65 Teams. Just 65 teams are included in the NCAA Tournament, which means that when Selection Sunday rolls around, it's once again time to hear the howling. Who's that making all the fuss, you may ask? Well, it's all those who didn't make the cut. They cite their conference affiliation and ask, why not us?
As predictable as the complaints from those not selected is the NCAA's constant bid to wring just a few more bucks out of this very lucrative cash cow. Put this together, and you have a scenario where a field expansion in the tournament could be beneficial to both college basketballs' governing body and the universities seeking a place in the NCAA tournament.
With that in mind, we hear that the NCAA is pursuing talks to expand the tournament with major networks. It's almost idiot-proof; more dollars in licensing fees and more ad money, to boot. Everybody wins, right?
One option to consider is the play-in game. Play-in games are not a new idea in the NCAA. In 1991, three play-in games determined which of a few teams could advance into the then-field of 64. In 2001, a new automatic bid was added for the benefit of the Mountain West conference. Two lowest-seeded teams competed a few days prior to the tournament, the winner advancing as a 16 seed.
The idea is that the NCAA could add a play-in game for each region. The resulting setup is three additional at-large bids added.
There are some serious concerns about this particular scenario; in particular, winners from the eight weakest conferences have played a mini-tournament, which doesn't alleviate the tension between basketball's have and have-nots. Besides, the most likely result is weaker teams from big conferences get bragging rights that they made the tournament.
The NCAA has other options to add teams to the tournament field, all of them with various pros and cons. The question is: is any of this necessary? Perspective is largely dependent on personal whims and feelings. However, the fact remains, there is a lot of money to be made each year as March Madness descends upon us.
One fact unmentioned thus far is that the NCAA can opt out of their CBS deal after the 2010 Final Four, which means that this question is suddenly very important. When broadcast rights go up for bid, it's best to go to the table trying to maximize both exposure and profits. There is no question these concerns weigh heavily on the minds of the NCAA decision makers, as well as the various networks seeking to woo them into a deal.