64 Is Enough

Every year at this time, as bubble teams are left out of the NCAA basketball tournament’s 64 team field, there are calls from angry fans to expand the size of the tournament.  I am not in favor of this idea because I don’t think the question “when is enough enough?” can ever be adequately answered.  At what number does the selection committee stop at in terms of adding teams?  72? 80? 128?  No matter what number the field is potentially raised to, someone will still feel like they got jobbed.  Look, this tournament is a privilege, not a birthright for Division I schools.   Part of what makes the tournament so alluring is that not everyone can go.  You have to earn your way in.  Now, I’m not saying the process is always perfect.  Yes, some good teams do get left out. (Such as Penn State this year)  But that is part of the collateral damage associated with putting together a competitive, exciting field of teams.  I think the selection committee has a tough job, but year after year they seem to get it right.  When was the last time March Madness was a disappointment?  I can’t remember there ever being one.  64 teams (I’m ignoring that ridiculous play-in game where the winner is then sacrificed to the overall #1 seed in the tournament) is a perfect, balanced amount of teams and it makes for smooth scheduling for TV and a known routine for participating teams.  Expanding the tournament to include more teams would just water down the product.  There’s a reason why the NFL and Major League Baseball playoffs are so exciting to watch-  because a minority of teams make it in.  That is not true in both the NBA and NHL where 16 teams make it in each league, which is roughly half.   That’s too many teams and it produces some lackluster playoff series.  The NCAA should remember that as the catcalls of jilted teams and fans increase.  Keep the tournament the way it is and realize that the status quo is perfect.  Expansion won’t make the whiners go away.  It will just push the sour grapes further down the list.  Want to make the tournament?  Play the type of schedule the NCAA deems competitive and simply play better!