NCAA Tourney Selection Show changes format

Submitted by MGoRob on

PSA: the selection show wil have a brand new format this year. A little heads up because there are some major changes that will certainly make some grumble

  • Will air on TBS instead of CBS. Sorry, they only want those paying $100+ a month for cable/satellite to see this now live.
  • ALL 68 qualified teams will be announced within the first 15 minutes. But not matchups. So no suspense if you're a bubble team. If you're a fan of said team that got left out, you can turn your TV off almost immediately.
  • Once teams are announced, you'll have to wait for matchups and when/where the teams will play. Supposedly to be dished out within 50 min.
  • It'll move back to a 2 hour show rather than the recent 90 min program.
  • Latter half of program will be analysis of the matchups

Personally, most upset with the change from CBS to TBS. But I guess that gives me 2 hours of my life back since I don't have cable.

http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2018/03/ncaa_tournament_selec…

edit: Also mentioned in the article that I forgot to point out.... it is not clear when the seeds will be announced. Which most of us want to know regarding MSU/UM and playing in Detroit.

edit2: "ALL 68 teams will be announced at once" in second bullet changed to be more accurate

mgobaran

March 6th, 2018 at 4:16 PM ^

Maybe it has worked in the past, but the last year or two has been a shit show. In a world rife with Twitter and Leaks, the bracket show has lost all the suspense the show used to carry. The format change makes sense in a preperation sense. Get all the goodies out first, then reveal the seeds and an added bonus of an hour of in depth coverage. 

Now if the bracket it leaked before hand, people can tune out for the first hour and come back to for the goods. 

Changing from CBS to TBS is dumb, but I get it from a business sense. CBS wants people to buy cable to watch TBS. 

Wolverine Devotee

March 6th, 2018 at 3:06 PM ^

The typical empty suits of the world who break things that aren't broken are the worst.

 

ijohnb

March 6th, 2018 at 3:09 PM ^

one of those changes is a good change.

It looks like they got together and said "how can we do this thing we already do poorly and make it worse?  By a lot?!"

And how do they announce every team at once without using comically small print?  Are they going to scroll?  That is really odd.

In reply to by ijohnb

MGoRob

March 6th, 2018 at 3:28 PM ^

By all at once, I guess I really meant within the first 15 minutes. Here's the quote.

 

"We're not going to stretch this out and hold the audience or anything like that," Bryant said. "We are going to reveal the 68 teams as quickly as possible -- probably within the 15 minutes we should have it all out there."

but not the matchups initially...

The major difference from past years is that that initial release will simply be the qualified teams. Viewers won't know the matchups or when or where the teams are playing until later -- "within the first hour," Bryant said. "Within the first 50 minutes, hopefully, we'll have everything done."

M Ascending

March 6th, 2018 at 4:37 PM ^

How utterly stupid. The best part of the show is watching the bubble teams squirm as each region is announced and the opportunities for selection dwindle; and then watching some of them rejoice as they are announced with the last few picks. This takes almost all of the drama our of the show.

LSAClassOf2000

March 6th, 2018 at 3:16 PM ^

That makes it really simple for me then - have it on in the background since there really will be only selected bits of this program where I would probably pay close attention to anything that is said. I mean, I know my team is in, so if I miss the first, what, 10-15 minutes, that's no big deal, I guess. If they are going to do the brackets inside the first hour, and I really don't want to hear the supposed analysis, then I can watch a 30-45 minute portion towards the middle and get most of what I want to know. It's efficient. It sucks, but it's efficient. 

superstringer

March 6th, 2018 at 3:18 PM ^

So lemme get this straight.

This means that Nebraska and Pedo State basketball fans, all six of them (combined), will know immediately that their teams are NIT-bound?

I mean, I suppose that incrementally reduces tensions in Nebraska and Pennsylvania for about, oh, 45 minutes or something, so, good job, CBS/TBS/suits.

NRK

March 6th, 2018 at 3:26 PM ^

"All teams will be announced at once" - So what about all the awesome shots of schools reacting to getting in?

 

Perhaps one of my favorite parts and the part they always seem to highlight will go away? Or will they just cut to a recorded version after the fact when analyzing?

NRK

March 6th, 2018 at 3:35 PM ^

Thanks for link OP, but your summary is a little misleading when you said "ALL 68 teams will be announced at once"

This is what the article said:

"We're not going to stretch this out and hold the audience or anything like that," Bryant said. "We are going to reveal the 68 teams as quickly as possible -- probably within the 15 minutes we should have it all out there."

(my emphasis). 15 minutes does not imply that they're going to simply put up a giant list "all at once." Rather, that seems to support they'd do a quick "these teams made it" session, including with camera shots for bubble teams. 

Then go into regions/matchups. Then go into breakdowns.

 

EDIT - I see you've addressed this. Thanks.

InterlopingYooper

March 6th, 2018 at 3:25 PM ^

1. Peter Griffin will be unveiling the matchups.
2. It won’t be on TruTV, so Hardcore Pawn will not be preempted.
3. If you don’t have cable, you won’t feel cheated when all the matchups pop up ahead of time on your Twitter timeline.

M-Dog

March 6th, 2018 at 3:28 PM ^

Like the way they teach my kids math.  Always changing it for no real reason.   

They fuck with stuff just to fuck with it.  Some overpaid "consultant" tries to justify his existence at everyone else's expense.

 

 

 

ThatTCGuy

March 6th, 2018 at 3:28 PM ^

This is so stupid. It feels like the NCAA freaked out about the declining viewers of the selection show so they changed the format so less people would be inclined to watch it.

Fishbulb

March 6th, 2018 at 3:39 PM ^

...a ‘I’m looking to cut the cord—can someone do all the research for me?’ thread in a while. Seemed like it was weekly. I can only take that to mean we all are exactly where we should be, thanks to the sage advice found in this board.

BAKKER USAF

March 6th, 2018 at 3:57 PM ^

Something that everyone seems to be missing.  Mark Hollis is no longer the chairman of the selection team.  Supposedly if you are on the board and your team is being discussed, you leave the room.  But for some reason, sparty gets the easy bracket, like Middle Tenn State.  Oh, wait, to soon lil bro?

lilpenny1316

March 6th, 2018 at 3:59 PM ^

It was said multiple times, especially on Sunday.  I'm more upset that they're playing the Final Four and Championship Game is now on cable.  I hate that they did this in college football and I hate that college basketball is doing the same thing.

Adrian

March 6th, 2018 at 4:40 PM ^

I think this change is for the worse. It takes away the drama of teams on the bubble. They dont have to sweat it out as they fill out the bracket

bacon1431

March 6th, 2018 at 7:52 PM ^

Why will it take 15 minutes when about half the bids will already be know due to automatic bids and 15-20 no brainer at larges? Bunch of crap.

It’ll leak before they finish the show just like it did when they tried to stretch out the suspense a coupe years ago.