Decent idea for ncaa opening round

[thetrinity]

Add 2 teams. All 16 seeds have play in games. Can play a triple header each day. 70 is a good amount. 96 like they talk about is too many

[BuckyOne]

At least they have a fighting chance in the game they get to play. Roman gladiators had a better chance against the Lions than 16 seeds have against ones.

[thetrinity]

Yep, you give them all a real chance at a win and make the field slightly better. You don’t want the arena to be empty so also keep the at large play in games

[tailin junkie]

Nobody cares about two 16s playing each other

[big joe 1212]

Let’s get rid of all play ins and go back to 64

If you are 65-70 you belong in the NIT

[jjgold]

not a bad idea guy

[thetrinity]

Let’s get rid of all play ins and go back to 64

If you are 65-70 you belong in the NIT

You can’t go back only add. That’s true for all sports. No one willingly takes games away.

[thetrinity]

Nobody cares about two 16s playing each other

They already do play each other now. Don’t see how it’s any different

[DrunkHorseplayer]

Let all regular season conference champs in as well as tourney champs, expand it to 128 and add an extra week.

[thetrinity]

Let all regular season conference champs in as well as tourney champs, expand it to 128 and add an extra week.

128 is way too many IMO. Regular season champ idea is not bad. Maybe do 96 and if you win regular season and your tournament, you avoid the play in round? Otherwise, why would anyone want to play their conference tournament that won the regular season? I could see 96 if they let in all regular season conference champions. If you do 96, you would think 3 rounds at the same place. So like Pittsburgh would have 4 games Wednesday 4 Friday and 2 sunday.

[DrunkHorseplayer]

I don't like the play-in crap or byes; same amount of games for every team. The better alternative would be to scrap conference tourneys and give the auto-bid to the regular season champs and make it 64, not 68.

[Jayvegas420]

Apply this thinking to football playoffs!

[bigtymer56]

Let’s get rid of all play ins and go back to 64

If you are 65-70 you belong in the NIT

For real, why did they go to 68 teams in the first place?

[Otters27]

Good idea. I'd say make it right 16 seeds and eight 12 seeds for the play in games. Might as well make it day games Tuesday- Friday

[KVB]

Let’s get rid of all play ins and go back to 64

If you are 65-70 you belong in the NIT

Weird thing is that the play in games are not 65-68.

Two of those games are fighting for a 16th seed, but the other two play in winners will be inserted at 11 and 12 seeds.

I have no clue why they match it up like that.

For what it's worth, the NCAA Selection committee does rank all 68 teams, but notice Indiana, for example, was a play in game but ranked 45 overall, Wyoming was 43.

https://www.si.com/college/2022/03/13/ncaa-tournament-official-rankings-selection-committee-bracket

Here’s the complete seed list per ESPN’s Jeff Borzello:

1. Gonzaga
2. Arizona
3. Kansas
4. Baylor
5. Auburn
6. Kentucky
7. Villanova
8. Duke
9. Wisconsin
10. Tennessee
11. Purdue
12. Texas Tech
13. UCLA
14. Illinois
15. Providence
16. Arkansas
17. UConn
18. Houston
19. Saint Mary’s
20. Iowa
21. Alabama
22. LSU
23. Texas
24. Colorado State
25. Southern California
26. Murray State
27. Michigan State
28. Ohio State
29. Boise State
30. North Carolina
31. San Diego State
32. Seton Hall
33. Creighton
34. TCU
35. Marquette
36. Memphis
37. San Francisco
38. Miami (FL)
39. Loyola Chicago
40. Davidson
41. Iowa State
42. Michigan
43. Wyoming
44. Rutgers
45. Indiana
46. Virginia Tech
47. Notre Dame
48. UAB
49. Richmond
50. New Mexico State
51. Chattanooga
52. South Dakota State
53. Vermont
54. Akron
55. Longwood
56. Yale
57. Colgate
58. Montana State
59. Delaware
60. Saint Peter’s
61. Jacksonville State
62. Cal State Fullerton
63. Georgia State
64. Norfolk State
65. Wright State
66. Bryant
67. Texas Southern
68. Texas A&M-Corpus Christ

[Doublethink]

Change the way teams automatically get in.

St. Peter's University is ranked #153 They get an automatic entry because they won the MAAC conference? What's that? Not a real basketball conference. I'm excited to see my alma mater get in and play but do they belong? NO. How many teams are better that aren't in? 80+?

[KVB]

St. Peter's University is ranked #153 They get an automatic entry because they won the MAAC conference? What's that? Not a real basketball conference. I'm excited to see my alma mater get in and play but do they belong? NO. How many teams are better that aren't in? 80+?

Yup, the NCAA isn't ranking all teams, they are ranking the teams with auto bids and then the others.

We can never forget that.

[Doublethink]

It's stupid. Rank every team then make brackets.

[JMUplayer]

They don’t want all the lower teams to play each other first
Hence why 12s play

[Chi_archie]

Weird thing is that the play in games are not 65-68.

Two of those games are fighting for a 16th seed, but the other two play in winners will be inserted at 11 and 12 seeds.

I have no clue why they match it up like that.

For what it's worth, the NCAA Selection committee does rank all 68 teams, but notice Indiana, for example, was a play in game but ranked 45 overall, Wyoming was 43.

https://www.si.com/college/2022/03/13/ncaa-tournament-official-rankings-selection-committee-bracket

Here’s the complete seed list per ESPN’s Jeff Borzello:

1. Gonzaga
2. Arizona
3. Kansas
4. Baylor
5. Auburn
6. Kentucky
7. Villanova
8. Duke
9. Wisconsin
10. Tennessee
11. Purdue
12. Texas Tech
13. UCLA
14. Illinois
15. Providence
16. Arkansas
17. UConn
18. Houston
19. Saint Mary’s
20. Iowa
21. Alabama
22. LSU
23. Texas
24. Colorado State
25. Southern California
26. Murray State
27. Michigan State
28. Ohio State
29. Boise State
30. North Carolina
31. San Diego State
32. Seton Hall
33. Creighton
34. TCU
35. Marquette
36. Memphis
37. San Francisco
38. Miami (FL)
39. Loyola Chicago
40. Davidson
41. Iowa State
42. Michigan
43. Wyoming
44. Rutgers
45. Indiana
46. Virginia Tech
47. Notre Dame
48. UAB
49. Richmond
50. New Mexico State
51. Chattanooga
52. South Dakota State
53. Vermont
54. Akron
55. Longwood
56. Yale
57. Colgate
58. Montana State
59. Delaware
60. Saint Peter’s
61. Jacksonville State
62. Cal State Fullerton
63. Georgia State
64. Norfolk State
65. Wright State
66. Bryant
67. Texas Southern
68. Texas A&M-Corpus Christ

I think the idea is that some of the automatic bids from small conference champions are pretty far below the ranking of the other at large bids and even those that didn't get in off the bubble

[thetrinity]

Yeah I think all of the seeds 14 or lower except maybe Colgate are outside the kenpom top 100. The conference tournaments water down the field. Over half these teams didn’t win their regular season title. Otters has a good idea though. They could make it 72 and have a full day of games both days at Dayton instead of just a night session. I like this games those, kinda like an appetizer for the tournament. I hated it when it was just 64 against 65. That was terrible

[Doublethink]

Here's what the NCAA tournament should be. Rank the teams 1-64. What is so hard about that? Use the Dunkel index. Or statistically use the best 5 rating indexes and combine. The numbers will be the same. When the season is done just say #1-64 will make the tournament. Then the brackets are set. #1 plays #64 and so on. What is it with play in games and having automatic bids for conferences that suck? If you won your conference and don't make it go to the NIT. Have the NIT decide who should be in their tournament.