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NCAA Basketball: Pros and cons of ACC’s “All Inclusive” tournament idea

By Bryan Mauro

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 12: A general view of empty seats following the cancelation of the remainder of the 2020 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 12, 2020 in Greensboro, North Carolina. The cancelation is due to concerns over the possible spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 12: A general view of empty seats following the cancelation of the remainder of the 2020 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 12, 2020 in Greensboro, North Carolina. The cancelation is due to concerns over the possible spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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SAN ANTONIO, TX – MARCH 29: NCAA President Dr. Mark Emmert speaks to the media (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX – MARCH 29: NCAA President Dr. Mark Emmert speaks to the media (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images) /

Cons of the “All Inclusive” NCAA Tournament

Meaningless Regular Season

Ask anyone who follows the sport closely and they will tell you that the NCAA Basketball regular season is the best regular season of all the major sports. There is so much riding on it for every team, not just those teams in a power five conference like you have in football. If the NCAA were to amend the rules and let every eligible team participate in the NCAA tournament the regular season would be virtually meaningless.

Of course, the committee would need to decide where to seed all the teams and they can accomplish that through the regular season, but the games will not hold the same meaning. Many of the coaches are mentioning that the tournament is already all-inclusive as every single conference gets an automatic bid and if the team schedules correctly and wins enough games can secure an automatic bid to the tournament.

As the season starts every single eligible team in the NCAA has a chance at the National Championship. Leave things alone and let the regular season weed out the teams that don’t belong in the tournament.

Watered Down Product

As college basketball fans we live for the NCAA Tournament, it is the one singular point we are all waiting for every single season. The diehards love it because it gives the sport the premium exposure and it is happening when there is no football.

NCAA Basketball thrives on the football crowd to come and watch the last month and a half of the season as well as the NCAA tournament. That crowd loves seeing great conference games and championship week is something we all love equally, it is what makes the NCAA tournament so great.

With the determination that every team gets into the tournament next year, it waters down the product and those same viewers who tuned into the tournament to watch the best 68 teams in the country compete for a chance a title may be lost. It would water down the tournament so much. Does anyone really want to watch Kennesaw State vs Villanova in the NCAA tournament?

The mid-majors have a hard enough time trying to get respect from the diehard fans this would do nothing to help change the narrative. The other thing that makes the NCAA tournament so great is the lower seed upsets. With over 300 teams in the tournament, the chance for a chalk tournament would be higher and those smaller schools would be less likely to make a deep run into the NCAA tournament.

Logistics

It is still so hard to wrap my head around how the NCAA would even consider this, which they didn’t in large part because of the logistical nightmare that this would create. How would the bracket ever be created?  Would some teams get buys?  Would the NCAA be able to secure enough venues for long enough, with enough hotels and amenities for this to work?  That is just a few of the things the NCAA tournament committee would need to worry about.

Does anyone have any idea how long this would take to play?  Since the coaches also suggested playing this tournament in multiple bubble sites. If every team qualified for the NCAA tournament would the ACC be willing to pay some of the costs because the NCAA is not going to be able to secure these sites long enough and still turn a profit.

Wrapping your head around how this would work and how to bracket the teams is going to be a nightmare and one that the NCAA is not going to overtake either since they have shot down this idea. As mentioned, the ACC had their hearts in the right place but didn’t really through all the details of how hard this would be for everyone involved.

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The best idea is to do what has always been done and have the 68 team tournament with all of the glory that it always does. ACC head coaches, don’t try to fix what isn’t broken.