Word: tournamente
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...NCAA thinking about tinkering with its beloved, billion-dollar basketball spectacle? The organization is investigating the possibility of expanding the tournament field to as many as 96 teams as early as next year (for you non-bracketheads out there, 65 teams play in the current field). Within basketball circles and among cubicle dwellers who relish filling out their brackets for the ubiquitous office pools, chatter about a broader tournament is dominating the discussion. "Absolutely, it's hot," says Phil Martelli, head basketball coach at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, of the expansion issue. "Very hot." (See a brief history...
...athletes a chance to experience the thrills of March Madness. Second, more games gives the organization extra chances to promote its educational mission and the life skills that playing college sports can teach. This is also known as the "whatever" or "give me a break" reason for expanding the tournament...
Despite the priority Shaheen places on those objectives, money is the main driver for a bigger tournament. The NCAA is finishing up the eighth year of an 11-year, $6 billion contract with CBS, which broadcasts the tournament. After this season, the NCAA can opt out of the deal and seek new television partners. Knowing that they might not be able to secure a hefty rights fee for a new deal in a shaky economy, the extra games could secure additional revenue for the schools - NCAA members share the tournament revenue whether they play or not, so more games enlarges...
...blame the NCAA for looking after its finances. After all, college sports are a big-time business. And, proponents of expansion say, fans will soon get used to the bigger field. "Every time you had the tournament expanded, you had a lot of people who were against it," says CBS analyst Greg Anthony, who was point guard for the 1990 UNLV team that won the national title. "But ultimately, it proved to be the right decision." College basketball moved from a 53-team tournament to a 64-team event in 1985. "I love the tournament now," says Anthony. "I loved...
Other basketball experts sincerely believe that a bigger tournament would allow deserving teams into the Big Dance. Hall of Famer John Thompson, the ex-Georgetown coach, was against the idea before he broadcast the finals of the Colonial Athletic Conference tournament, which pitted Old Dominion against William & Mary. "I wasn't sold on it until I saw how good those two teams were," says Thompson. "Those kids deserve to be in the tournament as much as anybody. I asked myself if I would want to play against them, and I said hell no." Old Dominion won that game and faces...