In what seems inevitable at this point, the NCAA is expanding its men's basketball championship from 65 teams to 96.
The change in format is due to what else but a want for more revenue. Under the proposed new format, the top 8 seeds in each region would get opening round byes, while the bottom 16 would play. The tournament time table would still take three weeks, just with more games at the opening weekend venues. Opening round games, with #16 vs. #17, #15 vs. 18, #14 vs. 19, etc. would take place on Thursday/Friday, the "first round" would be Saturday/Sunday, and the "second round" would be Monday/Tuesday, with the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight still the following Thursday-Sunday.
I think this plan is ridiculous. Why fix something that isn't broken? The current format is great, so why expand? Already, first/second round games are sparsely attended. Adding on another round of games featuring mediocre teams will likely draw even a less number of fans. Who wants to spend four hours on a workday watching a 7-9 Big 12 team take on a 6-10 Big 10 team? But money is primary motivation, and it carries the most weight in the argument..
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