Sources at ESPN and inside the administration at a powerhouse NCAA basketball school told me today that the NCAA basketball tournament going to 96 teams is a “done deal.”
(More rounds? There goes dude’s clavicle)
An ESPN source said, “It’s a done deal with the expansion of the tournament. Depending on how soon a (TV) deal is done, the added teams could start next year. The NCAA confirmed that bidders would be interested in 96 teams, so they’re going with it.”
Another ESPN source confirmed to me that the network was in the formative stages of pondering a bid for the expanded tournament.
John Ourand and Michael Smith of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL reported this morning that if the NCAA opts out of its current broadcast rights deal with CBS, the governing body will consider, “expanding from a 65-team tournament to either 68 or 96 teams.”
The NCAA-CBS broadcast rights contract has three years and $2.131 billion remaining. SBJ reports, “the NCAA has until Aug. 31 to exercise its right, though it hopes to conclude the process much earlier.”
A 68-team field would add three games to the current 65-team format, and a 96-team field would add 31 games to the tourney.
SBJ also notes that ESPN, Fox and a Turner-CBS collaboration may vie for broadcast rights of the tournament.
The broadcasters are basing their bids on an expanded tournament field, according to a request for proposal issued by the NCAA to potential bidders late last year.
The NCAA reportedly wants a new, 14-year deal with its network partner(s) with an early opt-out only available to the NCAA. (Overplaying its cards?)
As my sources indicate, the NCAA is already dead-set on expanding to a 96-team hoops tournament, so what affect will that have on interest in March Madness and the regular season?
I’m one of those guys who lightly follows the regular season but loves the postseason tournament. Going to 96 teams will render the regular season even more meaningless and I’m not so sure that March Madness will be as fervently embraced with the dilution of the field and added number of games. Like my bracket isn’t big enough already?
If they’re going to go to 96 teams, why not just make the whole season a double elimination tournament?
And if the NCAA is going to drag out the hoops tournament even more, causing players to miss more class, how can it continue to justify not having a college football playoff?
Someone needs to check the water in Indianapolis. Might wanna consider a boil warning.
1:32 pm on February 1st, 2010
Darn near 100 teams and USC still cant get in this year
1:43 pm on February 1st, 2010
Why would you want the NCAA to do a college football playoff? They’ve already fucked up basketball to the point that the regular season is meaningless. Hell, with 96 teams getting in, the regular season is even more meaningless.
1:44 pm on February 1st, 2010
This is the worst news. I cant believe they are going to make the field this large. Huge mistake. March Madness used to be special.
1:47 pm on February 1st, 2010
68 makes more sense than 65, but 96 teams is a travesty. A bunch of morons tampering with the greatest sports franchise out there.
1:52 pm on February 1st, 2010
This dumbass idea is just going to give college football a reason to not move into a playoff system, god damn BCS.
2:08 pm on February 1st, 2010
Why ot merge with the Juco tournament in Hutchinson KS and have a round of 144? Now that’s gross.
2:10 pm on February 1st, 2010
I think this is a terrible idea. This is why I don’t like college basketball.
2:10 pm on February 1st, 2010
Hey, why not go all the way? 128 Teams!!!! Imagine Kentucky with the #1 seed playing a team that won 2 conference games and got blown out in the 1st Round of its tournament by by 40 points!! Hell, the regular season would virtually become an exhibition at this point, because unless you can’t even dress 8 healthy players, you’re going to get into the tournament. I like the basketball format of a huge tournament, but this is a joke. Who’s going to watch a team with a 10-26 Record play the Mid Major Champion who didn’t get a bye in the first round???
2:15 pm on February 1st, 2010
It would only add 1 round of play and eliminate the NIT. Seeds 1-4 would get a play-in opponent. This would also allow the low level conference champ that runs the table in the regular season, only to get upset in their conference tournament to make the field of 96.
2:16 pm on February 1st, 2010
I used to love college basketball - it was my favorite sport. Now, not so much.
The current large March Madness field, combined with most conferences crowning as their conference champion the conference tournament winner, has made the regular season all but meaningless. Throw in the one-and-done problem, which rewards the teams who get the best one-and-doners, and who really cares? Expand the tournament to 96 teams and, really, what’s the point of things at all, except to generate monies for the schools.
Cutting back the tournament to 32 teams would actually probably goose total interest (regular season plus tourney) upwards, even if that means some fans would not have a home team to root for in the tournament.
2:16 pm on February 1st, 2010
Why would you ruin the best event in sports!?
Dear NCAA –if it ain’t broken don’t fix it. You freaking morons
2:19 pm on February 1st, 2010
They still want the athletes to be student-athletes or athletes-students which is it. THE NCAA is using these young athletes way more than the free education that these athlete students get. HOW Gordon Gecko of them
2:21 pm on February 1st, 2010
Are we sure this isn’t a typo? Maybe it was supposed to be 68 or 69 teams, but not 96…
2:23 pm on February 1st, 2010
A Tournament with 96 teams would make sense if the following would occur:
1. No more NIT - the 32 teams from the NIT, added to the 65 from the NCAA’s (then subtract one), and you get 96.
2. The NIT guarantees a spot to the regular season winner of each conference. Would this do the same? So, you might get two teams in from the MAAC, SWAC, etc.?
2:42 pm on February 1st, 2010
What this would cause would be more upsets in the real “1st Round”….or what is now the 1st Round….
Your 1 vs 16 matchups would be more evenly matched than ever before….you would essentially have what are now 12 seeds matching up against #1 seeds….
2:45 pm on February 1st, 2010
I think 96 teams would be god-awful…but, if they do, then why not have the 32 added teams (with no play-in) playoff separately to become the add-in team.
Otherwise, having the #1 seed play the #96 seed, etc. would create a huge disinterest in a great tournament.
2:46 pm on February 1st, 2010
Jason I find it funny that you support the current BCS system. After all you must like the fact that a team can go undefeated and never have a chance to win the national championship.
2:53 pm on February 1st, 2010
I’m petitioning that vote! Whatever TV company sings on with this idea you have lost a customer. Anyone else with me?? 96 teams is WAY to many.
2:55 pm on February 1st, 2010
Shouldn’t the NCAA be more interested in fixing the broken BCS system?
Leave the best college tournament you have alone. Your making the regular season games meaningless.
Actually cut the field down to 32, and give an extra week or two to the football games so we can actually have a TRUE National Champion.
3:06 pm on February 1st, 2010
If only one major college sport’s postseason needs to be adjusted, should it be basketball? I’ll give the NCAA credit for at least one thing: They are excellent at repeatedly proving how out of touch they are. Hail to the rich old white men in suits.
3:27 pm on February 1st, 2010
Just like with College Football, 6 wins will make your school eligible for post-season play.
3:34 pm on February 1st, 2010
I actually like the idea a lot
3:45 pm on February 1st, 2010
This is stupid. A #1 team has never lost to a 16 seed team, so why on earth would you expand this anymore.
3:50 pm on February 1st, 2010
I agree with Bauer, expanding is dumb. March madness is long enough, the NCAA should actually shrink it more. IF you expand to 96, thats almost like 70% of D1 schools- no point in having the regular season. On a side note, completeing a perfect bracket will be damn near impossible.
3:53 pm on February 1st, 2010
I could see adding 16 teams to 80 teams as this doesn’t change the entire bracket. They would have the 16 extra teams face the traditional 13-16 seeds in a “play-in” game with the winners playing the top 4 seeds in each region. This way, a big conference bubble team would have to beat another bubble team or a traditionally weak 13-16 seed to get in. Use this year for instance..an Louisville (currently 1st team outside the bubble) would face a weak conference winner like Murray State (currently number 13 seed) to see who would play the #4 seed in a region.
4:09 pm on February 1st, 2010
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/ncaa_expands_march_madness_to
4:25 pm on February 1st, 2010
It already is damn near impossible to create a perfect bracket
4:43 pm on February 1st, 2010
The NCAA is retarded and needs to be eliminated.
4:47 pm on February 1st, 2010
Gee lets ruin College basketball now………these morons should be focusing on a Football play-off
4:48 pm on February 1st, 2010
Gee lets ruin College basketball now………these morons should be focusing on a Football play-off
4:54 pm on February 1st, 2010
literally one of the worst ideas of all-time
4:57 pm on February 1st, 2010
I never said I’m a fan of the BCS. But I know I don’t want the NCAA bringing March Madness to college football.
Honestly, why would you want these morons touching college football when they’ve already fucked up the regular season for basketball?
5:12 pm on February 1st, 2010
please no
5:12 pm on February 1st, 2010
So you’re saying the Gators have a chance!?
5:32 pm on February 1st, 2010
I agree that 96 is too many, but some of you need to get your facts straight. There are 347 schools in D1 NCAA basketball now, a FAR cry from 70%.
And many of you, including the the author of this article shouldn’t even be commenting on this is you don’t follow the regular season. The regular season is not meaningless and wouldn’t be rendered so by an expansion of the tourney. What, you think they can just use the preseason poll to decide who gets in and where they are seeded? UNC has gone from a projected 1 seed to not making the tourney this year, case and point.
Giving the top 2 or 4 seeds a bye would be a better way to expand the tourney imo.
5:37 pm on February 1st, 2010
How is the regular season f’ed up for basketball, someone actually explain that. It is SOOO much better than in football. Teams aren’t afraid to play each other because a couple of losses doesn’t put you in some crap bowl. Anyone that says the regular season in CBB is ruined doesn’t have a clue what they are talking about.
8:06 pm on February 1st, 2010
@Oilhog:
What’s the point of watching regular season basketball games if, on average (I’ll acknowledge that it isn’t happening in the Pac-10 this year), 50%+ of the teams from most major conferences get into the tournament? Where is the drama of elimination from tournament contention? There isn’t any. And, unlike football, one is not playing for bowl and bowl match-up quality.
Sure, one is playing for seeding in March Madness, but really, who cares that much about seeding in general except for super aficionados. Also, who cares that much about seeding when watching any particular regular season game in what are now a whole bunch of regular season games - the drama of any particular game having been diminished.
And why have a regular season at all when the conference championship is decided by a conference tournament? And, except in one bid conferences, who really cares who wins the conference tournament.
All-in-all, college basketball has become a giant snoozefest, made worse by the one-and-doners. Who can buy the best and most one-and-doners has far too much influence on who goes far in the tournament.
9:22 pm on February 1st, 2010
I don’t like the idea either but there is one aspect of it that makes the tournament more ‘fair’. The way it is set up now, some very weak teams get in, while some better teams from major conferences do not. So if they make this change they will have fewer complaints from teams that are rejected.
the bad outweighs the good though. If they do this I may never watch a regular season game again; they will all be made meaningless.
11:53 pm on February 1st, 2010
Worst idea of all time. higher seeded teams who have inherent advantages will just have greater advantages, true upsets that matter will be rarer, and you’ll have teams around .500 getting in. Everyone should write to the NCAA that this is a terrible idea.
12:19 am on February 2nd, 2010
The NCAA has NEVER been known for common sense and this hideous proposal just proves it. Anyone with half a brain ought to know that with a 96-team field, at least 75% of the additional bids will go to bubble teams in the power conferences, keeping out one-bid schools who lose their tourneys despite being #1 in their conferences as well as mid-majors who’ll get screwed because the NCAA wants the prestigious school that fell on hard times for ratings–and to keep the big six conference commishes happy.
The best thing that the NCAA can do is to split Division I football style so the big six can enjoy the money all for themselves.
1:08 am on February 2nd, 2010
IT’S AT MOST ONE EXTRA GAME TO HAVE TO WIN!!
2:25 am on February 2nd, 2010
The NCAA should be imploded.
6:32 am on February 2nd, 2010
What people forget is that it is very rare that a low seed makes it to the Final Four, (George Mason is the only one I can think of off the top of my head). 64 teams is too many when you are talking about 64 teams having a chance to win the National Championship, but it is exciting that there is a chance for a few upsets the first weekend. But every year the final four has atleast 2-3 teams that are the #1 seed from their region. By adding more teams, you are just dilluding the product, and having more teams with no shot to win it all. Sometimes less is more. Sadly in sports, everything is getting expanded and sure they make more money, but many people will lose interest in the early rounds.
7:09 am on February 2nd, 2010
Have to say I like this. There are A LOT of deserving teams each year that get left out, particularly in the mid majors. It used to be if you had a 500 record in a major conference and 17 or 18 wins you were in. No more.
The regular season would be about being in the top 32 and getting that first round bye for the upper teams and the rest of the 400 teams would be fighting over those 32 spots. It would actually open the door for alot more unknowns to come to the big dance and maintain the magic of the tourney to the same level as it had 20 years ago.
The more the NCAA takes the ball out of the conference room and onto the floor the better.
11:03 am on February 2nd, 2010
What if the additional teams were automatic bids from the winner of each conference’s regular season? If that team were already in due to also winning the tournament then the selection would go to the second place team.
11:48 am on February 2nd, 2010
@ CO - agree with your post. FYI, George Mason was an 11-seed in ‘06; Penn was a 9-seed in ‘79 in a 10-team bracket. Villanova was an 8-seed in ‘85, but I wouldn’t technically consider that a low seed in a 16-team bracket.
@ Jason - also agree with you. Being anti-playoff doesn’t mean one is pro-BCS. The vast majority of people who b_tch for a CFB playoff are too young to remember the sport pre-BCS and pre-Bowl Alliance. IMO, it was a lot more fun when the emphasis was on making it to a New Year’s Day bowl. The national championship was important, but it was not the sole focus of the season. A lot of the blame for this mentality has to go to ESPN and its ilk, which find it easier and cheaper to focus 90% of their coverage on a half dozen or fewer teams.
Just to prove I’m not a complete curmudgeon, two changes over the past three decades that I do like are (1) increased television coverage (no, the media isn’t completely evil) and (2) scholarship limits, which mean good players are often starting for lesser-known teams rather than buried on the three-deep of a traditional power.
12:24 pm on February 2nd, 2010
If Minnesota and Illinois don’t make the tournament this year, or Northwestern, I might have to vote yes!
1:07 pm on February 2nd, 2010
Pigs get fat
Hogs get slaughtered
1:58 pm on February 2nd, 2010
this is terrible
4:19 pm on February 2nd, 2010
I think that 128 teams and three games in the first weekend would be the best format. Get rid of the NIT, CBI, etc. and get rid of weak conference champs that can’t beat .500 power conference teams that don’t get in.
11:39 am on February 3rd, 2010
This is lunacy! Now, may as well call it: “March and April Madness”. The NCAA are greedy and they are going to kill the golden goose.
12:00 pm on February 3rd, 2010
NCAA= epic FAIL.
6:22 pm on February 3rd, 2010
Eliminate regular season games.Go right to the tournament! Lets exploit these kids ! Mighty dollar wins over the beauty of tradition. A–holes.
2:13 pm on February 5th, 2010
Most of you all sound like a bunch of babies. “OMG my bracket will be way too hard to fill out!” “OMG the regular season means nothing now!” Child Please. Numerous coaches, including big timers like Coach K. at Duke support the idea of a 96 team bracket. It gives more kids the chance to participate in the tournament, even though most of the extra add-ins would be knocked out the first round.
The idea they are considering is if 32 more teams are added in, then the top 32 teams would have a bye the first week, and the rest of the 64 teams would have a 1 game play in. It’s basically replacing the current 1 game play in with a 32 game play in. Wow, such a travesty. Also, a lot of those extra 32 teams would come from mid-major conferences that usually only put up one team. There are several good teams in mid-major conferences with good records that don’t get noticed at all each year. (BTW I’m not some mid-major die hard, my team is one of the blue bloods.)
Also, to all you babies crying about the regular season being meaningless, get real. Teams want to win their conference titles, both regular season and tournament. Teams that play better during both conference play AND non-con get seeded higher, enabling them to have a far greater chance to advance farther in the tournament. How does this make the regular season meaningless. This is common logic, why must is be typed out for you?
4:41 pm on February 5th, 2010
Why watch regular season college basketball games? Because there is some damn fine basketball being played! It ain’t all about the tournament and who’s #1, not for the players, not for the fans, and not for those who appreciate watching some good ball.
5:18 pm on February 5th, 2010
Why not allow all 347 Div 1 teams in the tourney then that way no one gets left out
11:13 am on February 16th, 2010
Kansas JayHawks are definitely winning this March Madness. Ill bet the farm. They have improved so well since last season. this is their year!
6:51 am on February 26th, 2010
The one good thing with expansion is that minor (one bid) conference regular season championships in conferences that have tournaments would no longer be next to meaningless exercises to determine conference tournament seeding.
I think minor conference teams that win the regular season are more deserving than those who luck out in a conference championship.
That said, I don’t think expansion to 96 teams is necessarily the answer, unless there’s just an entire additional round for the bottom 64, which could be good in that it would give lower seeds a better chance to win a tournament game, as opposed to just getting slaughtered by a #1 seed straight away.
I think automatic bids for all regular season conference winners makes more sense, and just cut the bubble down to accommodate the conference tournament luckouts…
10:57 am on March 8th, 2010
This will ruin college basketball for many reasons:
1) Teams with 15 wins will make the tournanment meaning non-conference games will be against cupcakes just to get as many wins as possible. Strength of schedule becomes meaningless
2) This makes the regular season in general a joke since a team can now go 4-10 in the Big East and make the tourney.
3) This will create FEWER upsets in March Madness. Man yof the “cinderalla” teams are one hit wonders and can’t pull off multiple round upsets which means that most of the cinderalla won’t get to the main tournament.
4) There will be FEWER upsets for one additional reason. The lower seeds will play a higher seed that is well rested and fresh while they will have played 1-2 games already
This NULLIFIES the idiotic arguement that we can’t have a college football playoff because kids will miss too many classes. What a bunch of morons. This will go down as the New Coke of sports.
11:00 am on March 8th, 2010
Big Pete, you are wrong. How does it make the regular season meaningless? You pay attention to sports at all? EVERY year there are SUB .500 teams that make the NBA playoffs! It’s a joke. Those games are just filler until every NBA team gets a participation trophy and an invite to the play offs.
5:57 pm on March 10th, 2010
this is so stupid, it shouldnt even be considered
7:26 pm on March 14th, 2010
Once again, it’s all about the money. Why not have 96 teams and put more money into more schools? If only football would wake up, get rid of that bullshit BCS system, field a 32 team playoff and, (like basketball and baseball), have a true national champ.
1:09 pm on April 22nd, 2010
Good call, you nailed this one.
http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/042210aaa.html
10:17 am on May 18th, 2010
96 teams would be awsome it would make march madness perfect!!!