Expanding the NCAA Tournament was a hot topic Wednesday, with underdogs and blue bloods alike seeming to agree that a bigger field won’t necessarily equate to a better event.
“The only reason I would be in favor of expanding 96 or whatever it is is to keep us there. If that’s the only way we can stay there, then I’m for it. ” said the outgoing Oakland president. said coach Greg Kampe.
“What I’m saying is don’t keep us out. You know, we’re the ones making this tournament, the little guy. Why does everyone love ‘Hoosiers,’ right? the greatest movie, why? Because the little guy. And today is the anniversary of the day Jimmy Chitwood made the shot in real life. I don’t know if you knew that, but it is the case. Today is the anniversary of Milan beating South Bend 33 to 31 or whatever the score was and Jimmy pulled off the shot that became the movie Hoosiers. That’s what the college basketball. That’s why it’s one of the three biggest sporting events in the world. And don’t let Jimmy — Trey Townsend, Jack Gohlke, Blake (Lampman) — they could be Jimmy Chitwood tomorrow night .Don’t take that away from us.
For the same reasons, the College Football Playoff went from a four-team series to 14 in the blink of an eye – see the billion-dollar rights deal announced Tuesday by ESPN – the tournament of the NCAA is expected to reach up to 100 teams. The peripheral implications of a massive increase in support aren’t very clear to coaches, nearly all of whom said Wednesday that they rely on their athletic directors and administration to filter those general discussions down to direct impacts.
Akron coach John Groce said we hope more Mid-Major teams from conferences like the MAC will be invited to the NCAA tournament if expansion occurs.
Hubert Davis, who guided North Carolina to first place as the ACC regular-season champion and took the Tar Heels to the NCAA championship game in 2022, said he won’t let himself not take by the size of the peloton. A Tar Heels player before an NBA playing career and his current coaching role, Davis said he will instead focus on making sure he and his players understand the privilege of being invited.
“The only thing ahead of me is, as a coach, to try to prepare this team to be the best it can be every year. Whether the tournament stays the same or expands or changes, “It’s an honor and a privilege to be part of this tournament, and it’s something we’re really excited about,” he said.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo wondered aloud about changing the NCAA Tournament selection process to accommodate automatic bids. At the heart of the problem is a team like Missouri Valley Conference regular-season champion Indiana State. The 28-win Sycamores lost to Drake in the MVC tournament and, despite a NET rating of 29, were not admitted to the field without benefit of the league’s automatic bid.
Emotion aside, Izzo understands that the financial equation is the ultimate decider on matters related to the NCAA Tournament.
“I sympathize with some teams that didn’t get in because of those automatic bids,” Izzo said. “I’m not sure I understand why, but as far as conference tournaments go, you can, like Purdue, go 17-3 and dominate the conference and then lose. It doesn’t matter if that’s the team that finishes second, but I think that makes it difficult, why some teams will be left out. I don’t know if anything could be fixed here. But then the conference tournament wouldn’t be as well – it all depends on what is the better for the financial part, if we were to be very direct and honest with you, more than with the player and the teams.”
