ACC schools propose NCAA basketball tournament including ALL teams
Title says it all. Seems like the plan would be to use the current conference championship weeks to have play-in rounds (probably region-based low and mid majors) to reduce the field down to the normal 64-68, and then start the tournament as usual. It would be like the FA Cup and similar tournaments in soccer. If they can pull it off, it would be an awesome celebration of basketball.
September 9th, 2020 at 11:13 AM ^
No thanks. I’d rather just keep the ncaa tourney the way it is.
September 9th, 2020 at 11:24 AM ^
If you win your conference championship you automatically get a bid into the field of 68.
Most conferences already allow all conference teams a spot in their conference tournament.
If you want all teams to be in the tournament then just tell all conferences to have all teams in their conference tournament. Same difference as every team would enter March with a chance.
To match Duke up against some scrub team from a lower conference would be boring to see a lot of 120 to 30 scores.
September 9th, 2020 at 11:27 AM ^
Sure why not fuck up more stuff.
The 30 for 30 on this time period is gonna be an interesting watch.
September 9th, 2020 at 11:29 AM ^
The conference championships are essentially already play in rounds for the tournament. I don't see the point in replacing the conference tournament.
Now if they wanted to do this at the start of the season and replace the early invitational tournaments that might be a different story. That would also be more like the FA cup. You don't replace Champions or Europa league play with league cups like the FA, they play in conjunction and have separate champions. A big early season tournament that goes alongside conference/ooc makes a lot more sense to me than trying to completely redo the actual NCAA tournament which I dont think really needs many, if any, tweaks.
September 9th, 2020 at 11:31 AM ^
I wonder if the reason is to have a single testing procedure for all teams funded by the NCAA. Lot of smaller conferences in college basketball and hosting conference championships the week before the NCAAs could cause issue if there isn't consistency.
September 9th, 2020 at 11:33 AM ^
The Ice Age
The Space Age
The Information Age
The Big Stupid Fuck Everything Up Age
September 9th, 2020 at 11:33 AM ^
For you young people, now is the time to break out a classic Onion video: "NCAA Expands March Madness To Include 4,096 Teams."
"I love this move! There's a lot of great teams out there that lost a tough game, couldn't get over that 5-win hump, or haven't even played a game this season!"
September 9th, 2020 at 11:41 AM ^
Not necessary. Most every team already DOES make the NCAA tournament. You win your conference tourney, you make the NCAAs. Just consider every conference tournament an extension of the NCAA's. If you're 0-28 Rutgers, you're in the tournament.
September 9th, 2020 at 12:00 PM ^
Spearheaded by coach K. Go fucking figure.
September 9th, 2020 at 12:18 PM ^
I don't hate the idea, but there's something satisfying about being one of the final 68 teams in the field.
September 9th, 2020 at 12:36 PM ^
People are sitting at home very bored and have begun justifying their jobs by proposing fixes to things that aren't being broken by COVID
September 9th, 2020 at 12:48 PM ^
Maybe they could seed the teams by payroll. Gotta make sure Dook always gets the best draws and locations. Don't want to mess with that NCAA tradition.
September 9th, 2020 at 1:21 PM ^
Coach K is near the end of his career and he is desperate to get one last title any means possible. He's been lobbying that there has to be a tournament this year for a while based on the vicarious financial situation of many of the smaller schools. While this is true, if I have learned anything watching 4 plus decades of college basketball, it's Coach K is purely self serving.
September 9th, 2020 at 2:01 PM ^
Will everyone get a trophy too?
September 9th, 2020 at 2:13 PM ^
Lol, as if the NCAA is going to put their name on a plan.
September 9th, 2020 at 3:23 PM ^
This tweet from the internet's Rodger Sherman really made me laugh:
September 9th, 2020 at 3:57 PM ^
Well, the best team - whoever that might be - almost certainly would not win, or at least it would be significantly less likely, although some of the chaos would be exciting to the basketball fan in me. I would have to ultimately pass on it though. I rather like the format as is.
September 9th, 2020 at 7:25 PM ^
First good idea I've heard from anyone trying to figure up Covid workarounds.
As a one year thing, this would be the most amazing and insane thing anyone ever did in sports. Obviously I wouldn't want to see it every year, but just the once to see how banana things would get? Heck yeah, sign me up.
And frankly there's not a more fair way to handle the tournament, since we know for a fact there's going to be tons of covid game postponements and out of conf scheduling is going to be a shit show. Why ask a selection committee that screws stuff up in a normal year to try to figure all that out?
Covid Battle Royal, it's the only way.
September 9th, 2020 at 9:31 PM ^
I've actually wondered why they didn't raise it to 256 teams. It's only one extra weekend.
September 10th, 2020 at 1:57 AM ^
This is the most milennial thing ever lol...Why don't we just play everything out in e-sports format
September 10th, 2020 at 8:59 PM ^
Living in N.C. this was on the news today. It is meant to be a one time thing. This way teams won’t have to concerned about missing a few games if they need to and will be the best chance for the tournament to proceed without to much controversy. It’s not ideal but it’s a plan at least.