Recently. the College Basketball world has been active with March Madness Predictions and Bracket Breakdowns. However, due to the recent chaotic bubble that happened this year, rumors of a potential expansion with the field of 68 have been in the spotlight. Teams such as Indiana State and St. John's were deserving of spots in the field. The Big East had 2 teams on the First Four Out list of the committee, which has also driven the motivation for an expansion or realignment of the bracket.
If put into effect, this change would not be the first one to cause massive controversy and debate. Just a year ago, NIL was put into effect, and was one of the most polarizing decisions the organization has made. But how exactly does NIL relate to the expansion of the tournament for collegiate basketball? Well, NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) directly benefits the student athletes and their ability to profit from their Name, Image and Likeness. In this case, more Student Athletes would have the opportunity to play in the tournament and more programs would be able to benefit from the funding and spotlight March Madness offers. Specifically, Mid and Low-major Division I programs would see the greatest increase in tournament appearances as most High-major schools are picked as the final teams in over them.
College Basketball icons have recently spoken on this matter, and their opinions are vastly different. Former Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski weighed in on the topic by stating "I wish people would stop talking about changing the NCAA Tournament right now. You don't expand something not knowing what it's going to fit into the future" (via Dan Patrick Show). Meanwhile, current NCAA President Charlie Baker revealed that he is in favor of this new idea. "I certainly think there's an opportunity there to do more to find a way to bring more teams into the tournament." (David Jones of PennLive.com). A College Administrator recently discussed the new number of teams in this hypothetical future: "We're not talking about 96... There is little to no appetite for 96 teams, or really even 80." (The Athletic)
The other major skepticism with the addition of teams is with the financial side of the tournament. Mainly, the impact that expansion teams will have on individual NCAA Tournament units, as well as TV deals. If no money is added to the pot, then less money will be given out to each school.
Current discussions revolving around the potential reconstruction of the tournament have surfaced around the college basketball community. However, it is safe to assume that change will not likely happen in the next couple of seasons due to the massive conference realignment.
Alex Bailey
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