Should the ncaa change the format of March madness

[spyfish007]

That’s called a best of 3

I am thinking they should settle the best of 2 series with a nice card game of war!

 

[NV Vol]

Make it a playoff type of layout.

Best of two moves onto to play the next opponent

Kinda unfair to determine who is the better team based off of 1 night

Absolute non-starter. Would likely require the tournament field be reduced to 16 teams to get it in the same time frame as current tournament. Any more teams would have serious overlap with NCAA baseball and other spring sports.

 

[Buzzbait]

Make it a playoff type of layout.

Best of two moves onto to play the next opponent

Kinda unfair to determine who is the better team based off of 1 night

2 of 3? Then we could have the basketball finals at the same time as the College World Series!

 

[jarnol32]

Make it a playoff type of layout.

Best of two moves onto to play the next opponent

Kinda unfair to determine who is the better team based off of 1 night

The Madness is what makes it special. You don’t take your cash cow out into a field and shoot it between they eyes…

 

[VolPack22]

Without the current format we don’t get to see Peacocks beating Kensucky. It’s the most exciting tournament in sports. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

 

[realmenwearorange]

Not fun watching teams who've been good all year waste time playing against duds who may actually luck up and win a game but not deserve it. A series would all but eliminate fluke "victories" and leave us with the best teams headed towards the Final Four.

Everyone in the NCAA tournament field is good in their own right. Any time you win in that tournament it is earned and deserved. Everyone knows the rules going in. Its win and advance on a neutral court. The best tournament in all of sports and doesn't need to be changed.

 

[SpaceCoastVol]

If Tennessee wins game one, we move on, if we lose, we get game two, if we win, we move on.

So the first game is meaningless unless the higher seeded team wins? That some dumbness right there.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

I’m sure there will be some flaws with this as it’s quick thinking, but what if they did it like regional in baseball???

64 teams, 16 groupings, 4 in a group, winner moves on? 16 teams, 4 in a group winner moves on…then you’d be down to a final four which could be single elimination? Would still only be like 7-8 games, and probably eliminates a lot of the cinderellas moving on as they’d have to win more than just 1 game…could also have 1 seeds host it at their site.

 

[VOLINVONORE]

I can see your point on that when a team has a great season, then just lays an egg and it’s over, but I also think that’s part of what makes March madness the best postseason in sports. Every minute of energy game is critical, and you better bring it or risk going home. Fun to watch David take down Goliath every year.

They have the best playoff in sports. Why would anyone want to change it now. Add more team seems to be too many. I would even vote to eliminate the play in games. You will find the best team/teams in the 64 teams before the play ins started. I realize the NCAA is trying to make as much money as possible, but the current scheme is enough.

 

[VOLtaism]

I think they need to split the D1 division into a more competitive format. The top 6 power conferences should remain D1 and the rest of the teams D1a, each having its national champion crowned in all major sports. This makes both divisions more competitive. It's fun to watch those first-round upsets in the NCAA but they really don't stand much of a chance to win the NC in any major sport except baseball. Sets up the 12-team playoff in football also.

 

[omghulkhands]

The NCAA tourney is incredibly profitable as it is (look at the TV deal for it)

It’d be a huge financial risk to alter it

It’s also a huge American cultural event. The only thing you might see is expanding the number of teams.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

The NCAA tourney is incredibly profitable as it is (look at the TV deal for it)

It’d be a huge financial risk to alter it

It’s also a huge American cultural event. The only thing you might see is expanding the number of teams.

If they expand the number of teams I wouldn’t mind seeing byes incorporated, just adding more P5 teams is going to increase the upsets which will further piss off folks, reward the good teams a bit for having a great regular season.

 

[omghulkhands]

If they expand the number of teams I wouldn’t mind seeing byes incorporated, just adding more P5 teams is going to increase the upsets which will further piss off folks, reward the good teams a bit for having a great regular season.

Seems like a reasonable way to implement it

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Expansion seems inevitable at this point.

Yea, too much money to be had…idk how you do it but I’d like to see byes, or maybe some home games for higher seeds in early rounds.

 

[wmcovol]

No, this is the format for 60 yrs or more. Learn to deal with it.

 

[LivinginthePast]

Been saying this for years. Here is how it should work. 64 and 32 are single elimination. Matchups purely based on regular season strength. Sweet 16 and elite 8 best of 3. Final four and Natty are best of 5. Try to avoid some flukes. If you get beat in 64 or 32 it’s on you.

 

[cardvolfan]

Absolute non-starter. Would likely require the tournament field be reduced to 16 teams to get it in the same time frame as current tournament. Any more teams would have serious overlap with NCAA baseball and other spring sports.

I can’t see it happening, personally. But, “absolute non-starter” wouldn’t apply if the powers-that-be found a way financially to make so much money they couldn’t turn the opportunity down. Money always finds a way.

 

[cncchris33]

Been saying this for years. Here is how it should work. 64 and 32 are single elimination. Matchups purely based on regular season strength. Sweet 16 and elite 8 best of 3. Final four and Natty are best of 5. Try to avoid some flukes. If you get beat in 64 or 32 it’s on you.

That is a potential of 18 games in the NCAAT, though. You could have teams playing more than 50 total games on the season. I don't hate the premise, but that's a lot...too much. I think a compromise is much more doable by making the F4 matchups and Championship best 2 of 3.

 

[wtmvol]

It was absolutely perfect at 64 teams.

Having said that, we all know it's going to balloon up. Too much opportunity for $$, and the coaches will love it because a lot of their bonus incentives are tied to making the tournament.

What I believe they'll do once it expands to 96 is make a rule where if you win your conference regular season title OR the conference tournament title you get an auto bid. That will appease the smaller conferences, and depending on how those conference tournaments shake out, won't add a ton of more mediocre at-large bids. The teams near the top won't have to win any more games than what it is now because they'll get byes. I could see 24 in each regional with 1-8 seeds getting a bye. 9 plays 24, 10 plays 23, etc. There would be no awkward "First 4" games in Dayton as there would actually be 64 teams playing in the new 1st round. The 1 seed's 1st game might become a lot more difficult since the crappiest of teams would now be on the 23/24 line.

I've thought about the baseball regionals comparison, but that would be a mistake IMO. What makes the NCAA tournament so magical is the do-or-die aura surrounding each game. It gives Cinderella a real shot and even the casual observers understand that if a team loses, they're done.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

That is a potential of 18 games in the NCAAT, though. You could have teams playing more than 50 total games on the season. I don't hate the premise, but that's a lot...too much. I think a compromise is much more doable by making the F4 matchups and Championship best 2 of 3.

Not sure if you saw it but I respect your opinion and you usually have good thoughts or think of something I didn’t, what’s your opinion on what I was sayin?

64 teams, 16 4 team regions with highest team hosting like in baseball, double elimination set up, 16 teams move on. Could go a few different directions from there but on the surface making it double elimination while also playing it at higher seeds home court would decrease a lot of the cinderellas imo, which is obviously both good and bad.

 

[cncchris33]

Not sure if you saw it but I respect your opinion and you usually have good thoughts or think of something I didn’t, what’s your opinion on what I was sayin?

64 teams, 16 4 team regions with highest team hosting like in baseball, double elimination set up, 16 teams move on. Could go a few different directions from there but on the surface making it double elimination while also playing it at higher seeds home court would decrease a lot of the cinderellas imo, which is obviously both good and bad.

I like the format, but think you take the double elimination aspect out of the opening rounds (pool play) as I’d prefer the double elimination on the backend of the tournament while trying minimize the number of total games played.

You start by ranking all 64 teams, 1-64 overall…same as in baseball. 16 pools hosted by top 16 teams, #1 v #4, #2 v #3 format, winners play, winner advances. #1 seeds host at their place.

Final 16 teams remain, and also still allows for some cinderellas to advance. You’d have 4 neutral sites (same as regional S16, now) hosting 4 teams each and still single elimination.

The F4 can then be treated as a 4-team, double elimination tournament at a single national hosting site. The F4 would then likely have to be played over a week’s time rather than a weekend to allow a day in between games.

That makes a maximum of 8 games in the NCAAT, which is only a maximum increase of 2 games from the current format. Sort of a hybrid between baseball and basketball tourneys.

 

[Chris4Vols22]

In 2023, I don't understand the logic of having 68 teams in one tournament competing for the national championship. If you disregard the history of the tournament, the concept of the format is absolutely absurd imo.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

I like the format, but think you take the double elimination aspect out of the opening rounds (pool play) as I’d prefer the double elimination on the backend of the tournament while trying minimize the number of total games played.

You start by ranking all 64 teams, 1-64 overall…same as in baseball. 16 pools hosted by top 16 teams, #1 v #4, #2 v #3 format, winners play, winner advances. #1 seeds host at their place.

Final 16 teams remain, and also still allows for some cinderellas to advance. You’d have 4 neutral sites (same as regional S16, now) hosting 4 teams each and still single elimination.

The F4 can then be treated as a 4-team, double elimination tournament at a single national hosting site. The F4 would then likely have to be played over a week’s time rather than a weekend to allow a day in between games.

That makes a maximum of 8 games in the NCAAT, which is only a maximum increase of 2 games from the current format. Sort of a hybrid between baseball and basketball tourneys.

I dig it