AL STRAIN STAFF WRITER
One unfriendly bounce on the rim put an end to what may have been the most magical run in the history of the NCAA tournament.
The Butler Bulldogs stole the heart of college hoops fans everywhere with an unlikely run to the NCAA tournament’s championship and did it at the perfect time.
The NCAA has been talking about expanding the tournament from 65 teams to 96 teams. Butler’s performance showed that expansion can only help the NCAA tournament.
In the new format, each of the top eight teams in each of the four regions would receive a bye and play the winners of eight play in games.
The new format allows more teams from mid-major conferences, like Butler, to make it in to the biggest event in college basketball.
To me, this can only help the NCAA tournament, more teams and more games just means one more round of games that we as fans can enjoy.
Not only that but everyone has more games to fill out on those loveable brackets every March.
The move is not without its critics.
Many of the opponents of the tournament expansion say that it will take away from the intensity of Championship Week, the week where automatic bids are punched by winning their conference tournaments.
I disagree because Championship Week is the appetizer to the NCAA Tournament.
And the appetizer will still be present, and now there will be more of the main course.
Expansion of the NCAA tournament is one of the best ideas that college basketball has had in a long time.
It offers the chance for the Butler’s of the NCAA to play on the games biggest stage.
Currently, even if two teams in a mid-major conference have respectable seasons, only one of those teams will make the field of 65 from the automatic bid.
Expanding the tournament means that there are 32 vacancies for teams like Butler, Drake, even Northern Iowa to fill should they not win their conference tournament.
The NCAA tournament has peaked with its current format, but has not peaked within itself.
By expanding the tournament to 96, there are more games, more shots, more madness which is what March is all about.