Arkansas coach John Calipari is fine with March Madness expansion under 1 condition appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
John Calipari is a Hall of Fame coach and has built one of the most impressive coaching resumes in history. As the NCAA Tournament is talking about expansion, few men have had more firsthand experience in March Madness than Coach Cal.
Many coaches have spoken out against expansion, such as Dan Hurley of UConn. Unlike Hurley, Calipari is not totally against expansion, according to Matt Norlander of CBS Sports.
“I am a big believer in the idea that if it’s not broke, don’t fix it, and I think that applies to the NCAA Tournament,” Calipari told CBS Sports. “Having said that, if we are to expand, my hope is that at least half the spots are held for non-Power Four teams. If they do that, we are making the decision for the right reasons. As someone who has been both David, and won some, and Goliath, and lost some, that’s what makes this tournament special. We can’t afford to lose that special piece of our sport.”
Since the First Four expanded in 2011, there has been one David to come out of the First Four and knock off Goliath, and that was Farleigh Dickinson, who won their game and then knocked off number-one seed Purdue in 2023. VCU, an 11-seed from the First Four and a non-power conference team, also made a run to the Final Four in 2011. Still, many times the teams coming out of the First Four are from power conferences, such as Texas this year.
Calipari may have a soft spot for the small schools. His first head coaching job was at UMass, and he led them to the Final Four in 1996. That run would be vacated by the NCAA later, which could also explain why his focus is not on expanding the tournament.
“Our main focus should be on fixing the transfer rules, which would help not only all the teams and athletes in our sport but teams in every sport,” he said. “And I’ll say it again: That’s where our energy should be focused.”
Calipari has previously said that the transfer portal needs to be a focus, now, he is taking another chance to turn the focus there.
Related: 76-team NCAA Tournament gets unanimous approval from selection committees
Related: Illinois basketball’s Brad Underwood left completely puzzled by March Madness expansion
