NCAA Tourney Expansion Would Burst Bubble

As I write this, I’m watching Robert Morris (six lifetime NCAA Tournament trips entering the game) vs. Quinnipiac (zero) in the Northeast Conference championship, another competitive battle in what has been an exciting Championship week.  Though none of my teams were involved (my three favorites went 10-75 on the year), the winner-take-all nature of these games makes them meaningful and highly entertaining.

Even some of the Big East Tournament early round games have had some NCAA Tournament implications, with teams “on the bubble” like Seton Hall, South Florida and Notre Dame playing for spots in the field of 65.  (Of course, it should still be 64, but an extra automatic bid a few years back for some reason did not include a reduction in at-large bids).

There has been strong talk of the NCAA increasing the field to 96, as soon as 2011.  What a huge mistake this would be.  The argument goes that there are around 350 schools in Division I (at least 50 of which would be better served in Division II, but that’s another story for another day), significantly more than the 250 or so that were in the Division when the field last expanded from 48 in the 1980s.

Now, I love the schools termed “mid-majors,” and every one of the leagues deserves a bid.  And the system is largely stacked against the Sienas and Northern Iowas that don’t play in “power” conferences and can never get home games against the kind of non-league teams they would need to beat to earn an at-large selection.  I get that.  But by guaranteeing more slots in the NCAA’s, fewer league tournament games would have that all-or-nothing meaning, and the games that do would involve worse teams.  Sure, a few good teams are left out every year.  But I think adding 25 mediocre teams to get in six somewhat deserving ones isn’t worth it.

The accomplishment of reaching the NCAA’s should be just that — an accomplishment.  Whenever I go in to a college gym I’ve never been to, I like to look up at the banners.  Those teams have earned a special place in that school’s history.  For some, the postseason is an annual event.  For others, it may be closing in on 20 years since the last trip (yes, this means you, Alma Mater Fordham).  If suddenly nearly 50% more teams were to qualify, it would for sure less of a “big deal” and would lose a lot of its luster.