During a time when many are questioning why the NCAA even still exists, they're once again trying to appear useful by making an unnecessary change that no one wants in college sports.
NCAA president Charlie Baker said during Big 12 spring meetings on Thursday that the NCAA wants to expand the NCAA Tournament as early as 2026 for next basketball season. The expansion would take the field from 68 teams to possibly 72 or 76.
"If you have a tournament that's got 64 or 68 teams in it, you're going to have a bunch of teams that are probably among what most people would consider to be the best 68 or 70 teams in the country that aren't going to make the tournament, period," Baker said. "The point behind going from 68 to 72 or 76 is to basically give some of those schools that were probably among the 72, 76, 68, 64 best teams in the country a way into the tournament."
But no one who watches college basketball wants that, Charlie. Sure, a College Football Playoff expansion from four teams seemed necessary, but keep your hands off March Madness.
The truth is, none of those extra 4-8 teams that get in will be the best college basketball team in the country, and deciding the national champion is ultimately the reason for the NCAA Tournament. The first few rounds of upsets is fun, but the real point of the event can't be forgotten.
This year, the Oklahoma Sooners were one of a record 14 SEC teams in the field of 68. Although the Sooners deserved a spot among 64 teams, even biased Sooner Nation knew 20-13 OU with a losing conference record was not going to come out as the best team in the country. Those even further down the order certainly weren't. And SEC haters also had a logical gripe why a team not even in the top 10 of their conference deserved to get in.
Making the NCAA Tournament is still an honor, but the more teams that get the same recognition the less respectable it becomes. It's like kids getting rings for every small-town Little League tournament they win. Once they maybe win one that actually matters above grade school, they already have a drawer full. A mid-major program might finally get to go dancing, but so is everyone else.
There's not a lot college sports fans ever agree on, but it seems we collectively agree that NCAA Tournament expansion is a bad idea that none of us want.
College basketball fans agree they don't want March Madness expanded
Jon Rothstein will be the president of any club against expanding the NCAA Tournament.
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