Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The NCAA men's basketball tournament...

...began in 1939 with 8 teams. It was last expanded to 64 teams in 1985. Apparently there's a movement afoot to expand it even further, to 96 teams.

There's even a feeling in some corners that 96 teams isn't enough. "I think we should expand even more," says Baylor coach Scott Drew. "Go up to 128. I've thought that for several years."

Northwestern coach Bill Carmody, who opposes expansion, [thinks it would make] each game a little less meaningful. "If you expand it this much, it seems like you'd dilute it a little bit."

I agree. What's next, starting the tournament on the first day of the season? I think one of the reasons I don't follow college basketball is that every team seems to make the playoffs anyway. Why would anyone other than a die-hard fan watch a regular season game? There's just not that much at stake. In college football, on the other hand, every game counts.

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