FalconBlog--Triumphs and Trials in the BGSU Falcon Nation

Basketball Coaches Lobbying for 128 Teams in Big Dance

That includes Dan Dakich and Stan Joplin on Fox News with Fanning last night. I don't really support this. You're not going to eliminate the controversey--just move it down a few notches. The current set up is very good, and I think you have to be hesitant about monkeying with it. The set up creates tension in the MAC tournament, and yet has the orderly 64 team format that has made it so popular. The coaches say they want parity with football, where half of the teams play in a bowl. There are lots more D1 basketball programs, so that isn't going to be easy.

I just think the NCAA hoops tourney is among the best things going in sports. If BG and UT haven't qualified, we should try a novel approach--win the MAC Championship and get there. Most MAC teams have managed to do it, it can be done.

One other thing. On the news last night, Coach said something that has always gotten on my nerves. He made his usual speech about how the regular season should be used to determine who goes to the NCAA tournament, not the MAC tourney. Now, there's two problems with that. First, if the automatic bid isn't on the line, there's no point in having the MAC tourney. And second, the regular season cannot be used to pick a true champion as the MAC is set up today, because there is no common schedule. This is especially true with divisional play. Two teams could play dramatically different schedules, and just using gross records won't always yield you the best team.