Ashton_Grewal's Blog

Why VCU’s Final Four run is bad for college basketball

By Ashton_Grewal | View all Posts
Posted Monday, March 28, 2011 10:16 AM   22 comments
The Virginia Commonwealth Rams have made Jim Boehiem a very happy man.

The head coach of Syracuse was the most vocal supporter of expanding the tournament to 96 teams. And after VCU’s Jamie Skeen.improbable run to the Final Four, Boehiem’s dream may come true and it’ll be a nightmare for college basketball fans.

That’s why VCU is on my shit list today.

I know what you guys are thinking: What an asshole. This guy probably rooted against Hickory High, Rudy and the Jamaican bobsled team, too.

Hear me out though. The Rams are playing better than any other team in the tournament and I’m not trying to rain their parade. I'm not railing against mid major programs either. I'd be just as upset if USC or Clemson was making this crazy run instead.

The success of VCU is the all the firepower Boehiem and other expansion advocates need to destroy the perfect bracket sheet and water down the best tournament in sports.

What do you guys think? Am I way off here?  Does anyone else want to see a 96-team tournament in light of VCU’s Final Four run?

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TRAIN69 says:
03/28/11 10:22AM
Dont know bro. I think going to 68 is gonna be the way it is for a long time. They struggled to get the last 2 teams in and whined cuz Colorado and VT werent in.....VCU doing well doesnt mean that Mo St could do the same....

96 would be stupid and unnecessary imo and I think the coaches and committee agree
mmac66 says:
03/28/11 10:31AM

A 96 team tournament would be a fiasco. I was fine with 64 and in my opinion the other four don't add anything to the tournament. The show on selection Sunday needs to be treated differently in regards to at large teams. They need to offer up a pool of teams "on the bubble" they need to qualify that none of those teams deserve to get in the tournament and those that qualify should feel lucky to be in. Nobody from the bubble should feel left out or that they got screwed, the teams that get in got lucky, simple as that. 64 was a good number and they went to 68 to suck up to the major conferences so they could get more teams in.......96 is would simply be a joke....hell, Oklahoma probably would have got in at 96.

VCU's run isn't bad for the tournament unless it leads to what you say...the best thing about the NCAA Tournament is also the worst thing about the NCAA Tournament. In this tournament any team can win any game and that is beautiful. It leads to upsets,unlikely heroes and "Cinderella" stories. These are great things and what make this tourney the best sporting event going each and every year. The sad part of this tournament is how it reduces spectacular seasons and careers to rubble if they get beat before they should....see Kansas and Ohio State....Kansas and Ohio State should not have their seasons viewed as epic failures because they lost one game. It's just unfortunate that we no longer enjoy the journey, but only the destination.

More teams would not necessarily lead to more teams that can win but would open the door to teams that don't really deserve an opportunity at a championship. Aren't the conference tournaments basically a de facto entrance into the NCAA Tournament anyways? Basically all schools get to play in their post season conference tourney, so by extension isn't the NCAA Championship already open to nearly every single Division 1 school? Why do we need to expand and screw up a great event.

I am definitely against further expansion of this tournament.

RP333 says:
03/28/11 10:33AM
I'd like to see them open it up to every team. I don't think that would water it down at all – if anything it would add more excitement. I would only be in favor of 96 teams if it meant more opportunity for the smaller schools, and I doubt an extra 20 teams would make a difference.
-29- says:
03/28/11 10:58AM

 I enjoyed the "first four" format of this year's tournament but 68 teams is as far as the NCAA needs to go. I agree with mmac,with the exception of the Ivy League and a few bottom feeders from the Ohio Valley Conference,virtually every team gets one last shot to win their conference tourny and make the NCAAs.

 Further expansion would greatly minimilize the regular season and make the conference tournaments much less compelling. Even though 68 is probably allowing too many teams in,I think that the NCAA should leave it as is or risk ruining one of the best events in all of sports.

GO Rams!  

mrusso says:
03/28/11 11:22AM

Agreed Ashton, well said Mmac, I feel 64 was the perfect # also. As you said Mmac, the conference tourneys provide the opportunity for the smaller conference "cinderellas" of the world and you're reasoning for the additional 4 spots certainly was the correct assessment (and the almighty dollar).

The beauty and the beast of the tourney is the do or die mentality of each game. Kansas and Ohio State still had great seasons, let's not forget, there can only be ONE winner, so there will be many disappointed teams. That being said, the story of the tourney thus far IS VCU, as was George Mason a few years ago, even Butler last year. I'm curious to see just how many tv's will be tuned into the VCU/Butler game, I'm guessing alot less than the KEN/UCONN game, sorry CBS.

 Whatever happened to the old saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

I_Need_A_Detox says:
03/28/11 11:29AM
128
RP333 says:
03/28/11 12:34PM
At least small and mid-major conferences are guaranteed of getting one team in, but I really feel it should be the team that wins the regular season to get the automatic bid. That team would be most deserving. Big conferences play be totally different rules where the post-season tournament doesn't mean nearly as much.

But the tourneys bring the 
clowncar says:
03/28/11 12:44PM
As gamblers the real problem with expanding to a ton of teams is that it increases the likelihood of regular season game fixing and point shaving.
JakeLake720 says:
03/28/11 12:47PM
  Basically, the way I would do it is the best 65 or so at large teams

start off with double byes..The regular season would be used strictly

for seeding purposes..The other 200+ teams battle it out for the first

couple of rounds and then are reseeded after wards..The reward for a

good/great regular season would be a high seed and double bye...simple as that..
   That way, everything is settled on the court, where it should be..and everyone has a chance at the prize..

coloradobuff says:
03/28/11 01:00PM
Seeing VCU vs Butler is great for college basketball. Its what makes college basketball postseason SO MUCH BETTER than college football. Sports are great this way They are unscripted (for the most part that is), hence anything can happen.
MaineRoad says:
03/28/11 01:19PM

Yes; I suspect that more would be less here.  I also fully expect the money whores at the NCAA to do it soon. 

The reward for a good/great regular season would be a high seed and double bye...simple as that..

You left out getting to wear their home uniforms.   I get all tingly just thinking about it.

..and everyone has a chance at the prize..

Everyone has a chance now.    Just don't suck during the regular season and you have a chance.

I_Need_A_Detox says:
03/28/11 01:26PM
maine ... i'm cool with that.
jpero says:
03/28/11 01:29PM
I am against expansion. However, the only expansion I would do is to add 4 teams so every region has a play-in game.

That way there can be no complaints from the Vatechs, Colorados and Alabamas, like there was this year.

VCU just happens to be playing some of the best basketball right now in the country. This is not something that would happen on a yearly basis. There were no elite teams this year and that worked in VCU's favor of getting to where they are right now. VCU and Shaka should be commended on their impossible run.
cacabware says:
03/28/11 01:37PM
smoovplaya says:
03/28/11 01:41PM

gd2436 says:
03/28/11 01:44PM
68 is ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!....getting way too diluted.....more is not BETTER.....what do they play the season for!...and i would hate seeing everyone included....just no way...they play their season schedule to make the ncaa....if they dont make it , then they go nit or cit or cba....this is just fine the way it is now!
trehoops says:
03/28/11 02:05PM
  I HOPE YOU'RE WRONG ABOUT 96, BUT BOTTOM LINE IS THAT IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH VCU.  MONEY RULES.  NCAA ONLY THINKING ABOUT THE MILLIONS, COULD CARE LESS ABOUT THE FANS, OR THE BEAUTY OF THE TOURNAMENT!   
Ashton_Grewal says:
03/28/11 02:10PM
Wow. I really struck up a solid debate here. It seems there a lot of people out there as scared as I am of a 96-team tourney. That's good to know.
jmw59 says:
03/28/11 02:50PM

Yes; I suspect that more would be less here.  I also fully expect the money whores at the NCAA to do it soon. 

 

Right on Maine

I_Need_A_Detox says:
03/28/11 02:53PM

way too diluted

it's back to normal, just stronger after 1 round.

theSleeper says:
03/29/11 03:18PM
Bracket software nightmare!... Girls winning all the bracket pools!... Oswego St in the final four!...Under 500 teams in the final... Oh God- the TV ratings nightmare!
peepeedik09 says:
03/29/11 05:59PM
I think we're missing the bigger point with regards to the state of the game, yes the expansion of the trny in my eyes is not a good thing, 64 is enough! However I've heard it mentioned that there are NO great teams this year. Why is that? It's because this one and done has destroyed the college game. Coach K very well may win 2-3 more titles if he hangs around for another 10 years. He gets players that play 4 years and they actually build a team rather than these 1 year stars looking for a place to party before they go pro. Imagine if UK had John Wall, Cousins back this year or Ohio St. had Evan Turner, and we can go on and on. Don't expect to see the level of play we grew accustomed to in the golden age of college ball because those days are over.
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Joined: November 2007
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