Showing posts with label Final 4. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Final 4. Show all posts

Monday, March 31, 2014

how to make march madness even madder

a fun play-in tournament to make march madness even madder
On "Selection Sunday" each year, a committee appointed by the NCAA selects and seeds the top 64 Division I men's basketball programs to play in their championship tournament. Oh, in case you missed it, there is an Opening Round that started in 2001 where two teams played for the final spot in the tournament. Starting in 2010 there were four play-in games, so 68 teams get selected for the tournament. The winner of each play-in game would go to one of the four regions, except this year, when two went to one region. Go figure.

What most of us think of as the first round is actually the second round. But on to my point of how to make March Madness even madder.

Even with 68 teams making the tournament, there is angst and gnashing of teeth and cries of "no fair" for those "bubble teams" that don't make the tournament. No matter where you draw the line this would be the case, of course. (Note: Just because the top four NCAA DI college football teams play a mini tournament starting this year, don't believe for a second that there won't be impassioned cries of "unfair" from the next few teams in the final BCS rankings or whatever rankings they use.)