NCAA comments on 96 team field....video

[ChicosBailBonds]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/tournament/2010/news/story?id=5047800

Sounds like they are saying play it all in 3 weeks (same as today's tournament)....just as a few others of us have said.  Logistically, this is not hard to pull off.

[KipsBayEagle]

This will single handedly destroy the college basketball regular season

[ChicosBailBonds]

This will single handedly destroy the college basketball regular season

You forgot to put that in teal

[KipsBayEagle]

You forgot to put that in teal

No I didn't

[ChicosBailBonds]

No I didn't

Well then you can save a ton of time in the future by no longer being interested in MU or college basketball since it will be destroyed by the NCAA.  Think about all the time you will be saving.   

[KipsBayEagle]

Well then you can save a ton of time in the future by no longer being interested in MU or college basketball since it will be destroyed by the NCAA.  Think about all the time you will be saving.   

LoL, ok ok.  I am just saying, this 96 team expansion really devalues the regular season.  Jeez.

[jmayer1]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/tournament/2010/news/story?id=5047800

Sounds like they are saying play it all in 3 weeks (same as today's tournament)....just as a few others of us have said.  Logistically, this is not hard to pull off.

Nearly everyone, besides coaches, is saying this is a bad idea.  That press conference was an absolute joke.  Shaheen couldn't or wouldn't answer numerous questions about the new field.  Students will be forced to miss an entire week of school now the second week (not that it really matters anymore at most schools).  I am not against expansion, but I am definitely against such a large expansion.  Why not try to expand by a little like has been done in the past?  Maybe expand to 72 schools first and see how that works. 

There will be a lot bad/boring basketball played those first two days as middling teams battle it out.  I'm sure there will prolly be a few more upsets in the round of 64 but I don't think it is a good trade-off.  Is the Big East tournament better now with 16 teams than it was with 12?  I don't think so; I actually think its worse and creates a lot of terrible games on the first day of the tournament.

[TJ]

Not only does this dilute the tournament and all that, but they also want to do it without adding another weekend?  This makes being a fan far more complicated.

First who's taking Thusday off to watch the big Wofford - Rhode Island game?  Thursday/Friday are currently the best days of the tournament and this having the top 32 teams not play would kill interest.

What about people that attend the tournament?  Tuesday/Wednesday third (second) round games?  Whichever site their at, first weekend or second weekend do you have to buy tickets for all three days?  That's a very large commitment to stay at a place and attend games either Thursday - Tuesday or Tuesday - Saturday.  Ticket sales have got to be at least somewhat important. 

[MountainCreekHouse]

this is the worst decision ever. i hate the ncaa, they are all about money. look at how lopsided the BCS is in football. burn it down

[GGGG]

I like this decision.  Honestly, the tournament is already watered down when 8 teams from one conference get in.  The fact that there would be two more days of quality basketball (on the Tuesday and Wednesday of the second week) is nice.  Since sports are pretty much the only thing I watch on television anyway...

[M@RQUETTEW@RRIORS]

I think this rocks!  Teams will be fighting and clawing to be one of the 32 that get a 1st round bye.  Thus, the regular season will still mean something.  The better teams from 33-96 will advance to the final 32 slots and God forbid a #1 seed might actually have to play a real game in round one.  Also as has been mentioned in the past its highly unlikely that MU will miss the tournament given this format.  An important factor considering the unstable nature of the Big East. 

Everyone knows the major reason behind this is $$.  And alot of people crow that doing this for $$ sake is wrong.  Yet nobody seems to scream when the big 10/11/12 considers expanding for the exact same reason.  Go figure...

[GGGG]

I agree.

Everyone complains about the bowl season being watered down too, but I like having college football on my television every day between Christmas and New Years.  What else am I supposed to watch?

[damuts222]

Everyone complains about the bowl season being watered down too, but I like having college football on my television every day between Christmas and New Years.  What else am I supposed to watch?

So you would like to watch a 6-6 Notre Dame team in a bowl game, or a 16-16 North Carolina team make it into the dance. College basketball is my favorite sport, yet I disagree with this entirely.

So, lets make the kids miss a week of school..which could be their midterms and then lets make the graduation rate for getting into the tourney from the previous graduation class of senior players 50% or else you won't make it in. Thereby allowing all teams in Division I in the tourney, lol. The talking heads have begun the demise.

[willie warrior]

I do agree that this dilutes results of regular season, but they are already diluted by Conference tournaments and 65 team format. This does two things:
1. Generates more revenue and more enthusiasm by adding more teams to the dance.
2. Allows for more quality teams to get in. Invariably, there are several that do not get in each year. This will eliminate most of the sour grapes after selection.

Realistically, the conference tournaments should be discontinued--but that won't happen because most of these things are driven by, as Joe Pesci said in Casino, "It's always the f---ing dollars."

Also, it appears to me that since there is a greater chance to get into the dance, then hopefully many of the high Majors will start to schedule more home and home series with other high majors. I would love to see MU schedule more non conference games with teams such as Illinois, Iowa or other Big 10 teams, and perhaps teams such as Xavier, Dayton, Creighton, St. Louis. etc., rather than Presbyterian, Maryland East Central, NW Southern Alaska and so on. Maybe some other regional rivalries with High Majors could be developed. These games would better prepare teams for the conference and Big Dance. Teams would be less likely to pad their records against the cream puffs, and this would in turn put more enthusiasm/emphasis on the regular season.

[muwarrior69]

I agree.

Everyone complains about the bowl season being watered down too, but I like having college football on my television every day between Christmas and New Years.  What else am I supposed to watch?

College football, of all sports, has the most meaningless season. If the national champion in basketball was determined in the same way as college football, UNC would play Duke just about every year.

[GGGG]

So you would like to watch a 6-6 Notre Dame team in a bowl game, or a 16-16 North Carolina team make it into the dance. College basketball is my favorite sport, yet I disagree with this entirely.

So, lets make the kids miss a week of school..which could be their midterms and then lets make the graduation rate for getting into the tourney from the previous graduation class of senior players 50% or else you won't make it in. Thereby allowing all teams in Division I in the tourney, lol. The talking heads have begun the demise.

I would rather watch mediocre basketball than no basketball...and I'd rather watch mediocre college football than no football.  And the marketplace pretty much agrees with me otherwise the proliferation of bowl games would have stopped long ago.

And don't give me this crap about missing a week of school.  We already send these kids across the country for games and conference tournaments.  They have plenty of academic support.  And I honestly don't care about anyone's graduation rates but MU's.

Strange...when I started following the tournament it only had 32 teams.  When it increased to 48...and then 64...I don't recall having this much angst and fear of change.  People just seemed pleased that there was more basketball.

[TallTitan34]

You forgot to put that in teal

Chicos, how won't this destory the regular season?  If there was a 96 team field this year Marquette's games against South Florida, Seton Hall, Rutgers, and St. John's all would have meant nothing.  There's no way Marquette will miss the tournament next year, thus making the regular season meaningless.

And playing for seed is a joke.  Seeding means nothing.  Look at all of the upsets this year.

[GGGG]

College football, of all sports, has the most meaningless season. If the national champion in basketball was determined in the same way as college football, UNC would play Duke just about every year.

Actually, in terms of determining a national champion, college football's regular season is probably the most meaningful of all sports.  

[damuts222]

I would rather watch mediocre basketball than no basketball...and I'd rather watch mediocre college football than no football.  And the marketplace pretty much agrees with me otherwise the proliferation of bowl games would have stopped long ago.

I agree with you that the marketplace does agree with you but thats because everyone wants the cash money. American sports continue to become more commercialized, and are now products rather than athletics. It's not whats good for the sport anymore, it's what will bring in more people/money. Thats why watching the olympic hockey games with no commercials to stop play and/or watching the World Cup with no stoppages excites the rest of the world and a small few here. I digress....

I am interested to see how people react to this once we do start playing a 96-team tourney. I hope for the sake of college basketball that it goes over well regardless of my personal feelings on the matter in terms of support and competition within the tourney.

[M@RQUETTEW@RRIORS]

Chicos, how won't this destory the regular season?  If there was a 96 team field this year Marquette's games against South Florida, Seton Hall, Rutgers, and St. John's all would have meant nothing.  There's no way Marquette will miss the tournament next year, thus making the regular season meaningless.

And playing for seed is a joke.  Seeding means nothing.  Look at all of the upsets this year.

So being one of the 32 teams that dont have to play in round 1 will mean nothing?  I disagree.

[muwarrior69]

Actually, in terms of determining a national champion, college football's regular season is probably the most meaningful of all sports.  

Tell that to the BCS conferences that don't automatically qualify and to the non-BCS conferences that can't qualify.They don't even get a chance to prove it on the gridiron. The BCS champion (I wouldn't call it a national champion) is nothing more than some popularity contest voted on by the coaches and the media.

[M@RQUETTEW@RRIORS]

Tell that to the BCS conferences that don't automatically qualify and to the non-BCS conferences that can't qualify.They don't even get a chance to prove it on the gridiron. The BCS champion (I wouldn't call it a national champion) is nothing more than some popularity contest voted on by the coaches and the media.

Largely determined before anyone even plays a game.

[MUFC9295]

One benefit I see is having the trophy more "up for grabs" than ever.  With a bye, the top seeds won't play more games.  But other teams now in will have that "we just played and are warmed up" feeling.  More KU & UK-like upsets to come.  Does this mean hot teams at the end with mediocre season recods will be there to make for even interesting tournament results.

[GGGG]

I agree with you that the marketplace does agree with you but thats because everyone wants the cash money. American sports continue to become more commercialized, and are now products rather than athletics. It's not whats good for the sport anymore, it's what will bring in more people/money. Thats why watching the olympic hockey games with no commercials to stop play and/or watching the World Cup with no stoppages excites the rest of the world and a small few here. I digress....

The reason that there is so much money involved is because people want the product.  The Eagle Bank Bowl in Washington, DC works because people want to watch it....or watch it enough to cover ESPN's investment into the bowl.

And don't get all excited about the purity of World Cup soccer.  Soccer has numerous league titles, cup titles, etc. that completely water down the product.  But soccer fans don't really care because they want the product as well.

[79Warrior]

Chicos, how won't this destory the regular season?  If there was a 96 team field this year Marquette's games against South Florida, Seton Hall, Rutgers, and St. John's all would have meant nothing.  There's no way Marquette will miss the tournament next year, thus making the regular season meaningless.

And playing for seed is a joke.  Seeding means nothing.  Look at all of the upsets this year.

There is an upside, now we can listen to Seth Greenberg say there are not 96 teams better than his!!!!