Field of 96?

[sys]

there will be nothing meaningless about the reg season games.  quite the contrary, they will be more "meaningful" (as mentioned to zacker in another thread, meaning isn't given to college bball games due to postseason games.  the games are an end unto themselves).  top 8 seeding would now be much more important.  whereas currently teams like say mu or bu are laying back feeling fat and sassy thinking, "meh, a 6, a 7, an 8, a 9, hell even a 10 or 11 seed, it's all about the same, under the new system they're sweating hard for the bye.

and you still have exactly the same situs with bubble teams, just 32 teams deeper.  lol @ dumbasses that think that there is some gigantic diff. in quality between the ca 45th best team and the ca 77th best team.  96 of about 350 teams.  that's still not easy.

[kso_FAN]

Agree with sys here.  Top 8 getting a bye will be a bid deal.

[sys]

http://www.basketballprospectus.com/unfiltered/


also an ood mention in the weekly top 25 thing among the articles.

[Cire]

adding Iowa State and colorado to the ncaa tourney doesn't make anything about cbb better.

[Kat Kid]

this really dicks over those crappy conferences.  Their George Mason moment will be beating a SLTH or two and getting their asses kicked by a big time program like us.

[sys]

keep in mind that about 10-15 of the new 32 slots would be projected to go to auto bids for small conferences.  mostly from giving auto bids to both reg season and tournament winners for all conferences.

only some 20 or so new slots.  it isn't like 4-12 or even 6-10 big 12 teams would suddenly be in.  looking at probably somewhere in the range of 1.5-2.0 more teams ea. from big 6 conferences, the rest coming from mid majors.  so instead of 4-6 teams getting in each year, 6-8.


you'll like it once it's here.  just like you thought you'd hate the big 12, but now you love it.

[mcmwcat]

KSU never would made a field of 96 in the past decade.  CU and ISU wouldn't make it this year

[sys]

KSU never would made a field of 96 in the past decade.

06-07
08-09 (bubble)

[chum1]

People forget that the number of D1 teams has increased from around 100 to over 2,000 in just the past few years.

[felix rex]

keep in mind that about 10-15 of the new 32 slots would be projected to go to auto bids for small conferences.  mostly from giving auto bids to both reg season and tournament winners for all conferences.

only some 20 or so new slots.  it isn't like 4-12 or even 6-10 big 12 teams would suddenly be in.  looking at probably somewhere in the range of 1.5-2.0 more teams ea. from big 6 conferences, the rest coming from mid majors.  so instead of 4-6 teams getting in each year, 6-8.

That's a pretty decent argument. My first thought when I heard this was "great, the entire big east minus Depaul." I'm warming to this.

[PandaXpanda]

I guess this wouldn't be a terrible idea but it still seems like the NCAA is rough ridin' with a good thing.  Imo, the NCAA tourney is by far the greatest time of the year why take the risk of messing it up?   

[kso_FAN]

I guess this wouldn't be a terrible idea but it still seems like the NCAA is fracking with a good thing.  Imo, the NCAA tourney is by far the greatest time of the year why take the risk of messing it up?   

Its risk/reward, but likely more games = more excitement (at least for some) = more $$$. 

I do like the incentive to be one of the best 32 teams and get rewarded with a 1st round bye.  This seems interesting to me.

[SleepFighter]

The first two days of the tournament are almost always the best, just because of the quantity of games.  Good on the NCAA for giving me more of that.  I'd much rather have too many teams in the tourney than too few.

[sys]

Good on the NCAA for giving me more of that.  I'd much rather have too many teams in the tourney than too few.

imagine how great it would be if the ncaa just reverted the tourney to 64.  but started up 4 new tourneys of 64 too.  and then ran the 5 tourneys in rotation starting a new one up as soon as the preceding tourney ended.  non stop year-round tourney games.   

[PandaXpanda]

I guess this wouldn't be a terrible idea but it still seems like the NCAA is fracking with a good thing.  Imo, the NCAA tourney is by far the greatest time of the year why take the risk of messing it up?   

Its risk/reward, but likely more games = more excitement (at least for some) = more $$$. 

I do like the incentive to be one of the best 32 teams and get rewarded with a 1st round bye.  This seems interesting to me.

I'm not disagreeing, but it still makes me a little  . Personally, I like the 64 team tourney and don't mind when "deserving" teams get snubbed, even when it was us.  Part of the beauty of cbb is that teams are able to make their own bed.  If you don't wanna be a bubble team that gets mumped over then schedule tougher, get better, and win more games. 

[kso_FAN]

I'm not disagreeing, but it still makes me a little  . Personally, I like the 64 team tourney and don't mind when "deserving" teams get snubbed, even when it was us.  Part of the beauty of cbb is that teams are able to make their own bed.  If you don't wanna be a bubble team that gets fracked over then schedule tougher, get better, and win more games. 

This really isn't too much about bubble teams to me, there will just be a different group of bubble teams.

It seems to me that the NCAA is pretty much saying they are going to absorb the NIT (which they own) into the current NCAA field.  Those 32 teams will be playing seeds 9 through 16 now to getting the field of 64 rather than playing in the NIT.

I can understand the opponents, but really doesn't seem like too big of a deal to me.  This is not going to "ruin" anything.

[Pete]

would be fantastic.


and lol my ass off at combo fans moaning about dilution of post-season play and reg season game irrelevance.

could make round of 64 games way more exciting and competitive.

no question.  plus two more days of tourney games.   

Think how treacherous those 1 vs 16 and 2 vs 15 games will be if the 16/15 seeds are a solid mid-major who would have normally been in the late rounds of the NIT.

[kso_FAN]

would be fantastic.


and lol my ass off at combo fans moaning about dilution of post-season play and reg season game irrelevance.

could make round of 64 games way more exciting and competitive.

no question.  plus two more days of tourney games.   

Think how treacherous those 1 vs 16 and 2 vs 15 games will be if the 16/15 seeds are a solid mid-major who would have normally been in the late rounds of the NIT.

The way I'm interpreting this (could be wrong) 1 seed will play the winner of 16/17 game.  But you are right that it will likely be a tougher opponent, those automatic bids from terrible conferences will now get bids in the 22-24 range.  And maybe more if the NCAA decides to reward autobids to regular season champs and tournament champs. 

[sys]

If the NCAA tournament expands, K-State coach Frank Martin says he'd be in favor of 128 teams. 

 

[kougar24]

you'll like it once it's here.  just like you thought you'd hate the big 12, but now you love it.

I know no one that hated the idea of the Big 12 back in the day. Quite the opposite. We Big 8'ers were all giddy about it, and my relatives from Texas were all like "be careful what you wish for, Texas will take over the conference (in admin/money decision stuff, not like our rival winning everything)."

[ArchE_Cat]

People forget that the number of D1 teams has increased from around 100 to over 2,000 in just the past few years.

This is the issue, there needs to be another division created here similar to football with Div 1 and Div 1A. Create a Div1A and let them have their own tourney.

[jtksu]

Agree with sys here.  Top 8 getting a bye will be a bid deal.

Doesn't seem like being one of the top 32 teams in the country would be all that thrilling.

[Kat Kid]

People forget that the number of D1 teams has increased from around 100 to over 2,000 in just the past few years.

This is the issue, there needs to be another division created here similar to football with Div 1 and Div 1A. Create a Div1A and let them have their own tourney.

Aren't there already 3 tourneys?

[mcmwcat]

i don't mind the 96 number.   i like it better than 128 to give incentive to get into the top 32 so you can get a bye.  i find it difficult though to determine who plays the #1 seed in the round of 64.  the 16/17 winner or the 9/32 winner ???

[Pexikan]

My thoughts wander to recruiting. Will this increase in the ncaa tournament field cause the talented recruits available to consider smaller programs with recent success? I know tradition, location and in KU and Missou's cases, money and jobs for parents, play a huge role in deciding which school they attend, but I have to think that this might spread the talent more across the nation, such as 4-5 stars playing closer to home at a mid-major instead of across the country for a Texas or North Carolina so mom and pops can see them more live.  Maybe the prospect that almost ANY team can make the big dance would somewhat level the playing field and shove it to traditional powers. Does the possibility of playing in the ncaa tourney attract recruits to schools in such a way that teams like Gonzaga and Memphis could  lose talent because other schools can give them the hope of dancing now also? Maybe I don't know where I'm going with this...