Sports Illustrated posted a series of articles on the proposed expansion of the NCAA tournament to 96 teams. First, Stewart Mandel explains that expansion — for better or worse — is imminent.
Second, George Dohrmann offers four (just four?) reasons why expansion is a terrible idea.
Finally, Billy Donovan asserts his case for tournament expansion.
While Dohrmann’s article is preaching to the choir in my case, I had not previously considered the argument that expansion would make February less interesting because the “bubble teams” would be shifted to schools that only the most hard-core fans would care to watch (if those games were televised at all) and even the small conference tournament finals would likely pit teams who were both assured of bids.
Donovan’s article should be exhibit A for any case against expansion for its inability to assert a coherent answer to the question “Will This Produce Better Basketball?” Donovan’s case is muddled to say the least. His desire to expand the tournament for the sake of the students is admirable, but also smacks of rewarding quantity over quality, an impulse that only performs a disservice on students in the end. Donovan’s argument that basketball is only considered a “March sport” due to the prominence of both the current tournament and the other sports sandwiching the basketball season is not addressed in any way by expansion. It seems Donovan is arguing that, given that basketball is hopelessly only watched in March, more teams should be seen in that window. Ironically, this proposal would seem to further marginalize the regular season without a pay-off unless one accepts — without warrant — that ratings for the opening round of a 96 team tournament would mirror the status quo. The essay then highlights the importance of a season-long body of work, while, a breath later, explaining that single-elimination tournaments are completely unpredictable. In Donovan’s exalting of “Cinderella” he never addresses one of the biggest criticisms of expansion, specifically that this expansion has more to do with adding two more Big East or ACC teams than additional giant-killers.
Mandel is probably right (he usually is) that this move is inevitable but, barring the NCAA’s jonesing for cash, the cases for and against are entirely one-sided.
