite, they can still air a game on ABC. You can also watch all the games for free on-line on the NCAA website. Not having all the action interrupted for local news is a good thing. That part of the expansion I agree with.

64 Means Something

Two years ago Jim Boheim of Syracuse was ranting and raving for the tournament to expand because his team got left out. He was on every show pleading his case for the expansion. Ironically last year his team played one of the best games of the year in the Big East Tournament where they beat UConn and advanced to the finals of that tournament to get an automatic bid, was Boheim complaining then? Not at all. Coaches will push for the expansion to 96 teams because it provides them with the security of making the tournament and therefore they keep their job. Conference tournaments give you a shot of making the tournament. Jim Valvano's N.C. State Wolfpack team was one of the worse ACC team but they won their conference tournament, got the bid and won the whole thing. 96 dilutes the field and it really doesn't provide for a Cinderella like George Mason or Gonzaga. The number 64 is special. Its the perfect number and the right fit for basketball. 64 provides team with a hope of being David and knocking off Goliath. Leave the number of teams alone. Tweaking amount of teams entering in would take away from the magic of March.