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Message: [QUOTE="PoppyHart, post: 2117144, member: 515"] I get the call for a transparent formula: 2 parts OOC schedule, 1 part KenPom, 3 parts conference record, etc...etc... and spit out a team. The biggest problem as I see it is that the smaller schools do not get a chance to play on an even playing field. Illinois State is never getting an invite to Maui, Atlantis, Pre Season NIT, etc... and they sure as heck are not gonna draw a big time power to Normal, IL unless it was under unusual circumstances, like say a homecoming game for a 4-year star @ Duke. And the number of opportunities to get marquee wins ceases by New Years' Day. If you remove the little guys from the equation completely, as some suggest, the tournament loses its charm, some of the smaller schools, which rely on selling the dream of NCAA glory to recruits by winning their conference, fall deeper into the abyss and programs may even go under. The solution, therefore, might be to keep the tourney and auto-bid structure, but set aside 1-2 at-large slots each year for the typical one-bid leagues (MAAC, Patriot, etc...), 4-6 for the mid-tier leagues (the A-10s, MVC, MW, WCC) and the rest for the P5+1s. Then you can truly have a "formula" driven, transparent analysis without having to reconcile scheduling issues and other variables which distort the comparisons. You can even allocate mandatory spots per conference, based on some initial power rating structure, while still leaving a handful of wildcards. As time goes by, the seed allocation can change, based on tournament success, graduation rates, whatever... In could be similar to the way th Champions League or FIFA divvies up AQ slots. There are 36 at-large bids. Not counting the AQ, you could break it down something like this (2017 at-large bids in parenthesis): ACC: 6 (8) Big 12: 4 (5) Big 10: 4 (5) Big East: 3 (6) SEC: 3 (4) Pac-12: 3 (3) Mid-Majors: 4 (3) Low-Majors: 1 (0) Wild Cards: 8 [/QUOTE]

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