As with every year, someone is unhappy because some team got left out while a "less deserving" team got in. This year is no exception. Having watched the Selection Show on CBS, and the Bracketology special on ESPN, I am seeing and hearing the same basic things that I usually hear at this time of year. How did Team A get in over Team B, when Team B beat Team A? How did Team C get left out when they are from the best conference, and that conference did not have the most teams in the tournament? How can we fix this problem in future tournaments?
The first question is a hot topic on ESPN's show, regarding Arizona getting in over Arizona State. And the simple answer to that is that selection into the tournament is not ultimately boiled down to two games. I do not know what Arizona's RPI is, but I do know that Arizona's State RPI is 88, with a non-conference schedule in the 300s. Sure, Arizona State had a one-game lead in conference record over Arizona, but the first half of the season cannot be ignored. If the conference schedule is all that should matter, then what is the point to keeping track of what happens in the non-conference schedule. Too much emphasis is put on the end of the season.
The answer to the second question is that which conference a team is from should not be a determining factor in the selection process. Who the team plays is already factored into RPI and strength of schedule. There is not a need to consider it a third time. And with these larger conferences, an imbalanced schedule is skewing one team's success within a strong conference.
The answer I am hearing for the final question is that the tournament should expand. I think this would be a bad decision. As Jay Bilas said on ESPN, I think it was him anyways, is that the only thing that teams on the edge of being selected have proven is that they all can lose. Everyone has a conference tournament, so everyone has a chance to win their way into the tournament. Ultimately, no one can complain if they do not make it into the tournament.
Coming on Tuesday 3/18: Why the NCAA Tournament "play-in game" needs to be changed.
1 comment:
Expanding the tournament beyond 64 teams is ridiculous. Why not just let them all in and go from there? It's pretty simple - if the team doesn't lose, the team makes it. I too am tired of hearing about brink teams not getting in.
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