Jimmy Mac's bold idea

[warriorchick]

Cut number of D1 Schools to 256.  Start the NCAA tournament a week early and have every single D1 team in it. Interesting idea....

http://jimmcilvaine.sportsblog.com/posts/8261154/the-haves---have-nots-of-college-basketball.html

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Talk about a crap shoot...

[We R Final Four]

Homer has been self promoting the "Homer 256" forever.
Never happen now.

[bilsu]

You could just as well leave all the teams in and have the bottom 200(?) play a play in game to get to 256.

[CountryRoads]

Good for the casual fan and bad for the fan who follows the team 365 days a year. The best part is watching the team grow (even over multiple seasons) and seeing them "earn" their bid to the tournament.

[mug644]

Homer has been self promoting the "Homer 256" forever.
Never happen now.

Do you mean to say that now that Mac has endorsed the idea it is sunk? And I thought those guys got along.

[Pakuni]

Not many casual fans are going to be eager to fill out a 256-team bracket, which pretty much is the main reason behind the NCAA tournament's popularity.
And which 90 or so D-I teams get relegated, and how?

[#UnleashSean]

That Kentucky dorm room was bigger then my 4 person room my Freshman year.

[Tugg Speedman]

Cut number of D1 Schools to 256.  Start the NCAA tournament a week early and have every single D1 team in it. Interesting idea....

http://jimmcilvaine.sportsblog.com/posts/8261154/the-haves---have-nots-of-college-basketball.html

Bobby Knight floated an idea like this a few years ago.  But, as Knight noted, this would extend the tournament another week (another two rounds).  It would be nearly a month long.

For this to happen D1 schools would have to either cut a week off the regular season schedule (meaning less revenue from home games) or do anyway with their conference tourneys (again less revenues).  Knight doubted this loss of revenues and the increased expenses of running a Tourney with 256 teams would make economic sense.  CBS is not paying more for a 256 team tourney.

It also means the end of the NIT.  While you may not care, the NIT serves a purpose to give basketball programming for the days in between the Tourney dates.

[CTWarrior]

Then what's the point of the first 31 games?  What is the point of the low D1 conference tournaments?  This is a really bad idea.

It's bad enough that the 68 team tournament has marginalized the season for big time programs.  A tournament that everybody is in makes the entire regular season irrelevant.

[Eldon]

Don't like it.  This 256-tourney idea confirms for me my long-held belief that Jimmy Mac is indeed a stoner.

[warriorchick]

It also means the end of the NIT.  While you may not care, the NIT serves a purpose to give basketball programming for the days in between the Tourney dates.

Not that I am taking a stand either way, but they could make the NIT a pre-season tournament?

There is something intriguing about literally any D1 team having the chance to be NCAA champs.  And as far as the regular season having no meaning if this is done, wouldn't it serve as a way to properly seed the teams?  Kind of like it is now.

[GGGG]

There is something intriguing about literally any D1 team having the chance to be NCAA champs.

That happens now with conference tournaments.  Except for the Ivy League, every team has a chance to win the National Championship by winning their conference tournament.

[Benny B]

That happens now with conference tournaments.  Except for the Ivy League, every team has a chance to win the National Championship by winning their conference tournament.

And the independents.  That said, there's already 330+ teams in the NCAA tournament every year.  No need to add more.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

And the independents.  That said, there's already 330+ teams in the NCAA tournament every year.  No need to add more.

No more independents left in basketball. NJIT was the last one.

[Herman Cain]

Every team does have a chance to win the National Title. Conference winners have an automatic berth. So it is like the US Open in golf. Some people have to go through qualifiers to get in. The formula in place works very well and is not broken.

Among the things that distinguishes college from professional hoop is the excitement of the regular season. Our conference games are hard fought battles each possession.

Additionally, I think it is great that there are so many D-1 teams. Gives lots of kids an opportunity for a full ride they could not otherwise afford.

[muwarrior69]

Every team does have a chance to win the National Title. Conference winners have an automatic berth. So it is like the US Open in golf. Some people have to go through qualifiers to get in. The formula in place works very well and is not broken.

Among the things that distinguishes college from professional hoop is the excitement of the regular season. Our conference games are hard fought battles each possession.

Additionally, I think it is great that there are so many D-1 teams. Gives lots of kids an opportunity for a full ride they could not otherwise afford.

Which is why it is superior to college football in that respect. As I grow older I find football rather dull with only 15 minutes of action out of 60 minutes clock time. Only the chosen few can qualify. Basketball is pretty much non-stop and even when the clock is not ticking a missed free throw can raise my blood pressure. Maybe Monmouth will win it all.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Which is why it is superior to college football in that respect. As I grow older I find football rather dull with only 15 minutes of action out of 60 minutes clock time. Only the chosen few can qualify. Basketball is pretty much non-stop and even when the clock is not ticking a missed free throw can raise my blood pressure. Maybe Monmouth will win it all.

What I hate more than anything about college football is that one loss essentially ends most teams seasons. Two losses ends practically every teams season.  The losses ends every teams season. Some teams could go undefeated and still not make the playoffs so their season is over before it starts. I find it impossible to care about qualifying for some random bowl game. After two losses I can barely watch Aggie games.

[Benny B]

No more independents left in basketball. NJIT was the last one.

Sorry, I meant provisionals.... although there might not be any of those left either.



EDIT:  Never mind, there's five of them. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_schools_reclassifying_their_athletic_programs_to_NCAA_Division_I

[Buzz Williams' Spillproof Chiclets Cup]

What I hate more than anything about college football is that one loss essentially ends most teams seasons. Two losses ends practically every teams season.  The losses ends every teams season. Some teams could go undefeated and still not make the playoffs so their season is over before it starts. I find it impossible to care about qualifying for some random bowl game. After two losses I can barely watch Aggie games.

What always bugged me was the inconsistency of even a loss.

College football is basically MarioKart. If you get whomped in the beginning, you can still come back and win. But if you catch a red shell near the end....oh boy. There's no coming back.

[MerrittsMustache]

What I hate more than anything about college football is that one loss essentially ends most teams seasons. Two losses ends practically every teams season.  The losses ends every teams season. Some teams could go undefeated and still not make the playoffs so their season is over before it starts. I find it impossible to care about qualifying for some random bowl game. After two losses I can barely watch Aggie games.

I'd like to see college football drop some teams and go to 8 conferences with 13 teams in each (104 total teams). Each team plays 12 conference games (no garbage non-conf) and the conference winners all go to an 8-team playoff. Sure, there's potential to have a 7-5 team in the tourney and an 11-1 team left out but so what? I know this would never happen for a vast number of reasons but it sure would be fun.

[Aughnanure]

I support the cut to the ~250s. Been saying that for a while. If there ever is a P5 split, it will be about shedding the dead weight from about 10 conferences. They ain't gonna kill the tourney.

[Dawson Rental]

I support the cut to the ~250s. Been saying that for a while. If there ever is a P5 split, it will be about shedding the dead weight from about 10 conferences. They ain't gonna kill the tourney.

Thank you. I feel better with that insight.

[downtown85]

why stop at 256?  How about 4096?   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxyPeME9TbI

[Buzz Williams' Spillproof Chiclets Cup]

Cut number of D1 Schools to 256.  Start the NCAA tournament a week early and have every single D1 team in it. Interesting idea....

http://jimmcilvaine.sportsblog.com/posts/8261154/the-haves---have-nots-of-college-basketball.html

A 256-team tournament, assuming no byes/pigtail games would mean 4 regions of 64 teams. A 16-seed has never beaten a #1. What are the odds of a #64 seed beating a #1?