Dick Vitale on the tourney picks...

[Shocka Lutha King]

I am not defending Bilas, but he was on Jim Rome yesterday and said he thinks they should scrap the automatic bid. His point being that it would actually help the mid-major schools. For example this year Creighton, St. Mary's and Dayton would have been in easily. Instead of Morgan St. and so on.

What do you think?

[ShockerGorilla]

I am not defending Bilas, but he was on Jim Rome yesterday and said he thinks they should scrap the automatic bid. His point being that it would actually help the mid-major schools. For example this year Creighton, St. Mary's and Dayton would have been in easily. Instead of Morgan St. and so on.

What do you think?

No way! Then there wouldn't be any teams in there from the small conferences.

[jdmee]

I am not defending Bilas, but he was on Jim Rome yesterday and said he thinks they should scrap the automatic bid. His point being that it would actually help the mid-major schools. For example this year Creighton, St. Mary's and Dayton would have been in easily. Instead of Morgan St. and so on.

What do you think?

I think your example shows how this would "help" the non-major schools. In some cases it would replace one for another, in other cases it would replace a non-major with a major. But never, and I repeat NEVER, would it replace a major with a non-major.

[RoyalShock]

Ashockalypse, I can't see the NCAA ever forcing scheduling. There are way too many teams. This issue needs to be fought at the selection committee level. Stop rewarding teams that won't play "dangerous" road games in the non-conf and have conference schedules with built-in "big win" opportunities.

But I don't ever see it happening. Gonzaga figured it out and it's up to the rest of us to follow their lead.


If you do away with the auto-bids, the bottom 15 or so conferences might as well have their own division as they'll rarely get more than 1 or 2 combined teams, if that, into the tournament.

Bilas doesn't get the attraction of the NCAA tournament as it is done. He wants to turn it into the NBA playoffs. Boring.

[jdmee]

Gonzaga figured it out and it's up to the rest of us to follow their lead.

Gonzaga figured it out by playing their game. When they first started out how many home games did they get from the big boys. I don't think they got any. Now they are able to get a couple, but they still can't pad their schedule as a North Carolina, Duke, etc.

It would take about 5-6 years of playing one and dones at the big boys, making runs in the NCAAs, and top 25 finishes before we could start getting home and homes from some of the top teams.

[ShockRef]

I am not defending Bilas, but he was on Jim Rome yesterday and said he thinks they should scrap the automatic bid. His point being that it would actually help the mid-major schools. For example this year Creighton, St. Mary's and Dayton would have been in easily. Instead of Morgan St. and so on.

What do you think?

Bilas has a point, but it's not one the NCAA will ever adopt.
The point is simple - A #16 seed has never won a game and basically serve as sacrificial lambs for the #1 seeds.
Think about it - Does any team out of the SWAC, Atlantic Sun, MEAC, NEC, Patriot or Big South strike fear into the heart of even a mid-range BCS team?
Not hardly.
The NCAA won't change because of the 'equality' issue, but if they want the best 64-65 teams in the tournament, send the above listed league winners to a 1-AA type of tournament.
Since the NCAA won't change, the best way to keep the lower league winners in the Dance and add the Creighton, St.Mary's and SDSU types is expand the field to 68, with 3 more play-in games for the Binghamton, Robert Morris and Chattanooga types.
However, it makes to much sense for a moron-led organization like the NCAA to make it happen. Therefore, expect more of the same crap they just doled out Sunday night next year and so on. 8)

[shocks771]

My suggestion would be to expand the tournament from 65 to 80 teams. If you do this there would be 15 additional at-large teams added to the field. There would be 16 play-in-games that would be used to determine seeds 13-16 in each region. Play all of the play-in games on Tuesday and then the Tournament starts as normal on Thursday. It will probably never happen, but I can dream.