The NCAA basketball tournament is about as close to the perfect sporting event there is. There have been 11 different formats played over the years, but the tourney found it's sweet spot from 1985-2000 when it embraced the 64 team format. But then, inexplicably, it went with 65 teams beginning in 2001. The stated reason was the inclusion of the Mountain West in the automatic bid category, but the real reason was obviously money. A play-in game generated an extra days revenue. Naturally, in 2011, the number of teams was increased to 68, and there's no doubting further expansion of the bracket.
What this does is create 16-seed on 16-seed matchups where two teams who won "bids" have to compete to see which one actually gets to participate in the field of 64. This doesn't happen for the 11-13 seed game, as automatic qualifiers are exempt from having to play a play-in game. Got it?
It's ridiculous. The NCAA needs to grow a sack and have a true 64 team to...
Found March 17, 2013 on
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Did Middle Tennessee State Deserve An NCAA Tournament Bid?
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March 18, 2013
Flickr/Tennessee Journalist
The Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raiders received their first NCAA Tournament bid since 1989 on Selection Sunday. The Blue Raiders (28-5 overall, 19-1 in the Sun Belt) were among the first four in predicted by ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi before the official bracket was released.
Though MTSU has an excellent record of 28 wins overall and only...
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March 18, 2013
Road wins pushed Middle Tennessee to NCAA tourney
It's fitting that Middle Tennessee has to make an early trip to play in the NCAA tournament. The Blue Raiders' prowess on the road got them in the field of 68.
Middle Tennessee (28-5) was a bubble team after suffering an upset in the semifinals of the Sun Belt tournament. But the Blue Raiders landed in the NCAA field anyway. They'll play Saint Mary's (27-6) on Tuesday...
Saint Mary's (Cal)-Middle Tennessee Preview
An extra trip to start the NCAA tournament? Not a problem. Middle Tennessee rarely loses its way when it leaves its Murphy Center home.
In a way, it's fitting that the Blue Raiders had to pack for a couple extra days. Their prowess on the road was the overriding quality that landed them in the field of 68 as part of the First Four in Dayton.
Louisiana in Lafayette? Vanderbilt...
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