 |
|
     
|
Let The Madness Begin - Mar 17, 2008
posted by: Josh
The Field of 65 was announced last night after a crazy weekend of conference tournaments. Here are some thoughts and questions I've been pondering. • By now you've probably heard about Georgia's miraculous run to the SEC Championship. The Bulldogs weren't on anyone's radar to make the NCAA tournament, but won three games in two days to earn the automatic bid. That's right - the Bulldogs won both ends of a doubleheader on Saturday after Friday night's quarterfinal was cancelled due to a tornado that hit the Georgia Dome. I was going to argue that having to play two games in one day was a disadvantage, but Georgia won both and then went on to beat Arkansas in the SEC final yesterday. Could the doubleheader have actually helped a team that won just four regular-season conference games but went on to win four SEC tournament contests? • Congratulations to the American Eagles, who won the Patriot League championship on Friday. It is the first-ever NCAA berth for American. • Bob Knight was pretty critical of the NCAA and the Basketball Selection Committee during ESPN's coverage on Saturday. I thought his jabs were particularly uncalled for and while his is clearly a brilliant basketball mind, I haven't enjoyed his sour demeanor on the air. Not only that, but he should throw on a jacket and tie like the rest of the analysts. • Knight also asserted that the best 65 teams should make the tournament, and there should be no automatic qualifiers from conferences. Wouldn't that be terrible for the smaller conferences, which dream of a shot at madness each March? If the top 65 teams got in, Syracuse would be in the draw, but frankly, the Orange don't deserve to be in the tournament if they couldn't perform better during the season. The field of 65 is not a right for major conference programs, nor should it be. • How about a Michael Beasley-O.J. Mayo showdown in the first round of the tournament? Could we ask for a more exciting match-up between two of the nation's top freshmen? • Butler only lost three times this season but still the Bulldogs could only muster a No. 7 seed. Any thoughts on that? • The NIT bracket was announced last night 0 and there are some pretty big-name programs in the draw, including Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Arizona State and last year's national finalists Ohio State and Florida. • The Gators won't have a chance at a three-peat. Should defending champions have an automatic bid into the following year's draw? • What do you think of the third postseason tournament? The 2008 College Basketball Invitational has a 16-team field that includes Washington, Virginia, Cincinnati and Utah. There will be a unique best-of-three final on March 31, April 2 and if necessary, on April 4. • I received some e-mails and comments over the weekend about officiating, selections and other topics, but they didn't have an appropriate place on the blog. Feel free to leave some general thoughts about the conference tournaments and the brackets on this post. 
CommentsOne thing I don't like is when the committee matches up two mid-majors in the first round (Butler-South Alabama and Gonzaga-Davidson). Part of the fun is seeing the "little guys" get their shot at the powerhouse programs, and these type of pairings spoil that to some degree. On a positive note, I like the possibility of a Oklahoma-Boise State second-round matchup. Will BSU have any trick plays up its sleeves? Yes, the current champion should get an automatic bid. If they're not as good as the prior year, as in Florida in 2008, then more than likely they'll lose anyway. If they are, or if they can muster up enough to get to the final, it would be interesting. Bobby Knight is crazy because I'm sure his teams have benefited from the automatic bid process. Who hasn't? It's what allows a team like Georgia to get a shot at the national title. It's how teams like my alma mater, Cornell, finally made it in. And that's what folks want to see. Everyone roots for their favorites...and the underdogs. Makes for great drama and great basketball. The Tournament is an ad-revenue sham! 'Corporate Champions'... LOL!!! True to form, the hard-working geniuses on the Selection Committee virtually ensured a demo-friendly Final by following the yearly 8-8-8-8 formula. That is, 8 BCS teams equally placed in each region. Not to mention the mid-major head-to-heads. Why not just use "blind resumes?" Amazing as this yearly practice goes unnoticed. Now you know. What a failure in Illinois, no team in the National Tourney. I just can't comprehend that we can't get one team representing us. Come on Illini, you should do better that this, and stop whining about Gordon....Also past Champs should NOT be automatically invited the following year, what if Florida was sub .500, that would have keep a worthy team out. EARN your way in. I'm confused. One post suggests the bracket should be manipulated so mid-majors would not have to play each another, and another suggests it is all set up with eight major conference teams in each region. Look at the timeframe of when the final bracketing took place. Three conference tournament games ended Sunday after 5:30 p.m. and the selection show went on the air at 6 p.m. Do you really think someone has the time to manipulate the bracket? The seeds fell where they fell, and now it is time to tip the tournament off. Everyone should stop whining and enjoy watching the games. Previous champions should not get an automatic bid - their teams are completely different from year to year and should be based on their current ability. To some degree Knight is right though - the best 65 are not truly represented. That being said the excitement is greater with the current format though. But if it was the best 65 and no AQ's non BCS schools would have still gotten in the field like Gonzaga, Butler, St. Mary's, South Alabama, Drake, Davidson, Xavier. Really there are several. Also, he wasn't overly critical - he was bringing a unique view. Bilas was agreeing with him most of the time anyway. It's a shame people see Knight and are so polarized either he is great or terrible. The list of sports analysts that are making their 15 minutes ripping the selections are limitless right now. Knight wasn't even remotely as negative as others. What difference does it make if he wears a sweater than a coat and tie anyway? Don't judge a book by its cover. The tournament isn't a showcase for dynasties; but it is a showcase for all of the member conferences' schools. And those teams in one form or another earn their way in. And that's what makes the tournament an exciting event for fans from all kinds of schools. Knight's commentary was interesting, but flawed. How would we If we were forced to watch MORE Virginia Tech games instead of St. Hmmmm, Did Mr. Brand insist you make that comment about Coach Knight? ;-) Post a Comment |
  
Sox-Yankees happens 18 times a year; this is Figgy's second major league start in four years. Always take the chance to see something you've never seen before.
- Adam
   
|
