At the NCAA Convention in San Antonio last week, the transformation committee recommended that some sports should consider expanding their postseason tournaments, leading many to turn their thoughts to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Could we see the Big Dance get even bigger?
The approved proposal by the NCAA board was for all sports that have 200 or more schools to expand their fields.
That may or may not happen in other sports. There’s zero appetite to do that in men’s and women’s basketball beyond maybe adding four to get to 72 — and that could be an accomplishment.
The women added just four last season to reach 68, the same as the men. But according to sources, there is no desire or movement to change the field. Remember, the lucrative men’s tournament is locked in a television deal with CBS/Turner until 2032. There is an obligation to open the deal if teams join. Also, there are real concerns about the devaluation of the regular season, and frankly, there aren’t many more deserving teams.
Adding four to get to 72 might be justified. But that’s the maximum, and would just mean adding two more games in Dayton or any other First Four site. One more thing that sounds trivial but is critical: adding a maximum of four more could hold the bracket on a sheet of paper. That is actually quite important. One of the big reasons the NCAA Tournament has become mainstream is that the bracket fits on a sheet of paper, making it easy to duplicate and spread between friends, family and workplaces.
This fact should not be taken lightly.
So, don’t worry everyone. The NCAA Tournament will not change. At most it is only slightly cut. And if it were to happen, I can’t see it happening in the short term. Could it happen before the new TV contract in 2033? Possibly. But don’t hold your breath.
Warren’s departure no surprise: The departure of Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren for the Chicago Bears was sudden, but not shocking. He is an NFL guy and came from the Minnesota Vikings. So going to the Bears makes sense, especially given his future aspirations of one day competing to replace Roger Goodell as NFL commissioner. So what now? Well, the Big Ten television deal is done. The expansion with UCLA and USC is set for 2024 and that is likely for the foreseeable future. Sure, figuring out how to integrate the two LA schools won’t be easy, but it’s all doable.
The obvious choice to replace Warren is ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, the former AD at Northwestern, who many expected to get the job before Warren was hired. Would Phillips return to Chicago? Perhaps. He must of course be asked first. Kerry Kenny, who has done a remarkable job in the Big Ten coordinating men’s basketball and being the point person for television deals/networks, would also make sense. I’m pretty confident the Big Ten presidents will be looking for someone with strong college/Big Ten ties this time around after going outside of the conference to hire Warren.
Texas candidate?: One person we didn’t mention last week when discussing potential candidates to replace Chris Beard in Texas? TCU’s Jamie Dixon. The AD at Texas is Chris Del Conte, who hired Dixon at his alma mater TCU when he held that job in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs are having another solid season and are competing with Texas in the Big 12 to finish in the top four with Kansas, Iowa State, Kansas State and Baylor. I still think interim coach Rodney Terry has a strong chance to land the job.
[Who are the leading candidates to replace Chris Beard?]
Check out the Sun Devils: Arizona State has had one of the strangest seasons by a team that could compete for a high-profile, Power 6 title. The Sun Devils beat the Oregon schools on the road, and are 6-1 in the conference, 15-3 overall under Bobby Hurley. The losses were to Texas Southern in the Pac-12/SWAC Legacy Series, a blowout at San Francisco, and a nine-point loss at home to Arizona. However, the Devils host UCLA and USC this week with a chance to finish the week in first place in the Pac-12. Not sure anyone saw that in the preseason, let alone a few weeks ago.
Most Improved?: Kansas State’s Markquis Nowell has to be in contention for the most improved player in the country. Nowell, who played three seasons at Little Rock before transferring last season to play for Bruce Weber at Kansas State, was an all-Big 12 defensive player last season. This season, he should be in the top three for most improved, with Kansas’ Jalen Wilson and TCU’s Mike Miles Jr. He scored 36 in the win at Texas and 32 in the win at Baylor.
A look at the bracket: My early prediction for top seeds by region right now would be: Houston at Las Vegas, Kansas at Kansas City, Purdue at Louisville and Alabama at New York. The blue bloods struggled, but eventually the NCAA Tournament field will include North Carolina, Duke, Indiana, and, yes, Kentucky. The latter two had significant wins last weekend with Indiana beating Wisconsin and Kentucky beating Tennessee on the road.
Andy Katz is a longtime college basketball writer, analyst and host. He can be seen on the Big Ten Network, as well as March Madness and NCAA.com, and he hosts the podcast “March Madness 365.” Katz worked at ESPN for nearly two decades and before that for nine years in newspapers.
Get more from college basketball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Is the Final Four on Saturday?
When is the Final Four for the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament? The Final Four will take place on Saturday, April 2. Read also : It’s OK to Cry: Top 10 Most Tragic Deaths in Video Games.
Is CBS covering the Final Four? CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz to call the last Final Four to close out the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Legendary sportscaster Jim Nantz will call his final Final Four at the end of the 2022-23 college basketball season, CBS Sports has confirmed.
What are the dates for the Final Four and championship game?
Elite Eight: March 25-26. Final Four: April 1. NCAA Championship Game: April 3.
What time is the men’s Final Four on Saturday?
| SATURDAY, APRIL 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Time (CT) | Event | Location |
| 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM | Men’s Final Four Fan Fest Presented by Capital One | George R. Brown Convention Center |
| TBA | March Madness Music Festival Infinite Sounds by Coca-Cola® Starlight | Discovery Green |
| TBA | Semi-final game 1 | NRG Stadium |
What TV channel is the Final Four on?
(KWCH) – The Final Four and CBS are synonymous, as the national semifinals and championship game have been broadcast on the network since the event became a television powerhouse. This may interest you : 2023 World Juniors: Canada will face the USA in the semi-finals. A few years ago, TBS entered the mix to air Final Four games some years, and 2022 is one of those years.
How can I watch March Madness for free?
Many streaming services also offer free trials, allowing you to stream March Madness games for free. This may interest you : Secretary of State Mayorkas Extends Temporary Protected Status for Syrians in the United States.
- Stream March Madness on fuboTV. …
- Stream March Madness on Hulu + Live TV. …
- Stream March Madness on SlingTV. …
- Stream March Madness on DirecTV Stream. …
- Stream March Madness on Paramount+
What streaming service does March Madness have?
What are the First Four games in March Madness?
Why is there an NCAA First Four? In 2011, the NCAA tournament expanded again to 68 teams, with 31 automatic qualifiers, and 37 at-large bids, and the First Four was created to trim the number of teams from 68 to 64 for the first round.
Who were the first 4 out of the NCAA tournament?
The NCAA Tournament field of 68 is set, and it has many major conference representatives, including Michigan, Indiana and Notre Dame. IU and ND were among the final four in the field. The first four teams were Dayton, Oklahoma, SMU and Texas A&M.
Where are the First Four games being played?
The 2023 Men’s NCAA Tournament for March Madness begins with First Four games in Dayton, Ohio and continues through the 2023 Final Four in Houston.
Why is the First Four a thing?
Why is there a First Four? More teams, more fun, more money, etc. When the Mountain West Conference was added to Division 1 in 1999, the field was expanded from 64 to 65 teams. That added the first play-in game for the lower seeded teams.
Has any team gone undefeated and won March Madness?
Only seven teams in the history of college basketball have won an NCAA Tournament championship with a perfect record. The first came in 1956, when Bill Russell averaged 20.6 points and 21 rebounds to lead San Francisco to its second straight championship, bettering the 28-1 record of 1955.
Which college team went undefeated and won the national championship? College Football Champions: Every undefeated team to win the national championship since 1936. The 2020-21 Alabama Crimson Tide became the 62nd undefeated college football national champion since 1936 with its 52-24 victory over Ohio State in the 2020-21 College Football Playoff championship game.
Has any team ever gone undefeated in college basketball?
Dating back to the first season of the NCAA tournament format in 1939, only seven teams have ever completed a college basketball season and ended the year with a national championship title.
How many NCAA teams have gone undefeated?
Regardless of the level of challenge faced, it is a great time to record profits and build up the early winning numbers, although recording profits is not the only thing. Only ten teams have avoided a loss at this point, with those ten being the most recent undefeated programs.
