This from "Mike and Mike in the Morning" late this week.  Greenie suggested to Golic, via somebody else, that the NIT and NCAA make the following changes (I like this!):  Change the NCAA back to 64 teams from 65.  Move the 32 first-round losers into the NIT, expanding the NIT to 64 teams as well.  Now you've got 128 teams in the postseason, which lots of people seem to want.  The NIT benefits HUGELY and becomes much more relevant.  Most of the 32 first-round NCAA losers were schools that had little hope anyway.  They were simply there to get crushed.  A few of their upsets give the NCAA a high degree of theatre.

Now, in a 64-team NIT,  these smaller schools have a much better chance to compete against the MIDDLE of the Big East / Big Ten / Pac 10 / whatever, than they ever had against the top tiers of the top conferences.  I think this revives the NIT completely, the NCAA moves on basically unchanged, and we get TWO tournaments worth watching instead of one.  I'm all for it.

However, the television package for the NCAA's has got to expand.  One network, CBS, trying to cover everything???  The NCAA has got to start using a minimum of 3 or 4 channels.  Produce this big honking extravaganza and then limit the coverage so badly that you have no chance to see 75% of it?  Figure the money out.  There's got to be plenty of it.  The current TV coverage of the NCAA Tournament is horrendous.

Cheddar, you clearly are beddar.  That was the greatest post in the history of posting.  Smartest guy on the planet, you are.

With total respect for your searing brilliance,

My complete adherence,

Abe.

Cheddar -

"Change the NCAA back to 64 teams from 65.  Move the 32 first-round losers into the NIT, expanding the NIT to 64 teams as well.  Now you've got 128 teams in the postseason"

No offense, but if the 32 first round losers were moved to the NIT, you are not adding another 32 teams, so there would not be 128 teams in the post season, only 96.

Oops.  Double-counting.  And to think I still have to do my taxes.  That's why God made software and chatroom moderators.  No offense taken.

I do like the first-round transfer idea though.  The NIT needs some serious change and so do the Drake's and Evansville's of the world. 

I guess I'm trying to figure out what is so flawed about the current post season set up that makes people think we need to overhaul the field of 64 (ok technically 65). 

 If anything else, scratch the NIT entirely and make each tournament played on the higher seeded team's home court.  This would to me generate more fan interest.  Did anyone else see how far back most of the fans were in the regionals and semi's?  and most of the crowds were B-O-R-I-N-G and fans were definately not in it until the final four.

runningwithscissors:

I guess I'm trying to figure out what is so flawed about the current post season set up that makes people think we need to overhaul the field of 64 (ok technically 65). 

Completely agree.... you have arguably the most popular/successful sporting event(s) in the country, why would you want to overhaul it, much less "tweak" it?  And for those that clamor for 128 teams or re-seeding.... YOU'RE IDIOTS!  Do you have ANY idea how much of the the interest in the tourney comes from those little 8 1/2" x 11" brackets people fill out?  The great thing about the NCAA is how many casual or non-fans it turns into TV watching/sports discussing fans.

My only beef is with CBS. They have total control and can switch to whatever game they please, no matter what region the game is in. 2 years ago Time Warner added those 4 channels so you could watch whatever game you wanted. That was great, but then you lost the HD. It would be nice for 2 networks to cover it or at least the first 2 rounds. There's just so much going on that first weekend its hard to catch the games you want, even though I'm a 3rd shifter and can watch b-ball all day. One of the only perks of working the night shift.

I think the NCAA should do this:

With all the bitching and moaning of all the bubble teams that did not get in, I think the NCAA should eliminate the stupid play-in game on Tuesday night with a couple of nobobdy's getting to play each other that nobody will watch.

 I suggest that the field be expanded to 72 teams, and that 8 "bubble" teams that got slighted, play it out, a pair in each region, with the winners becoming a 12 seed into said region. 

 I understand that the NCAA has the play-in game for those schools so that one can say they won a game in the tournament, but they just have to go get pounded by a #1 seed anyways, so why bother with it.

Bone24:

I think the NCAA should do this:

 

With all the bitching and moaning of all the bubble teams that did not get in, I think the NCAA should eliminate the stupid play-in game on Tuesday night with a couple of nobobdy's getting to play each other that nobody will watch.

 I suggest that the field be expanded to 72 teams, and that 8 "bubble" teams that got slighted, play it out, a pair in each region, with the winners becoming a 12 seed into said region. 

 I understand that the NCAA has the play-in game for those schools so that one can say they won a game in the tournament, but they just have to go get pounded by a #1 seed anyways, so why bother with it.

That makes the brackets impossible/tough to do....  that's their bread and butter, even if they don't realize it.

You can see all 4 games on DirecTV on 4 channels.

CBS paid what they did for it so that anyone watching the coverage has to watch CBS. Brilliant on their part and I think they do a very good job handling everything.

I think the field is great the way it is.  Often the simplest answer is the best. Don't change just for the sake of change.

Bone24:

I think the NCAA should do this:

 

With all the bitching and moaning of all the bubble teams that did not get in, I think the NCAA should eliminate the stupid play-in game on Tuesday night with a couple of nobobdy's getting to play each other that nobody will watch.

 I suggest that the field be expanded to 72 teams, and that 8 "bubble" teams that got slighted, play it out, a pair in each region, with the winners becoming a 12 seed into said region. 

 I understand that the NCAA has the play-in game for those schools so that one can say they won a game in the tournament, but they just have to go get pounded by a #1 seed anyways, so why bother with it.

But you will still have bubble teams even with this set up