Roughly half....

[kabullseye]

...of D1 football teams go to a bowl game. Enhance the Big Dance to provide for 64 play-in games and dump the NIT. Scenario includes roughly half of D1 basketball teams, and gives Bracket Buster exposure to teams/conferences who face the same non-BCS uphill battle we did.

How many more Valparaiso, Ganzaga, MVC, Bucknell stories would exist?

Flaws to be certain, but how much more fun can you have than rooting against the "elites" one more time.

[bigbearfan]

nope... its fine where its at. i dont want to end up seeing st. mary's college of the blind play st. peters college of the deaf. no.

its fine now.

[kabullseye]

nope... its fine where its at. i dont want to end up seeing st. mary's college of the blind play st. peters college of the deaf. no.

its fine now.

Should have stayed in hibernation with that one bigbear.

[MSNSaluki]

interesting idea.
but 65 seems to be the number that is a good filter. a lot of these teams on the bubble have serious warts. doubling the field would only dilute the play.
how about this ... leave basketball alone and change football? there's no reason in hell that 6-5 rutgers should be playing 6-5 oregon state in a bowl. wait, let's move football to a playoff system! that would work.
unfortunately, your idea has more legs than a football playoff.

[bigbearfan]

i really think the system is fine now. 65 teams is perfect.

[Trifecta]

Some guy on the radio on ESPN this morning said he thinks the NCAA should be for big conferences and the NIT should be for the smaller conferences. Gottlieb actually told him thats ridiculous, thats what football has. That's why March Madness is so popular. Shut that host up pretty good too....surprised Gottlieb actually sad that.

[bigbearfan]

gottlieb is pro-valley. pro-mid major. he can be an ***** sometimes, but he's 1000 times better than digger

[skinny_uncle]

gottlieb is pro-valley. pro-mid major. he can be an ***** sometimes, but he's 1000 times better than digger
The guy that mops the sweat up off the Arena floor is 1000 times better than Digger.

[kabullseye]

i really think the system is fine now. 65 teams is perfect.

That is what we used to say about 32 teams, the shot clock, and the 3 ball.

[bigbearfan]

ok where's it stop... 65, 130, 260? come on lets just let all the teams in the NCAA's dance. screw the significance of the conference tourneys. lets just make one really big screwup.

nah..its fine where its at.

[kyyle23]

That is what we used to say about 32 teams, the shot clock, and the 3 ball.

So you think that means that a field of 129 teams in the big dance is something that should be considered? It would turn the tournament into one long boring playoff, and it would make the regular season a complete mockery for the high majors. " Whats the point in trying? Everybody is in! We can really try at the end of the year, right before the tournament starts! "

I have the NBA to watch if I want to watch a team wait until the playoffs to start trying.

[genius4point0]

Half of the fun of having only 65 teams is to get people doing what we do on here, Debate who should be in and out and why. That is great fun, sometimes it resluts in heart ache but they are having a hard enough time finding 65 deserving right now.

[MSU Bleeds Maroon]

...of D1 football teams go to a bowl game. Enhance the Big Dance to provide for 64 play-in games and dump the NIT. Scenario includes roughly half of D1 basketball teams, and gives Bracket Buster exposure to teams/conferences who face the same non-BCS uphill battle we did.

How many more Valparaiso, Ganzaga, MVC, Bucknell stories would exist?

Flaws to be certain, but how much more fun can you have than rooting against the "elites" one more time.

Bleah.

What you're basically proposing is that the Cinderellas have to play an extra game, while the BCS Landed Gentry get to sip tea and watch.

Example: one of the best storylines of the Dance is watching a 12 seed beat a 5. Very reliable. Always happens at least once. But what you're proposing is giving that 5 seed a first-round bye, while asking that 12 to square off against a 21 seed. If the 12 wins, they'll be more tired and less likely to beat the 5; and if the 21 beats the 12, the story won't have nearly as much impact -- not unless the 21 does something miraculous and beats the 5 too. Either way, the story doesn't gain "Cinderella" status until the Team Nobody's Heard Of wins two games.

There's a reason that the Dance got infinitely better when it expanded from 48 to 64 teams. That reason can be summed up in four words: No First-Round Byes. Unless you're planning on doubling the tournament to 128 or 256 teams, you're creating an advantage for the media favorites; and by expanding the field beyond 65, you're diluting the Cinderella possibilities.

Keep it where it is. 64/65 is magic.

[TrueBlueJay]

Why play a seaon at all??? Let's just go right into the tournament since none of the regular season games mean anything anymore.

Not the brightest idea I've heard.

[BearsChiefsFAN]

IF any thing in basketball was to be changed maby make it 68 teams and all 16 seeds have a playin game. would get more bubble teams in.

[SMS90]

I say only expand it if you are going to include everybody, if not 65 is just right.

[BearsChiefsFAN]

They dont need to inclued everybody. They basicly already do that with all the Conf. Tournaments. if they do expand it only to 68 no higher.

[kabullseye]

Bleah.

What you're basically proposing is that the Cinderellas have to play an extra game, while the BCS Landed Gentry get to sip tea and watch.

Example: one of the best storylines of the Dance is watching a 12 seed beat a 5. Very reliable. Always happens at least once. But what you're proposing is giving that 5 seed a first-round bye, while asking that 12 to square off against a 21 seed. If the 12 wins, they'll be more tired and less likely to beat the 5; and if the 21 beats the 12, the story won't have nearly as much impact -- not unless the 21 does something miraculous and beats the 5 too. Either way, the story doesn't gain "Cinderella" status until the Team Nobody's Heard Of wins two games.

There's a reason that the Dance got infinitely better when it expanded from 48 to 64 teams. That reason can be summed up in four words: No First-Round Byes. Unless you're planning on doubling the tournament to 128 or 256 teams, you're creating an advantage for the media favorites; and by expanding the field beyond 65, you're diluting the Cinderella possibilities.

Keep it where it is. 64/65 is magic.

No man, everybody gets an extra game. And btw, wasn't the slipper already fitted once Kansas lost in the first round last year?

Agree that the 1st and 2nd Rounds are the most exciting, and you agree that another round would be even more fun. More stories, less Coach K.

[kabullseye]

Why play a seaon at all??? Let's just go right into the tournament since none of the regular season games mean anything anymore.

Not the brightest idea I've heard.

Think how much better you would have slept last week Tru Blooo.

[Nyghtewynd]

Yeah, I can't think of a good reason to expand the field. But the whole NCAA taking over the NIT thing scares me. It may be that the NCAA is trying to move to a I-A, I-AA thing where the NIT will become the I-AA tournament. I could still see the MVC being one of the I-A conferences, but I don't really like that idea at all.

[skinny_uncle]

IF any thing in basketball was to be changed maby make it 68 teams and all 16 seeds have a playin game. would get more bubble teams in.
If there is any expansion, this seems to be the most reasonable idea yet. I don't care much for the idea of expansion as it will not only dilute the field, it will create a weaker field for the NIT.

[jelly_81]

I think if there is gonna be play in games then they should be for the last at-large spot. Those little teams that won their conference tournament earned the right to play in the tourney. It's not fair that the NCAA takes it away from them and makes them play in that unwatcher play-in game in Dayton. Just my two cents.

:valley: :braves: :jays: :bears: :panthers: :shockers: :valley: