Thumbs Down to 128-team NCAA Hoops Tournament

The National Association of Basketball Coaches is prepared to make a push to expand the number of teams at the upcoming NCAA basketball committee meetings.

One idea with some traction is doubling the number from 64/65 to 128. This would go well beyond watering down the best sporting event in the nation. This would take the existing field, add all the NIT teams, and then scrape up another 15 schools that normally wouldn't even make the NIT. What could possibly be gained by this moronic idea?

How about some coaches possibly saving their precious jobs? One of the primary measures of success for most major basketball programs is whether or not they received an NCAA bid. Just like the pleathora of bowl games helps football coaches keep their jobs, hoops coaches probably believe this would give them some more security.

The other side of that comparison, however, is a reminder of how incredibly watered down the whole bowl system. You can debate the merits of the BCS vs. an official playoff, but it's hard to argue that there aren't too many bowl games. I would really hate to see the NCAA basketball tournament head in a similar direction.

A proposal made by Jim Boeheim, however, carries some merit. He suggested expanding the play-in round from two teams to as many as eight. This would create more of a real tournament atmosphere at that event and allow a few more teams in. Of course, if 72 make the field, get ready to here #73 and #74 scream bloody murder about how they were screwed by the selection committee.