[Cracked Sidewalks] Should Sub-.500 Teams Get At-Large Bids?

[1SE]

Better and more realistic to expand to 72. Add a second site to the Tuesday/Wednesday games. I'd say Omaha. 8 games, 2 nights, all at large teams. The last 16 in have to play their way to the main games. Makes Tuesday & Wednesday legit part of the tournament, insures all the autobid winners actually play on Thursday/Friday, better games & ratings the first nights, & make an easier path for the top seeds, it's win-win.

So 6 sub .500 teams can get in instead of 2?

Or I've got an even better idea, why not just expand to 320, 4 regions of 80 teams. Bottom 32 teams in each region play for the last 16 seeds to make four regions of 64. Adds just one extra weekend - you can get rid of conference tourneys because basically everyone plays in this.   

I'll call it MEGA-MADNESStm the NCAA can DM me to get an address for my royalty check.

[brewcity77]

So 6 sub .500 teams can get in instead of 2?

I'd still say no sub-.500 teams. We know they aren't going back. So go forward but make Tuesday & Wednesday interesting. Does anyone care if LIU Brooklyn or Radford last year advances to play Nova? I would have preferred this:

St Mary's vs UCLA
St Bonaventure vs Notre Dame
Syracuse vs USC
Arizona State vs Baylor
Texas vs Marquette
NC State vs Utah
Florida State vs Oklahoma State
Oklahoma vs Louisville

Play those games over two nights at two sites. People will actually watch those games. It also means if Dayton is in the first four, they don't get an automatic home NCAA game (like in 2015).

This year could feature:

TCU vs Nebraska
Seton Hall vs St Mary's
Alabama vs Creighton
Minnesota vs Georgetown
Arizona State vs Murray State
UCF vs Clemson
NC State vs Furman
UNC Greensboro vs Temple

Now that's just on the basis of the respective S-curves, so teams like Nebraska, Seton Hall, etc could be replaced with teams that have .500 league records. But it would lead to more compelling games than the Norfolk State/Sam Houston State game that not even their fans want to see, after all people are always asking if you actually played in the tournament if you lose in Dayton.

[1SE]

I'd still say no sub-.500 teams. We know they aren't going back. So go forward but make Tuesday & Wednesday interesting. Does anyone care if LIU Brooklyn or Radford last year advances to play Nova? I would have preferred this:

St Mary's vs UCLA
St Bonaventure vs Notre Dame
Syracuse vs USC
Arizona State vs Baylor
Texas vs Marquette
NC State vs Utah
Florida State vs Oklahoma State
Oklahoma vs Louisville

Play those games over two nights at two sites. People will actually watch those games. It also means if Dayton is in the first four, they don't get an automatic home NCAA game (like in 2015).

This year could feature:

TCU vs Nebraska
Seton Hall vs St Mary's
Alabama vs Creighton
Minnesota vs Georgetown
Arizona State vs Murray State
UCF vs Clemson
NC State vs Furman
UNC Greensboro vs Temple

Now that's just on the basis of the respective S-curves, so teams like Nebraska, Seton Hall, etc could be replaced with teams that have .500 league records. But it would lead to more compelling games than the Norfolk State/Sam Houston State game that not even their fans want to see, after all people are always asking if you actually played in the tournament if you lose in Dayton.

Sure, but then I'm kind of serious about the 320 team tourney. Add one weekend and get virtually every team in the country in. What's one of the best thing about March Madness? The upsets and the cinderellas. With 1-64 seeds odds are every year there would be a few phenomenal upsets on the first weekend. But by the sweet 16 it would probably look pretty similar so you'd still get quality play.

Plus, even better that then champ has to win 8 games in a row instead of 6.

[damuts222]

Sure, but then I'm kind of serious about the 320 team tourney.

Cancel all classes for March! Why don't we get rid of the regular season while were at it.

The final teams that have gotten in the last few years haven't had strong arguments for their inclusion. If there was more of an argument for the teams that just miss getting in you could make the argument to expand...but not to 320! The bubble has been soft the last few years. I have no issues with the tournament where it is currently. My only gripe is that I don't particularly care for the 12 seed play-ins.

[1SE]

Cancel all classes for March! Why don't we get rid of the regular season while were at it.

The final teams that have gotten in the last few years haven't had strong arguments for their inclusion. If there was more of an argument for the teams that just miss getting in you could make the argument to expand...but not to 320! The bubble has been soft the last few years. I have no issues with the tournament where it is currently. My only gripe is that I don't particularly care for the 12 seed play-ins.

Sorry, didn't think I needed teal.

My original point was that instead of arbitrarily banning sub .500 teams we should go back to a 64 team tournament because 68 let's too many mediocre high-majors in.