A Mystery To Me (RE: The NCAA)

[IdaGriz01]

Came across this ESPN article about the “NCAA Division I transformation committee.”
https://www.espn.com/college-sports...ommendations-call-bigger-championship-events

Key quote:

… enhanced expectations for DI schools to create a more uniform experience for athletes and allowing 25% of teams in certain sports to compete in championship events.
…
The most front-facing change comes in championship participation. The 25% recommendation for all sports sponsored by at least 200 schools opens the door for possible expansion of the March Madness basketball tournaments from 68 to as many as 90 teams each.

What exactly is the NCA thinking here? I think most fans (and I’d say commentators) figure the field for March Madness (basketball) is already too big, leading to essentially meaningless first round games. What possible agenda could the NCAA have to expand it even further? You’d have an even bigger field of early matchups to plod through … and I very much doubt that they would be attractive to TV broadcasters.

Beyond that, if this notion were applied to the FCS championship, that would expand the field to 30 teams … when 24 already seems like too many.

Of course, this is all speculative, but you wonder why the subject would even come up.

 

[BigRock]

Came across this ESPN article about the “NCAA Division I transformation committee.”
https://www.espn.com/college-sports...ommendations-call-bigger-championship-events

Key quote:

… enhanced expectations for DI schools to create a more uniform experience for athletes and allowing 25% of teams in certain sports to compete in championship events.
…
The most front-facing change comes in championship participation. The 25% recommendation for all sports sponsored by at least 200 schools opens the door for possible expansion of the March Madness basketball tournaments from 68 to as many as 90 teams each.

What exactly is the NCA thinking here? I think most fans (and I’d say commentators) figure the field for March Madness (basketball) is already too big, leading to essentially meaningless first round games. What possible agenda could the NCAA have to expand it even further? You’d have an even bigger field of early matchups to plod through … and I very much doubt that they would be attractive to TV broadcasters.

Beyond that, if this notion were applied to the FCS championship, that would expand the field to 30 teams … when 24 already seems like too many.

Of course, this is all speculative, but you wonder why the subject would even come up.

I appreciate what you're saying, particularly in respect to the FCS playoffs. An expansion is unnecessary, and 90 teams in basketball is too many.
But March Madness had a viewership of 9M+ per time slot through the first two rounds last year. That's four solid days of constant 9M+ viewership, which was the highest in 5 years.
The most-followed storyline was also likely 15th-seeded St. Peter's run to the Elite Right, including a first-round upset of 2nd seeded Kentucky. In 2018, UMBC beat Virginia in the first 16-1 upset.
I don't think anybody's slogging through the first rounds as is, and if anything I feel the field is leveling. Those David vs. Goliath storylines are by far the biggest draw of the tournament for me. If I wanted to watch an all 5-star recruit matchup between Duke and Kansas, I'd turn on the main networks any weekend of the non-conference season.

 

[mthoopsfan]

Came across this ESPN article about the “NCAA Division I transformation committee.”
https://www.espn.com/college-sports...ommendations-call-bigger-championship-events

Key quote:

… enhanced expectations for DI schools to create a more uniform experience for athletes and allowing 25% of teams in certain sports to compete in championship events.
…
The most front-facing change comes in championship participation. The 25% recommendation for all sports sponsored by at least 200 schools opens the door for possible expansion of the March Madness basketball tournaments from 68 to as many as 90 teams each.

What exactly is the NCA thinking here? I think most fans (and I’d say commentators) figure the field for March Madness (basketball) is already too big, leading to essentially meaningless first round games. What possible agenda could the NCAA have to expand it even further? You’d have an even bigger field of early matchups to plod through … and I very much doubt that they would be attractive to TV broadcasters.

Beyond that, if this notion were applied to the FCS championship, that would expand the field to 30 teams … when 24 already seems like too many.

Of course, this is all speculative, but you wonder why the subject would even come up.

Because they want to enhance the experience for more athletes-players. Not fans. Why would you oppose more opportunity for more players?

 

[MT Jack]

So.... all 14 BIG 10 teams get a bid now, right?

 

[MikeyGriz]

It's all about the Benjamins! More teams, means more games, means more commercials, means more tv revenue. NCAA is all about money.

 

[EverettGriz]

So.... all 14 BIG 10 teams get a bid now, right?

Yep. It’ll be just like the nba. Finish last in your division? No prob! Come play for a national title. We (and our partner Las Vegas) will make BANK!!

 

[GrizBall]

1. The NCAA is all about the money. The NCAA doesn’t care about student-athletes. They are like the Commissioners of pro leagues and beholden to the owners (schools), except the Student-Athletes don’t have a union. Everything they have done to benefit students (NIL, new transfer rules, etc.) was done kicking and screaming, either through court cases, threat of government intervention, etc. Ever notice how the only sports where the Athlete had to sit out a year was basically M/W Basketball and Football (the money sports)? Yes, I know those are the sports on full scholarship, but that’s a lame excuse.

2. It’s all about the money and football drives the car. The big giant in football is the SEC and their commissioner is the one pushing the hardest for this.


3. I actually wouldn’t be totally against it if it meant conferences like the Big Sky had a chance for 2 bids. But it seems like the purpose of the expansion is for the 9-12th place teams in the SEC to get into the tourney instead of just the normal 6-8 they usually get. If 90 teams were the number, you could have the regular selection process and auto-qualifiers for the first 85 teams. After that, the final 5 could only be selected from a pool of 10-12 of the lower conferences. It would be a little analogous to how currently a Group-of-5 school gets into the New Year’s Six bowl.