New NCAA Tournament format

[Tony]

Thoughts?

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5374116

The final four at-large teams and final four automatic qualifiers in the newly minted 68-team NCAA men's basketball tournament field will meet for the right to enter the traditional 64-team draw, tournament selection committee chairman Dan Guerrero announced Monday.

The "First Four" will be played either the Tuesday or Wednesday after Selection Sunday. The winners of the four games will advance to what will now be called the "second round" on either Thursday or Friday. The newly named third round -- with 16 games -- will be Saturday and Sunday. The rest of the tournament -- regional semifinals (Sweet 16) and regional finals (Elite Eight) -- will remain as they have been, as will the Final Four, which is set for Houston in 2011.

The games will be televised on TruTv (formerly CourtTV), which is available in 93 million homes, said NCAA vice president Greg Shaheen, who manages the NCAA tournament. CBS, Turner, TBS and TruTV are in their first year of a $10.8 billion, 14-year television agreement. ESPN had carried the tournament's opening-round game in previous years.

I look forward to Forensic Files' take on college basketball.

 

[Tony]

I guess I kind of buried the lede, too, in that the play-in games for the at-large teams will playing for the right to be a 10, 11, or 12-seed (or thereabouts).

 

[boksooner]

Jesse Ventura would be a valuable addition to any broadcast team.

 

[HoHum]

Yuck. I was hoping they would just make it 4 play in games to get the 16 seeds. So, does this mean they get rid of the 16 seed play in game that they've had for the last 8 or 9 years?

 

[Tony]

The automatic qualifiers will still play for 16-seeds. It's pretty apparent they chose this format for money. No one would watch if it was just the little automatic qualifiers. This way they will have some pretty big names playing.

 

[CokeSooner]

Amazing how much since the new format makes.

So you'll have the at large teams playing each other and the automatic bids playing eachother? And why does it make any sense to anyone at the NCAA to have two 10 or 12 seeds playing each other to make it into the tournament? Isn't it only logical that the lowest seeds have play in games?

Silly me, I thought you'd just have 4 play in games for the 16 seeds with the 68 team format.

 

[campbest]

Regarding the NCAA tournament, all of their decisions have been about the $$$$. Don't know why anyone is surprised they haven't deviated from that approach now, 16 seeds playing each other draws no audience.

 

[sys]

So you'll have the at large teams playing each other and the automatic bids playing eachother?.

i assumed the last 4 auto bids would face the last 4 at larges.

 

[CokeSooner]

i assumed the last 4 auto bids would face the last 4 at larges.

That made since until I thought about the seeding. The last 4 auto bids wouldn't be near a 12 seed would they?

 

[Max Power]

Amazing how much since the new format makes.

So you'll have the at large teams playing each other and the automatic bids playing eachother? And why does it make any sense to anyone at the NCAA to have two 10 or 12 seeds playing each other to make it into the tournament? Isn't it only logical that the lowest seeds have play in games?

Silly me, I thought you'd just have 4 play in games for the 16 seeds with the 68 team format.

Honestly I think auto qualifiers have already proved themselves enough to be in, I think the last 8 at larges should play IMO and they can be what ever seed you want (I personally think they should be the 16 seeds, even if they are better teams than the auto qualifiers. That way winning a conference tourney, no matter what conference, matters) Again just my opinion on the matter

 

[stoopified]

Works for me.