NCAA Hoops 2011-2012

[Berkut]

I agree berkut but it is a bit of a fluke based on how bad the pac-12 is this year.  If uw misses the tourney it will be the first time a "major conference" reg season champ will ever have missed out.

True, and honestly I don't think they are going to miss anyway.

Cal is in, UW is in, and if someone other than Cal wins the conference tourney, they will be in as well.
I think Arizona has a shot at a bid if they win today and lose in the conference final. But that will depend on how other bubble teams do.

[sbr]

I heard an interview with the bracketology guy that was taped before the uw osu game and he thought a loss could knock the huskies out, fwiw.

[MadBurgerMaker]

Speaking of Baylor, WTF is the deal with the green highlighter uniforms?   

They have another set of alternates they're also going to be using in the post season that are the same design.  They're darker, but it makes the weird camouflage () pattern is easier to see.

http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/030612aae.html

[crazy canuck]

I would like to see the tournament expanded so that conference tournaments become larglely irrelevant.  If one more round is added all the regular season winners get in easily and there is still room for the teams that upset the favourites in the tournaments.

Win Win.

TV gets its revenues from the conference tournaments and the big dance and everyone who has a shot at the title makes it in.

[derspiess]

I would like to see the tournament expanded so that conference tournaments become larglely irrelevant.  If one more round is added all the regular season winners get in easily and there is still room for the teams that upset the favourites in the tournaments.

Win Win.

TV gets its revenues from the conference tournaments and the big dance and everyone who has a shot at the title makes it in.

Meh.  I'd like it scaled back to 64.  More teams dilutes the value of making it in.

[sbr]

Or 32

[crazy canuck]

I would like to see the tournament expanded so that conference tournaments become larglely irrelevant.  If one more round is added all the regular season winners get in easily and there is still room for the teams that upset the favourites in the tournaments.

Win Win.

TV gets its revenues from the conference tournaments and the big dance and everyone who has a shot at the title makes it in.

Meh.  I'd like it scaled back to 64.  More teams dilutes the value of making it in.

What value is there in that?  The value is making it further into the tournament.

What you are really saying is that you dont want to see some schools have their recruiting potential diluted but I dont see how that harms the game.

[Admiral Yi]

64 (or 68 or whatever) feels right to me.  If the regular season winner loses the tournament, either they can get in at large or they can STFU and wait for next year.

BTW, what does it take for a conference to lose an automatic bid?

[derspiess]

What value is there in that?  The value is making it further into the tournament.

For big schools, yes.  For a lot of mid-majors and below, simply making the tournament (particularly with an at-large bid) is a big accomplishment.

Plus, expanding the NCAA tourney dilutes the value of the NIT, of which I'm a pretty big fan.

What you are really saying is that you dont want to see some schools have their recruiting potential diluted but I dont see how that harms the game.

I'm not talking about recruiting potential.  I'm talking about school pride, bragging rights, etc.  Schools that have made the NCAA tourney have banners in their arenas displaying the years they made it.  It's part of the culture of college hoops.  Diluting the value of making the "Big Dance" eliminates a lot of late-season excitement.

[derspiess]

64 (or 68 or whatever) feels right to me.  If the regular season winner loses the tournament, either they can get in at large or they can STFU and wait for next year.

BTW, what does it take for a conference to lose an automatic bid?

Don't all Division I conferences get the automatic bid?

[crazy canuck]

Diluting the value of making the "Big Dance" eliminates a lot of late-season excitement.

I guess we put importance on different things.  I think the regular season is important - not just a preliminary to when the excitement starts.  I also think that the tournament would be just as exciting.  After all you would drop to the same numbers as now after just one game.

The late season excitement would still be there.  Nobody would want to have a low ranking going into the tournament.

[Admiral Yi]

Don't all Division I conferences get the automatic bid?

Do they?  I thought I read somewhere that if they don't win a game for X years they lose it.  Could be wrong.

[crazy canuck]

Don't all Division I conferences get the automatic bid?

Do they?  I thought I read somewhere that if they don't win a game for X years they lose it.  Could be wrong.

Yeah, I thought that too, but I have to admit I dont know the specifics.  Berkut will likely know.

[Berkut]

No, every D-1 conference gets 1 automatic bid, of which there are 31 last count.

[derspiess]

No, every D-1 conference gets 1 automatic bid, of which there are 31 last count.

My knowledge of D-1 is pretty murky once you get down past the mid-majors