A letter to SI

[SWC75]

I decided to get this off my chest in a way where the nation might read it so I sent this letter to Sports Illustrated:

The NCAA basketball championship game last spring and the football championship game this winter were both lousy, unsatisfying games. That can be unavoidable but I think the circumstances leading to those games are flawed. A championship tournament should have two characteristics above all others: it should include all the logical contenders and it should include as few of the ‘illogical’ contenders as possible. The two team football tournament violates the first rule: teams that deserved a shot that might have made it more interesting are left to watch the single game on TV. The 68 team basketball tournament violates the second. It’s too easy to engineer an upset in a sport where contact is, (theoretically) not allowed and you can shoot over the defense. Thus we wind up with Ohio State, Kansas and Duke watching a Final Four of a rebuilding Kentucky team, Butler, Virginia Commonwealth and the 9th place team in the Big East. The upsets people love prevent the confrontations people want. The football tournament needs to have more teams, the basketball tournament less.

 

[zhanjuzi]

You can't count Butler in that group .. two finals in two years is insane!

 

[SWC75]

You can't count Butler in that group .. two finals in two years is insane!

But they were far from one of the country's best teams over the course of last season.

 

[Cusefan95]

The basketball tournament is fine...casual fans would lose all interest in the tourney until the final game if the chance of early round upsets didn't exist. They're better off taking their chances that a year like last year happens once in a while than they are messing with something that works well (most of the time) right now.

But for the sake of argument...how many teams would you include? 8? 16? 32? Obviously you want to eliminate the mid-majors completely from the tourney, just curious how deep into the major conferences you'd be willing to go.

 

[Oakland]

I decided to get this off my chest in a way where the nation might read it so I sent this letter to Sports Illustrated:

The NCAA basketball championship game last spring and the football championship game this winter were both lousy, unsatisfying games. That can be unavoidable but I think the circumstances leading to those games are flawed. A championship tournament should have two characteristics above all others: it should include all the logical contenders and it should include as few of the ‘illogical’ contenders as possible. The two team football tournament violates the first rule: teams that deserved a shot that might have made it more interesting are left to watch the single game on TV. The 68 team basketball tournament violates the second. It’s too easy to engineer an upset in a sport where contact is, (theoretically) not allowed and you can shoot over the defense. Thus we wind up with Ohio State, Kansas and Duke watching a Final Four of a rebuilding Kentucky team, Butler, Virginia Commonwealth and the 9th place team in the Big East. The upsets people love prevent the confrontations people want. The football tournament needs to have more teams, the basketball tournament less.

I'm intrigued by people's emotional desire to have a FB tournament. Personally, I liked the old bowl system, and games that end in ties.

 

[SWC75]

The basketball tournament is fine...casual fans would lose all interest in the tourney until the final game if the chance of early round upsets didn't exist. They're better off taking their chances that a year like last year happens once in a while than they are messing with something that works well (most of the time) right now.

But for the sake of argument...how many teams would you include? 8? 16? 32? Obviously you want to eliminate the mid-majors completely from the tourney, just curious how deep into the major conferences you'd be willing to go.

I'd prefer 32 but 16 would be even more to the point. Let's put the teams people have waited to see all eyar right up against eachother right off. Can anyone believe that the best team in the country isn't in the top 16. And I don't think the David vs. Golaith upsets would be missed. It should be about Abdul Abubul Amir vs. Ivan Skavinsky Skavar. The mid-majors could still get in if they had exceptional years.

In football, 8 would do it unless you are going to give out automatic bids, in which case 16 might be necessary.

 

[SWC75]

I'm intrigued by people's emotional emotional desire to have a FB tournament. Personally, I liked the old bowl system, and games that end in ties.

I liked the old bowl system better than the BCS because more than one bowl could have an impact on the antional title. I also liked the top games all being played on the same day, (maybe one the night before). But I would prefer a comphrehensive playoff as we have in every other sport to either.

 

[rstone7727]

I'd prefer 32 but 16 would be even more to the point. Let's put the teams people have waited to see all eyar right up against eachother right off. Can anyone believe that the best team in the country isn't in the top 16. And I don't think the David vs. Golaith upsets would be missed. It should be about Abdul Abubul Amir vs. Ivan Skavinsky Skavar. The mid-majors could still get in if they had exceptional years.

In football, 8 would do it unless you are going to give out automatic bids, in which case 16 might be necessary.

Can't believe you actually think this is a good idea. Giving all the teams that feel they have a chance (any chance) is what made cbb as great as it is. Fans around the entire country are into it year after year. Why take that hope away from VCU, Butler, Cleveland St, Ohio, etc.? Makes no sense at all to me.

 

[Cusefan95]

And I don't think the David vs. Golaith upsets would be missed.

I am 100% certain you are wrong on this. the reason you think this is because you're a die-hard fan, that wants to see the best teams...and you're ASSUMING most people agree with your view. I assure you, the casual fans that make up a significant percentage of the TV viewers do not agree with you.

If you're looking at it as a fan, a smaller tournament is appealing. If you look at it as a business proposition, it's a horrible idea. If nothing else you're reducing your inventory...there's going to be a reduced tournament value as a result. that's why it won't happen - its a money loser for the NCAA.

 

[ConnectiCuse]

I'd prefer 32 but 16 would be even more to the point. Let's put the teams people have waited to see all eyar right up against eachother right off. Can anyone believe that the best team in the country isn't in the top 16. And I don't think the David vs. Golaith upsets would be missed. It should be about Abdul Abubul Amir vs. Ivan Skavinsky Skavar. The mid-majors could still get in if they had exceptional years.

While this is obviously a matter of personal preference, I completely disagree with you. The Davids beating the Goliaths are, without a doubt, the best part of the NCAA tourney. I'd hate to see a final four of all one seeds - give me last year's final four every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

 

[RF2044]

Can't believe you actually think this is a good idea. Giving all the teams that feel they have a chance (any chance) is what made cbb as great as it is. Fans around the entire country are into it year after year. Why take that hope away from VCU, Butler, Cleveland St, Ohio, etc.? Makes no sense at all to me.

Completely agree.

March madness is the best, most exciting tournament in any sport, at any level. I wouldn't change a thing.

 

[FranCuse]

I love the Cinderella stories of the NCAA BB tournament except when they beat us. We were one in 74-75 and that was pretty magical.

 

[orangedave]

I'd prefer 32 but 16 would be even more to the point. Let's put the teams people have waited to see all eyar right up against eachother right off. Can anyone believe that the best team in the country isn't in the top 16. And I don't think the David vs. Golaith upsets would be missed. It should be about Abdul Abubul Amir vs. Ivan Skavinsky Skavar. The mid-majors could still get in if they had exceptional years.

In football, 8 would do it unless you are going to give out automatic bids, in which case 16 might be necessary.

I remember when it was 32 and when it was 16 and from your reference to Amir vs Skavar, I expect you do too. In my opinion it wasn't nearly as much fun then and I believe expanding the field was one of the reasons for the explosion in interest, especially with the casual fans.

 

[CorduroyG]

Plus if you shrink it to 32 or 16 teams youd be eliminating "championship week", with all the conference tourny and automatic bids. Those games are awesome, im glued to the tv that week too watching all these small schools trying to make the dance. The 1st 2 rounds of the tourny are my fav cause of the upsets, sure many of the games are blowouts, but theres always a couple of upsets and buzzer beaters in the opening round that more than makes up for the blowouts.

 

[Cusefan95]

I decided to get this off my chest in a way where the nation might read it so I sent this letter to Sports Illustrated:

The NCAA basketball championship game last spring and the football championship game this winter were both lousy, unsatisfying games. That can be unavoidable but I think the circumstances leading to those games are flawed. A championship tournament should have two characteristics above all others: it should include all the logical contenders and it should include as few of the ‘illogical’ contenders as possible. The two team football tournament violates the first rule: teams that deserved a shot that might have made it more interesting are left to watch the single game on TV. The 68 team basketball tournament violates the second. It’s too easy to engineer an upset in a sport where contact is, (theoretically) not allowed and you can shoot over the defense. Thus we wind up with Ohio State, Kansas and Duke watching a Final Four of a rebuilding Kentucky team, Butler, Virginia Commonwealth and the 9th place team in the Big East. The upsets people love prevent the confrontations people want. The football tournament needs to have more teams, the basketball tournament less.

If this is verbatim what you sent to SI, I fervently hope they do not publish it. You referenced the team that won the championship (UConn) as "the 9th place team in the Big East", and left them as the only unnamed participant in the Final Four last year. When I see letters like this I take note of that...and then when I see the letter came from "John from Syracuse" I immediately think "huh - a whiny Syracuse fan upset that UConn won the championship". IMHO you should have named UConn - and probably phrased it as "national champion UConn". That way there's no way to interpret it as a letter from a sore loser Syracuse fan.

I'm willing to offer my services as editor to your future submissions...

 

[SWC75]

If this is verbatim what you sent to SI, I fervently hope they do not publish it. You referenced the team that won the championship (UConn) as "the 9th place team in the Big East", and left them as the only unnamed participant in the Final Four last year. When I see letters like this I take note of that...and then when I see the letter came from "John from Syracuse" I immediately think "huh - a whiny Syracuse fan upset that UConn won the championship". IMHO you should have named UConn - and probably phrased it as "national champion UConn". That way there's no way to interpret it as a letter from a sore loser Syracuse fan.

I'm willing to offer my services as editor to your future submissions...

I like it just the way it is. We'll see if SI likes it, too. It's not something I expect to see happen for the reasons people have stated, but it's what I'd like to see. Things can always be better.

 

[SWC75]

I remember when it was 32 and when it was 16 and from your reference to Amir vs Skavar, I expect you do too. In my opinion it wasn't nearly as much fun then and I believe expanding the field was one of the reasons for the explosion in interest, especially with the casual fans.

I remember it. That was when I became a basketball fan. In some ways, things have improved, (it used to be you ahd to win your confercne torunament, if there was one, to get in and a team like #2 ranked South Carolina was left out in 1971 because they got upset). But I think there are just too many teams that don't belong there in the present format and that it resulted in the disappointing Final Four we had last year. How many people watched that Final Four and thought everything was perfect?

 

[thebigeast44]

SWC - how about keeping the basketball tournament at 64(68) teams and having double elimination? Of course, that would make for a longer tournament and I'm not sure how you would set it up. That way, you could still have the mid-majors play and have the fun upsets but the really good teams would not be knocked out by one What upset. Or one could simply give the top 4 seeds byes until the sweet 16 etc.
Many ways to do it. The way it is now, the best team does not always win. Of course, you could say that about many sports.

On the other hand, the way it is now - one of the best teams in the NCAA's always wins. There has been only one team in the past 30 plus years that has won the tournament without a McDonald's AA. And one of the well know college basketball powers almost always wins the tournament. So maybe there is no need to change anything. The way it is now makes for a pretty thrilling all around tournament. But it's a fun topic to talk about.

Let's Go Orange!!!

 

[SouthCampusHero]

Is there really such a thing as a 'Cinderella story' in today's ncaa tournament? The 'story' seems to happen with such frequency nowadays that its not a matter of 'when' the next one will happen but 'who' will it be. In my opinion, I liked the Cinderella stories when they happened every couple of years instead of EVERY YEAR. Im hoping this year's Final Four is made up of all heavyweights - it seems like its been awhile.

 

[pfister1]

Is there really such a thing as a 'Cinderella story' in today's ncaa tournament? The 'story' seems to happen with such frequency nowadays that its not a matter of 'when' the next one will happen but 'who' will it be. In my opinion, I liked the Cinderella stories when they happened every couple of years instead of EVERY YEAR. Im hoping this year's Final Four is made up of all heavyweights - it seems like its been awhile.

I'd settle for Cuse and Cinderella's three ugly step sisters this year.

 

[SWC75]

SWC - how about keeping the basketball tournament at 64(68) teams and having double elimination? Of course, that would make for a longer tournament and I'm not sure how you would set it up. That way, you could still have the mid-majors play and have the fun upsets but the really good teams would not be knocked out by one What upset. Or one could simply give the top 4 seeds byes until the sweet 16 etc.
Many ways to do it. The way it is now, the best team does not always win. Of course, you could say that about many sports.

On the other hand, the way it is now - one of the best teams in the NCAA's always wins. There has been only one team in the past 30 plus years that has won the tournament without a McDonald's AA. And one of the well know college basketball powers almost always wins the tournament. So maybe there is no need to change anything. The way it is now makes for a pretty thrilling all around tournament. But it's a fun topic to talk about.

Let's Go Orange!!!

Maybe we should use the Olympic/World Cup Model- Round Robins at one level elading to single elimination once the best teams have emerged.