Tourney too big
Seeing the NCAA basketball tournament bracket in the paper has prompted some thoughts. First of all, there are not 64 teams that deserve to be national champion, especially teams with losing records that somehow seem to creep into the mix each year.
As it has boiled down to 16 teams this year, the lowest seed is a No. 7. Rarely does a lower seed get this far. This tells me that at least half of the original field had no business being involved in the first place. The Godzilla vs. Bambi games are a farce, as a No. 16 seed has never beaten a No. 1 seed, at least on the men’s side. Even more farcical is having the 64th and 65th teams play for the right to be creamed by the top No. 1 seed.
Instead, there should be a 16-team double-elimination tournament. I could even argue for a 12-team field, with the top four teams getting a first-round bye. The teams would be chosen based on their records and strength of schedule. With double elimination, a team that is upset on an off night has a chance to play its way back into contention.
This will probably never happen because there is too much money involved. Too many hands are allowed to be in the till as it is, and the powers that be will not allow fewer to reap the bounty.
Thomas E. Boyd, Boulder
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