Tournament expansion close to a done deal

It was announced by the NCAA that the men's basketball tournament will expand to 96 teams. Here is a link to the Indianapolis Business Journal for more details.

The actual vote for this is still three weeks away, but all signs point that this will go through.

Though I am not a fan of this, it does have merit.
  • More teams equals more games
  • The overall product won't be watered down, just the first round.
  • Missed class time won't be a problem. They will miss a maximum of one extra day.
  • The extra revenue will help fund non-revenue sports, such as track and field, tennis, etc.
As I have stated in an earlier post, I was not a fan of expansion, for the simple reason I think the tournament lasts long enough, and by April, I'm ready for baseball and Opening Day (which should be a National holiday).

This has a good chance of taking effect in the 2011 tournament. This won't diminish the importance of the regular season, it will enhance it. Now, the regular season conference champ and tournament conference champ can make the tournament.

A plus is that this will all than likely shut down the NIT, or at least the CBI. More bubble teams will get in, such as this year's Virginia Tech team (who I think got snubbed) would be in next year.

You will still have Duke, UNC, UConn, Syracuse, Illinois, UCLA, Kentucky, Kansas, and other mainstays in the tournament to make ratings; you will still get the mid-majors we have come to love in Gonzaga, St. Mary's, Xavier, Butler; and you will still get the Cinderellas.

The tournament mentality won't change, just the number of participants, and maybe the number of people watching that glorious first pitch of the MLB baseball season.

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