2026 NCAA Tournament

[kreed5120]

34 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

 

 

Of those schools it's not surprising to hear Gonzaga (doesn't even feel right calling them a mid-major), VCU, and St. Louis are spending significantly more than other mid-majors. I wasn't aware of High Point, but evidently it's an elitist private University.

 

There are talks of expanding the tournament, perhaps to 76 teams. Under that scenario the bubble line would be pushed back so using this year as an example instead of Akron being a 12 seed it would become a 13 seed with an expanded tournament. Things are probably going to get worse for mid-majors before they get better.

[Zipped Up]

1 hour ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

Miami OH even faced a worse team. Really pathetic effort. 

Tennessee would beat that Texas Tech team without Coppin worse than they beat Miami. Akron matched up way better v TT with a Senior laden lineup and Tech was without its best player. Akron gagged on the moment as usual, while Miami just got beat by a superior physical team, kind of like Arizona huh?  Come back and mock after Akron actually wins a tournament game.  That’s what hurting the MAC prospects for the future, the fact that Akron can’t represent. 

[Let'sGoZips94]

47 minutes ago, Zipped Up said:

Tennessee would beat that Texas Tech team without Coppin worse than they beat Miami. Akron matched up way better v TT with a Senior laden lineup and Tech was without its best player. Akron gagged on the moment as usual, while Miami just got beat by a superior physical team, kind of like Arizona huh?  Come back and mock after Akron actually wins a tournament game.  That’s what hurting the MAC prospects for the future, the fact that Akron can’t represent. 

 

You're fun.

 

Talk to the committee about who the better team is. Even without Toppin, Texas Tech was a 5 seed vs. Tennessee's 6 seed. Iowa State lost to Toppin-less Texas Tech. 39.3% 3P shooting team vs. 33.4% (Tennessee). The 3 ball is the great equalizer and Texas Tech is NASTY. Arguably would've been a 3 or 4 seed at worse with Toppin. Akron did matchup better vs. them, but that doesn't mean they aren't lethal when they're on. We still needed them to be off. 

Edited 19 hours ago by Let'sGoZips94

[Let'sGoZips94]

 

 

[clarkwgriswold]

7 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

 

I have a whole new appreciation for this guy.

[GP1]

12 hours ago, kreed5120 said:

There are talks of expanding the tournament, perhaps to 76 teams.

Edited 8 hours ago by GP1

[GP1]

12 hours ago, kreed5120 said:

There are talks of expanding the tournament, perhaps to 76 teams. 

I'm not opposed to this, but it doesn't address the major problem college basketball is having. Basically, it's like crapping your pants then changing your shirt. 

 

The problem CBB is having is the regular season is getting squeezed out by the college football playoff and NFL playoffs on the front end leaving less time for regular fans to pay close attention so everything becomes about March Madness. 

 

My questions are these. Why does it have to be March Madness?  Why couldn't it be April Madness? Could it be May Madness? Could the season be pushed back to starting a month later and have more time for fan interest to grow? Is it easier for fans in many parts of the country to get to regular season games in January/February or March/April?

 

Now that the players are professionals, school doesn't matter so play whenever it makes it possible for people to be more interested in the sport. 

[kreed5120]

31 minutes ago, GP1 said:

I'm not opposed to this, but it doesn't address the major problem college basketball is having. Basically, it's like crapping your pants then changing your shirt. 

 

The problem CBB is having is the regular season is getting squeezed out by the college football playoff and NFL playoffs on the front end leaving less time for regular fans to pay close attention so everything becomes about March Madness. 

 

My questions are these. Why does it have to be March Madness?  Why couldn't it be April Madness? Could it be May Madness? Could the season be pushed back to starting a month later and have more time for fan interest to grow? Is it easier for fans in many parts of the country to get to regular season games in January/February or March/April?

 

Now that the players are professionals, school doesn't matter so play whenever it makes it possible for people to be more interested in the sport. 

 

If I'm to be honest I'm not sure there is much college basketball could do to grow in popularity. March Madness does extend into April already. The Final Four this year extends from April 4-6. If they pushed it to start in April then you would be competing directly with the Masters (April 6th-12th), NFL Draft (April 23rd-25th), NBA Playoffs (starts April 18th), and MLB opening day (it already overlaps slightly here but bulk of tournament is over beforehand).

 

IMO March Madness wouldn't be what it is today if it had to directly compete with those other events that I mentioned. You might disagree and that's okay. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

[Illini Zip]

33 minutes ago, GP1 said:

I'm not opposed to this, but it doesn't address the major problem college basketball is having. Basically, it's like crapping your pants then changing your shirt. 

 

The problem CBB is having is the regular season is getting squeezed out by the college football playoff and NFL playoffs on the front end leaving less time for regular fans to pay close attention so everything becomes about March Madness. 

 

My questions are these. Why does it have to be March Madness?  Why couldn't it be April Madness? Could it be May Madness? Could the season be pushed back to starting a month later and have more time for fan interest to grow? Is it easier for fans in many parts of the country to get to regular season games in January/February or March/April?

 

Now that the players are professionals, school doesn't matter so play whenever it makes it possible for people to be more interested in the sport. 

I’m opposed to increasing the field. I don’t want teams under .500 getting in and that’s exactly what the large conferences would be pushing for. I do have a problem with other things like the NET and every once in a while the committee goes insane, but the tournament is still the best event in all of sports, IMO. Now my friends have been using the term “March Sadness” due to the increasing lack of Cinderella stories.

 

As for changing the calendar, I think every hour of every day have been fought for and negotiated between sports executives and media so much so that it would be nearly impossible. Spring for one has been owned by the Masters for decades. 

[AkronAlumnus]

Favorites went 16-0 yesterday. 

 

Edit: article to supplement - https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/march-madness-betting-favorites-go-16-0-in-friday-s-slate-for-first-time-since-1992/ar-AA1Z6lue?apiversion=v2&domshim=1&noservercache=1&noservertelemetry=1&batchservertelemetry=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1

Edited 6 hours ago by AkronAlumnus

[ZippyRulz]

14 hours ago, kreed5120 said:

 

Of those schools it's not surprising to hear Gonzaga (doesn't even feel right calling them a mid-major), VCU, and St. Louis are spending significantly more than other mid-majors. I wasn't aware of High Point, but evidently it's an elitist private University.

 

There are talks of expanding the tournament, perhaps to 76 teams. Under that scenario the bubble line would be pushed back so using this year as an example instead of Akron being a 12 seed it would become a 13 seed with an expanded tournament. Things are probably going to get worse for mid-majors before they get better.

 

Those 1 vs. 19 and 2 vs. 18 seed games would be glorious.

 

[kreed5120]

2 minutes ago, ZippyRulz said:

 

Those 1 vs. 19 and 2 vs. 18 seed games would be glorious.

 

 

As @Illini Zip said it's not about getting more mid or low majors in. It's about getting more .500 P4 teams in like Auburn.

 

It would be a similar setup to now. Just instead of bottom 4 conference winners competing for 2 spots it would be bottom 8 conference champions competing for 4. The same with the last 4 in for at-larges would become the last 8. This setup slide anyone below the bubble line 1 seed down since fewer low majors would make it to the round of 64. 

[GP1]

If CBB is worried about competing against The Masters, things are worse than I think. I think last year had the most Sunday viewers for The Masters ever. It was still several million viewers less than the final four. People watch The Masters because there is nothing else on TV and there will always be a certain number of people who like trust fund guys chase a ball around. Also, the final four isn't even played on Sunday. 

 

If CBB wants to expand the field, fine. They should get rid of conference tournaments if they do that. It would make the regular season more meaningful. Given players are professionals now, I don't think scheduling a 40+ game season would be unreasonable. 40 games is slightly less than half of NBA games. College football plays over half the number of NFL games. The expanded number of games would help weed out the field and give more time for the cream to rise to the top. 

[kreed5120]

Expanding the tournament doesn't alter the calendar. Just instead of playing 2 Dayton games on Tuesday and another 2 on Wednesday they play 4-6 each day.

 

What you initially proposed was shifting the schedule back multiple weeks. That would make it so earlier rounds would be in competition with the masters and later rounds would be in competition with events like the NBA playoffs or NFL draft. 

 

Conference tournaments and March Madness are the only games that 75% of college basketball fans even care about. I talked to fans sitting near me at Rocket Mortgage arena who claimed to be Akron fans, but they knew very little about the team and didn't go to a game at the JAR all season. 

 

If you want more regular season games that is still achievable. There are gaps in the regular season that teams don't play for 10+ days. Also, teams could play more than 2 games a week some weeks. I just don't think adding more regular season weeks is suddenly going to make people care more about the regular season. Most just care about the excitement of the single elimination tournaments and/or their office pool brackets. Without it they could care less.

Edited 3 hours ago by kreed5120

[Illini Zip]

I think we have to remember that these guys are still developing physically throughout their college careers. The adjustment from high school to college is already challenging enough for most. Add too much to their plate and I fear you will see a lot more injuries.

[Illini Zip]

You could take 3 weeks off the front and back ends of the MLB season and I wouldn’t miss a second of it. Greed has them starting and ending the season in miserable cold weather. 

[clarkwgriswold]

13 minutes ago, Illini Zip said:

You could take 3 weeks off the front and back ends of the MLB season and I wouldn’t miss a second of it. Greed has them starting and ending the season in miserable cold weather. 

MLB will never get it.  Too much money involved for them to cut back.

 

I'm always amused when during the wild card or first round someone plays an "on this date" clip from something that happened in the World Series years ago.

[Illini Zip]

16 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

MLB will never get it.  Too much money involved for them to cut back.

 

I'm always amused when during the wild card or first round someone plays an "on this date" clip from something that happened in the World Series years ago.

Yep, MLB should have figured out they really messed up their schedule when pitchers started to use pine tar on their fingers. Not for competitive advantage, but just so they could get any kind of action on the ball. 

[Reslife4Life]

3 hours ago, kreed5120 said:

 

As @Illini Zip said it's not about getting more mid or low majors in. It's about getting more .500 P4 teams in like Auburn.

 

It would be a similar setup to now. Just instead of bottom 4 conference winners competing for 2 spots it would be bottom 8 conference champions competing for 4. The same with the last 4 in for at-larges would become the last 8. This setup slide anyone below the bubble line 1 seed down since fewer low majors would make it to the round of 64. 

The bubble this year was so bad, if this year they expanded with this criteria, the last spot in relative to kenpom would be between 18-14 Indiana, and 16-16 Baylor. This year was the first time I have ever really watched a first four game with Miami. I would say most people don't watch those games and doubling that amount so we can see more games potentially like UVA vs Colorado State a couple years ago isn't going to make march madness more popular. It would also be a shame to have 4 conference tournament champions just missing out on the round of 64 each year. It would also put even more pressure on those teams in the low ranking conferences to switch conferences. Its a slippery slope to encourage more conference realignment at all levels. Who would've thought that college basketball would be more like the premier league before college soccer

[kreed5120]

25 minutes ago, Reslife4Life said:

The bubble this year was so bad, if this year they expanded with this criteria, the last spot in relative to kenpom would be between 18-14 Indiana, and 16-16 Baylor. This year was the first time I have ever really watched a first four game with Miami. I would say most people don't watch those games and doubling that amount so we can see more games potentially like UVA vs Colorado State a couple years ago isn't going to make march madness more popular. It would also be a shame to have 4 conference tournament champions just missing out on the round of 64 each year. It would also put even more pressure on those teams in the low ranking conferences to switch conferences. Its a slippery slope to encourage more conference realignment at all levels. Who would've thought that college basketball would be more like the premier league before college soccer

 

This year there was something like 8 million total if you add up viewership for those 4 games with the Miami/SMU drawing the largest audience of 2.5 million. How many people do you think tune into TrueTV on a Tuesday or Wednesday night if those college basketball games weren't being played? 10s of thousands maybe? That would mean putting a random play-in game adds ~2 million more viewers than whatever they were otherwise going to air.

 

I don't disagree that an expanded tournament does more damage than good for mid-majors and am personally not for it. That said, it's obvious live sports, even ones that might not be appealing to most, drive a much larger viewing audience than random re-runs or whatever else True TV runs. TBH I only ever watch that station for March Madness. For that reason an expanded tournament has value to a CBS, Netflix, Amazon, or whoever else bids for the next media contract.

Edited 1 hour ago by kreed5120

[Reslife4Life]

5 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

 

This year there was something like 8 million total if you add up viewership for those 4 games with the Miami/SMU drawing the largest audience of 2.5 million. How many people do you think tune into TrueTV on a Tuesday or Wednesday night if those college basketball games weren't being played? 10s of thousands maybe? That would mean putting a random play-in game adds ~2 million more viewers than whatever they were otherwise going to air.

 

I don't disagree that an expanded tournament does more damage than good for mid-majors and am personally not for it. That said, it's obvious live sports, even ones that might not be appealing to most, drive a much larger viewing audience than random re-runs or whatever else True TV runs. TBH I only ever watch that station for March Madness. For that reason an expanded tournament has value to a CBS, Netflix, Amazon, or whoever else bids for the next media contract.

The network is basically only reruns of impractical jokers for 361 days of the year. I'd rather have a strong NIT with those big schools, and hopefully the big fanbases would still watch. Just like bowl games, the Europa League, etc. Once teams decide they are "too good" for a level of competition it ruins the whole system

[Illini Zip]

I think it was @clarkwgriswold that once called the winner of the NIT, the best of the losers. That stuck with me, because it’s so true. I don’t think the NIT could ever draw significant attention during the NCAAT. Personal and institutional pride gets in the way of everyone trying their hardest. 
 

But if I were to try, I would avoid bragging rights or pride altogether. Hold the event at a unique or special location and give financial reward for every game you advance. The money could go to the players or in the team’s collective. I remember Michigan State once played North Carolina on an aircraft carrier. That was must see TV. And I always liked the Maui Invitational. Something like that with only 16 teams could draw some interest for fans, players and the general public.