NCAA Tourney

[carrcar]

I'm offering my annual rant on the NCAA tourney early this year. I still feel it should be an open tournament rather than than a qualifying or invitational event.
I think INSU's showing in the MVC demonstrates that a team that starts slow can gel by the end of the season. New JC recruits, developing freshman, and 2nd half eligible players can take a while to mesh and become a very good team by the end of the year.
By including the 75% of the teams eliminated before the tourney even starts, the NCAA is losing a lot of income. If the 64 "selected" teams were designated hosts for the play-in District round a bunch of $ could be made, and a potential darkhorse would not be eliminated without a chance to prove (or disprove) themselves on the court. It would also eliminate the ire caused by the elimination of good teams from lower conferences that so prevails the selection process.
When I was in HS we entered the State BB tourney with a 8-13 record. If it had been the NCAA we couldn't have participated. We finished 4th out of 714 schools, primarily because we finally had our full team after runs of measles, mumps, flu and injuries. I don't understand how the States HS associations can coordinate an open tourney, but the NCAA can't (or won't).

[BirdmanBB]

I think INSU's showing in the MVC demonstrates that a team that starts slow can gel by the end of the season.

I thought you were going to say you would like an open tournament since Indiana st. demonstrated that the valleys best team didn't get in last year (which was WSU obviously).

[CaseyGarrisonforPrez]

It's just a terrible idea. Entirely without merit. What is the purpose of the season if everyone is in the tournament? Just hard to believe that someone can seriously consider this thought and post it on a public forum.

[carrcar]

It's just a terrible idea. Entirely without merit. What is the purpose of the season if everyone is in the tournament? Just hard to believe that someone can seriously consider this thought and post it on a public forum.

Casey, Congrats on your PR job for the NCAA! Using your convoluted logic, why even have a tournament? Just have Kansas, Duke, Louisville, N. Carolina, UCLA, Syracuse, UConn, and tOSU playoff for the championship every year? That way some interloper like Brigham Young or Butler won't muddy the water by having a good year AND winning their conference tourney. In your scenario all conference tournaments should be junked because there may be an upset and "the purpose of the season" is nullified.
I'm going to type slow so even you can understand: There are several teams each year that are better AT TOURNAMENT TIME than the 60 odd schools selected arbitrarily by the NCAA. I'm not discounting the selectees' seasons or conference tourney accomplishments. They should be rewarded by hosting the "district" play-in round, giving them homecourt advantage and a chance to make a %age of the gate. Admittedly, it would be a big change, but it would also eliminate the grousing by teams that don't (and probably should) get in.

[CaseyGarrisonforPrez]

It's just a terrible idea. Entirely without merit. What is the purpose of the season if everyone is in the tournament? Just hard to believe that someone can seriously consider this thought and post it on a public forum.

Casey, Congrats on your PR job for the NCAA! Using your convoluted logic, why even have a tournament? Just have Kansas, Duke, Louisville, N. Carolina, UCLA, Syracuse, UConn, and tOSU playoff for the championship every year? That way some interloper like Brigham Young or Butler won't muddy the water by having a good year AND winning their conference tourney. In your scenario all conference tournaments should be junked because there may be an upset and "the purpose of the season" is nullified.
I'm going to type slow so even you can understand: There are several teams each year that are better AT TOURNAMENT TIME than the 60 odd schools selected arbitrarily by the NCAA. I'm not discounting the selectees' seasons or conference tourney accomplishments. They should be rewarded by hosting the "district" play-in round, giving them homecourt advantage and a chance to make a %age of the gate. Admittedly, it would be a big change, but it would also eliminate the grousing by teams that don't (and probably should) get in.

You are completely and totally misrepresenting my feelings on this. The tournament is awesome that way it is. Every conference should have representation, this obviously means that the 68 teams in the field are not the best 68 in the country but so what? And "60 odd schools selected arbitrarily by the NCAA" is actually more like 37.