New York Times: “A No. 16 seed had never beaten a No. 1 seed in the N.C.A.A. men’s basketball tournament.”
Are you watching BCS, FBS, or whatever name you go by today? I know you have your little tournament to decide a National Champion but it’s time to get real. Expand to 16-teams.
What UMBC did to Virginia would be like TCU knocking off Clemson. Think about that for a minute. It’s a big deal.
Bring us a real tournament.
USA Today: “By the time Ohio State finished its takedown of No. 1 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl national semifinal game Thursday night, the top five teams in the SEC West had fallen this postseason. Alabama, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Auburn and LSU all lost to teams from supposedly inferior leagues.”
I’ve heard time and again how the SEC can’t be beat. I believed it, as did the pundits, or the SEC wouldn’t have so many teams in the Top-20.
It is time for a real tournament. Limit the regular season to 10 games. This would allow for a real tournament. A tournament of 16-teams. Four teams is a good start, but until they reach 16-teams, it’s all pretend.
One other option. Take the pre-season top 16 and schedule them to play their first four games tournament style. It would be a scheduling nightmare, but it would stir the pot right out of the gate.
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ESPN: “Only hours after No. 15 seed Norfolk State stunned No. 2 seed Missouri 86-84 in a West Regional game in Omaha, Neb., Lehigh pulled off an equally impressive upset, surprising No. 2 seed Duke 75-70 in Greensboro Coliseum.”
This is why I love sports. Most of the time Goliath crushes David, as expected, but every once in a while we have a day like this. Two number two’s go down in the tournament. It’s a beautiful thing.
Chances are these two teams will win another game on pure momentum. This is exactly why the BCS needs to become a tournament, or be disbanded all together. Tournaments are exciting, anything can, and does, happen.
ESPN: “This is the first time since the BCS expanded to five games that a team outside of the conferences with automatic qualifying bids failed to make a BCS game. No one-loss non-automatic qualifier has ever been selected for a BCS game, either.”
Ahhhh, some dissent, finally. It’s time for the NCAA to create a real playoff system. Yes, it can be done, they just don’t want to do it. I’ve personally done bracket after bracket after bracket. It could work. Top 16 are in.
I think it’s time to put together a new bracket.
SI.com: “NEWARK — Such is the state of this NCAA tournament, that I could wake up Friday morning in New Orleans thinking there were strong odds Houston’s Final Four would include two No. 1s (Ohio State and Kansas) and a No. 2 (Florida) … and then be in Newark on Sunday night, watching No. 4 Kentucky clinch the last spot — alongside No. 3 UConn, with No. 8 Butler and No. 11 VCU filling out the other half. I was stunned to witness the Bulldogs’ second straight Final Four-clinching win, and am still stunned when I see the teams printed on this bracket t-shirt.”
The BCS still believes its system is flawless. Witness the NCAA National Basketball Championship Tournament, it’s not perfect, but it’s still better than anything the College Football boys have put together.
Tournaments can be unpredictable, it’s part of what makes sports beautiful. Is it doable in the football world? Yes, I believe it is. Can you have the Big Four traditional bowl games? Yes, I believe you can. Does the BCS want to give up all that money? No, there in lies the problem. The game is driven by money. The kids don’t make a dime, but the Universities and their affiliates certainly do. Until that problem can be addressed the BCS will remain a very flawed system that pits two supposed greats against each other. Until that problem is addressed we’ll never know who the true National Champion is in NCAA Football. I’m pulling for Mark Cuban. I hope he turns College Football on its ear.
As for NCAA Basketball, it’ll be as clear as it can be in two more games.