Recently, there have been talks about expanding the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament field from 65 to either 68 or 96 teams.

This is a bad idea.

The NCAA Tournament is the single most exciting event in sports and if the field is expanded, it would take something away from it.

If the field were to expand to 68 teams, there would be four play-in games instead of the one play-in game under the current format.

This would keep four teams out of the actual tournament instead of one.

The idea of a play-in game was never a good one. It keeps a small school from having the opportunity to play against one of the big boys, and if the field is expanded, it would keep four from seizing this opportunity.

Currently, the loser of the play-in game is considered a part of the field.

If the field is expanded to 68, the four losers of the play-in games would be considered part of the field, but it’s just not the same.

The mid-major schools play all season with the goal of winning their conference for a chance to play in the Big Dance, on a national stage.

Not to play secondary mid-major program with a chance at reaching the national stage.

All of the major programs in the NCAA have ample opportunities to pad their tournament résumé.

A mid-major should not fall just short of reaching the field of 64 just because a major program slides into the tournament as a low seed, only to be bounced by another major program early in the tournament.

Mid-majors, on the other hand, often have not made the tournament, or do not have the rich history of their counterparts from major programs, so they should not suffer because of an expansion of the tournament field.

Making the NCAA Tournament is supposed to be an accomplishment. If the field were to expand to 96 teams, it would diminish this accomplishment.

Expanding the field to 96 would also take something away from the regular season.

Part of the fun of the NCAA Tournament is trying to guess who’s in and who’s out as the regular season winds down.

If the field was to expand it would eliminate a lot of the excitement surrounding the end of the regular season because so many teams would go to the tournament, the big games that may determine who is in and who is out would lose some of their luster.

The expansion would also mean the tournament would be even longer than it is now. It currently takes place over three weeks.

If 96 teams get in, there would have to be an extra week added to the tournament.

This is not the first time the NCAA has pondered expansion, as at its inception the tournament had only eight participants and as the NCAA grew so did the tournament field.

Currently, there are 347 teams, more than ever, that play Division I basketball, which makes some believe the expansion is necessary.

There is something special about the tournament under the current format. It seems to have the perfect balance of heavyweights and underdogs.

Every year, millions of people look forward to this great event — it always seems to work out like it is supposed to.

If the field were to expand, the single most exciting event in sports would lose some of its luster.

By ERIC MCGUFFIN

Editor

demcguff@umail.iu.edu