The NCAA Tournament just became available to just about everyone and their dog.
Well, that’s a little exaggeration, but the NCAA did expand its March Madness field from 68 to 76 teams earlier this week.
That’s a lot of free team flights, a ton of butts in arena seats and a lot of teams that maybe do not deserve to play in this event, one of the most popular sporting events in the world.
But, it also means more commercial breaks which means more TV money. And ultimately, that’s the bottom line.
If you have a golden goose, push out more eggs.
The reactions have varied, both pro and con.
Retired BYU basketball coach Dave Rose, who worked 40 years in the business, likes the idea of more teams.
“Coming from my background as a coach at BYU, the more teams in the tournament means more opportunities for these players to keep playing, and I know how much it means to those players,” he said.
“It’s a very big deal, a precious memory they won’t forget.”
Rose said the other factor is a team like Miami (Ohio) out of the MAC, which went 31-0 in the regular season before losing in its conference tournament to a 17-16 UMass team. The RedHawks had to sweat out not having an automatic berth before ultimately getting an 11-seed and having to face SMU in a play-in game.
Rose believes there has to be a way to get regular season conference champions in the NCAA Tournament if they lose in the conference tournament on a night some other team caught lightning in a bottle for two hours. A season of elite play should stand for something.
Others agree with Rose.
Alan Huss (Creighton coach): He views it as “the more the merrier,” believing it will have minimal overall impact but give more teams a chance to experience March Madness.
Rick Barnes (Tennessee coach): “I’m in favor of three weeks… I’m all in favor of the smaller teams having a chance to be in this tournament… it’s going to impact the country in every state.”
Jake Diebler (Ohio State coach): “It’s such an unbelievable experience that I think if you can create that experience for a few more kids, at the end of the day that’s probably what I’d [do]… let’s provide the opportunity to be in the best sporting event in the world to a few more kids.”
Tennessee AD Danny White: Called the expansion “appropriate,” noting the large number of Division I schools and the low percentage that make the postseason.
Others such as Rick Pitino, Kelvin Sampson, Dusty May and Greg Gard have voiced support for giving more teams/players a shot at the experience.
But this move to 76 teams in the field hasn’t settled well with others, such as longtime media voice of college basketball Dick Vitale. On X, Vitale did’t hold back.
“Yes it sickens me that they water down the tournament by expanding – more teams that are MEDIOCRE at best will be added – the real chaos of college hoops instability – no controls of NIL are just left alone – is that leadership?” asked Vitale.
Joining ESPN legend Vitale are a host of major voices in the college game.
Mark Few (Gonzaga coach): "I am adamantly opposed. It’s totally unnecessary… It’s the dumbing down of the regular season, which is sad. We’re out here trying to generate more interest in the regular season and expansion doesn’t help… Don’t screw with something when you already know it’s great."
Dan Hurley (UConn coach): “What I think makes the tournament special is the qualification for it… You don’t want the regular season to be rendered meaningless… It should be a privilege to play in the tournament, not a right.”
John Calipari (Arkansas coach): “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… 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.”
Matt Painter (Purdue coach): “My knee-jerk reaction is you shouldn’t do it. I just think we have something that’s pretty special.”
Rose has always viewed the NCAA Tournament and Final Four a special experience as both a player and coach. He said expansion has been talked about for a long time. He remembers when playing for Houston as a college player and the NCAA expanded to 48 then 64.
Back then there wasn’t much chatter about such a move or momentum.
“It depends how you look at it. Like at BYU, if you look at it now as a member of part of the (Power Four) conferences, they’d probably want to keep it as it is, but if you look back at it from a BYU perspective 25 years ago, you’d want it expanded,” he said.
“My opinion is kind of from an old school BYU spot, that the more opportunity for the more players, student athletes, the better. There is so much more to the logistics people don’t understand, but for me, it is such an amazing experience for these players, they should be given every opportunity to play in it.”
March Madness?
Really, this expansion just brought more madness to spread around.
