The Final 4 is set. The Elite 8 games were all pretty fantastic. Now if VCU played Kansas again, I think KU would crush them but it's a 1 & done format. Not sure why Arizona rushed 2 3-pointers when a 2 could've tied it but whatever. I never got out of intramurals so who am I to judge.
Anyway, I've been watching ESPN2 this morning & all the talking heads are crying about how bad the tournament is going. They're saying, I'm paraphrasing mind you, "we've gotta change the system!" and "the best teams aren't in the championship!" Now a few weeks ago these same people were all about "the little guy." "Why should the Big East get 11 teams at the expense of the mid majors?" was the sentiment after selection Sunday. Now these guys turned on the mid majors.
On Mike & Mike they were saying that in college football, usually, the 2 of the best teams are playing for the title. But in basketball, the best teams aren't playing. One person even sent an email that said something towards dynamiting the current system because the best teams all got knocked off. Admittedly, I don't recall any of this kind of talk when Butler met Duke last year. I'm positive though that no one was crying about the new tournament set-up in 1985, when 1st expanded to 64 teams, when Villanova made the Final 4. In 1985 2 of the best teams, Georgetown & St John's made the Final 4. In 1985, you can argue that Villanova was a talented team that underachieved to a 19-10 record entering the tournament. What can't be argued that Georgetown was a juggernaut if there ever was one. But that's enough about 1985.
The fact that there are people who want to change the NCAA Basketball Tournament is insane. There will always be teams that may or may not deserve to get in & there will always be underachieving teams, hello Pitt & Notre Dame. Why change it? There was a time when only conference tournament winners went to the tournament. In 1974, the eventual champion NC State Wolfpack defeated Maryland in the ACC Tournament, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974_ACC_Men%27s_Basketball_Tournament. Maryland was one of the best teams in the nation & were denied a chance to play for the title.
Today, that team gets in. If a top ranked team gets bumped off then too bad. Every coach, player & institution knows what they're getting into with the tournament. All of them would tell you that they want a chance to play for the title. They don't want a computer to determine who plays, they want to settle it on the court. In 1981, St Joe's knocked off #1 ranked DePaul in the 1st round. Indiana ended up defeating UNC for the title. That's not a bad game. If Houston could hit a free throw in the closing minutes of the 1983 final then they would have defeated NC State. Even when the best teams make it to the final it's not always a great game. Case in point the 30 point drubbing UNLV gave Duke in 1990 (Duke would get the vengeance in the 1991 semi-final game.)
The tournament is fine the way it is. The 4 teams playing play-in games is up for debate but we all know that it's the 64 team set that makes it. Granted the Big East sending 11 teams is a bit much I agree but the Big East is a 37 team conference so the mediocre teams may get it.
This is something that got me this morning. It was put together quickly, so please forgive the heinous grammatical errors & such. Everybody looks forward to this time of year & drastic changes are not the answer. There are a lot of problems in college athletics but the NCAA Basketball Tournament isn't one of them.
Thanks for your time.
Anyway, I've been watching ESPN2 this morning & all the talking heads are crying about how bad the tournament is going. They're saying, I'm paraphrasing mind you, "we've gotta change the system!" and "the best teams aren't in the championship!" Now a few weeks ago these same people were all about "the little guy." "Why should the Big East get 11 teams at the expense of the mid majors?" was the sentiment after selection Sunday. Now these guys turned on the mid majors.
On Mike & Mike they were saying that in college football, usually, the 2 of the best teams are playing for the title. But in basketball, the best teams aren't playing. One person even sent an email that said something towards dynamiting the current system because the best teams all got knocked off. Admittedly, I don't recall any of this kind of talk when Butler met Duke last year. I'm positive though that no one was crying about the new tournament set-up in 1985, when 1st expanded to 64 teams, when Villanova made the Final 4. In 1985 2 of the best teams, Georgetown & St John's made the Final 4. In 1985, you can argue that Villanova was a talented team that underachieved to a 19-10 record entering the tournament. What can't be argued that Georgetown was a juggernaut if there ever was one. But that's enough about 1985.
The fact that there are people who want to change the NCAA Basketball Tournament is insane. There will always be teams that may or may not deserve to get in & there will always be underachieving teams, hello Pitt & Notre Dame. Why change it? There was a time when only conference tournament winners went to the tournament. In 1974, the eventual champion NC State Wolfpack defeated Maryland in the ACC Tournament, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974_ACC_Men%27s_Basketball_Tournament. Maryland was one of the best teams in the nation & were denied a chance to play for the title.
Today, that team gets in. If a top ranked team gets bumped off then too bad. Every coach, player & institution knows what they're getting into with the tournament. All of them would tell you that they want a chance to play for the title. They don't want a computer to determine who plays, they want to settle it on the court. In 1981, St Joe's knocked off #1 ranked DePaul in the 1st round. Indiana ended up defeating UNC for the title. That's not a bad game. If Houston could hit a free throw in the closing minutes of the 1983 final then they would have defeated NC State. Even when the best teams make it to the final it's not always a great game. Case in point the 30 point drubbing UNLV gave Duke in 1990 (Duke would get the vengeance in the 1991 semi-final game.)
The tournament is fine the way it is. The 4 teams playing play-in games is up for debate but we all know that it's the 64 team set that makes it. Granted the Big East sending 11 teams is a bit much I agree but the Big East is a 37 team conference so the mediocre teams may get it.
This is something that got me this morning. It was put together quickly, so please forgive the heinous grammatical errors & such. Everybody looks forward to this time of year & drastic changes are not the answer. There are a lot of problems in college athletics but the NCAA Basketball Tournament isn't one of them.
Thanks for your time.
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