Florida coach Billy Donovan likes the idea. Wisconsin's Bo Ryan said it would be "a crime" if it doesn't happen. Even two of the most recognizable coaches in the NCAA, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Syracuse's Jim Boeheim, think changes need to be made.
All of these high-profile coaches, and a handful of others, are pro-expansion when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. And by next year, they might get their wish. The NCAA has an out-clause in its TV contracts with both the NCAA Tournament and the NIT. A major overhaul of March Madness could see the tournament go from its current 65-team format to a staggering 96-seed setup.
And it would be a maddening idea. Forget about the fact that it would ruin the best two consecutive days of the calendar year — by the way, this year the first round of the tournament falls right in the middle of possibly the greatest four-day period of all-time, after St. Patrick's Day and before the first day of Tufts' spring break.
This year there were barely enough quality teams to fill the field, even with bubbles popping left and right after conference tournaments. Now, you want to invite another 32 teams to join the dance?
The logistics in this aren't ironclad, but at least one idea suggested by Krzyzewski is to bring the NCAA Tournament and NIT together, merging the two into one giant tournament of epic proportions. It would probably add another weekend to the festivities, as the top-third of teams in the draw get a bye. In other words, it would turn March Madness into the agonizingly long college football bowl season, where no one cares about the early games except the fans of the schools that they feature.
Really NCAA? Since when did you turn into Scrooge McDuck? Wait, I probably should have noticed this trend when they added the Pizza Hut/Taco Bell Bowl. OK, I made that one up, but in all seriousness, it is getting ridiculous. I mean, they are going to be playing bowl games in Yankee Stadium next year.
But back to the task at hand. Won't it be worth it to have the likes of UConn, a team that lost four straight games to close the season when it was fighting for a tournament spot, in the picture? Or how about the defending National Champions North Carolina Tar Heels, who earned a No. 4 seed in the NIT after going 16-16 this year, including a loss to the College of Charleston? I suppose that it is a good idea to ruin any value that conference tournaments — which possess arguably more intrigue for college basketball fans than the NCAA Tournament itself — have by letting in such also-rans.
You can't tell me that adding an extra 32 teams is about anything other than greed. The schools want the money and exposure that come with a tourney run, the NCAA wants to add the extra games to the TV schedule, and the coaches want the job security that comes with the knowledge that they made the postseason. Well, as a fan, I want the best teams to be playing come March. There is a reason no one watches the NIT.
So don't worry, Virginia Tech fans. Don't despair, Illinois. And Mississippi State, you won't even have to wait until the SEC Tournament to turn on the jets as you did the last two years in an attempt to prove you belong in the NCAA Tournament. Because pretty soon, those mediocre teams and a whole host of others will be joining the Cinderella hopefuls and the nation's best in the Big Dance.
Sorry, Mr. Ryan, but that would be the real crime.
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Ethan Landy is a senior majoring in English. He can be reached at ethan.landy@tufts.edu.
