Sunday, March 11, 2007
NCAA Selection Committe Got it Right!
Sure, some teams were left out of the BIG DANCE this year while others got in. Imagine that! What a shocker. No syracuse, FSU, Drexel, Missouri State, or WV. But guess what, this happens every year. At least we're not talking about who's #1 or #2 or #3 with a right to play in the BCS title game like we do each December for CFB. This is one of the biggest reasons why I love March Madness and bracketology. If you care, these might be the biggest snubs. Although, a strong argument can be made that the 31 automatic bids is a little ridiculous. Quick, name the Horizon League Champ? (Wright State). I'm still not sure I like the idea of 31 automatic bids. Perhaps you get an AUTO bid if you win both the regular season AND your conference tourney. Otherwise, let's have a more expanded chat. Maybe there should be more AT-LARGE bid discussion to ensure that diversity doesn't become perversity. Point, I have one. Isn't the point to get the best 64/65 teams in the country into the BIG SHOW? I submit that the answer to this question is YES. I'm not sure that the current process accomplishes this end.
That being said, I'm totally against expanding the field to anything more than what we have today. There are some out there who think the field should be expanded from 65 to a number bigger than 65. This would not be a good thing for many reasons, including destroying the symmetry of a near-perfect example of FAIR PROCESS. Plus, we don't need to see the CBB season extend any further into April than it currently does. For Pete's sake, the MASTERS is right around the corner. Go TIGER!
Back to this year's field; I think the committe did a great job with the #1's this year: FLORIDA, UNC, Ohio State, and Kansas. I don't see it any other way. Is this the year we see all four #1's make it to Atlanta? Or, is this the year #1 goes down early to a #16? That's not likely to happen considering it never has. UCLA had a strong #1 case until it lost its first-round game to CAL last week in LA. Conference tourneys give us a rare but quck glimpse into how teams will perform in tournament play on neutral courts. And, while Memphis may have won 22 games in a row to close the season, they did most of their damage in CUSA. Quick, who did they beat to win their tourney? A = Houston.
So, bring on the BIG DANCE. I'm ready for what should be a wide-open tourney. I don't see any single dominant team this year as in years past. All four #1 seeds have proven over and over again that they can lose.
