@ams66 That wouldn't work, unless you eliminated the auto-bids. 32 teams would just be the conference winners, so all the mid and low-major conference winners are still getting in. You'd have to eliminate that and just have the committee pick the best 32, regardless of conference affiliation / championship.
I'd be okay if they went back to 64. The play-in games are stupid. Just go back to 64 and leave it alone.
All that said, they aren't shrinking the field. The toothpaste is already out of the tube, no going back. Expanding it any further would be nothing more than a money grab. But we all know that's exactly the point. If it'll make more money, they'll do it, no matter the consequences.
@arioznahoosier4554 With an expanded field, "play-in" games should be just that ... and shouldn't be part of the NCAAT. If you make the final 64 via play-ins, only then are you considered a tournament team. Seems reasonable to me.
The NCAA is fighting FIFA for the title of worst organization in sports. Both are pathetic.
NCAA is about as bad as it gets imo and the NIL and portal really took care of it for good. It is only about money now and the term " student athlete " is a punch line.
One thing I noticed with all the final four team is three of them have guys 7'2 and 7'3. Uconn has a 7'1 who comes off the bench. This is the complete opposite of what DD does and I doubt he changes but it clearly works having guys this tall because they all made the final four.
@jhoban19 Yeah ideally I think it should be the best 32, none of those lower tier conference auto-bids have a chance of winning it anyway. But I agree, it's won't happen.
@ams66 I don't think winning it all should be the criteria for making the field. My favorite weekend is the first with all the upsets and close games. Very few of those teams could win it all, but seeing a 14 beating a 3, or 15 beating a 2, is great to me and no way would I want that to end. Now, in the football playoffs, I agree with the criteria being only admit the teams who have a chance.
@kkott Yes that is fun. We would not have had Farleigh Dickenson with a top-32 tournament. But you'd still have some 8-seeds beating 2s here and there, especially since they would all be closer in talent level.
With Nick Dorn headed to the portal, IU currently has 5 players on the roster and my workable roster been updated.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pB4xh17Hc-D5-UPrc4zB-pB7KjFEjMZgTnN41MqYwOw/edit?usp=sharing
We are loaded!
j/k
Fingers crossed. Let's go staff.
Wouldn’t mind adding Harralson and Bizjack to the list, and eff it, why not try Rioux as backup C atleast?
With Nick Dorn headed to the portal, IU currently has 5 players on the roster and my workable roster been updated.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pB4xh17Hc-D5-UPrc4zB-pB7KjFEjMZgTnN41MqYwOw/edit?usp=sharing
So dorn is gone now?
i don't think devries wants to be in the portal each year and that's why he has 3 freshman coming in next season while already having a '27 commit.
but after the failure to get to their goal of tournament or bust, they're in the same spot as last year but with three freshman. you're right...that sucks.
The danger comes next year. If DeVries doesn't knock it out of the park in the portal, IU will lose one or more of their quality 4 players they actually have, and if that happens, they will have become Northwestern. One year away.
Northwestern was mid pack and they just lost all their good returnees to the portal. This garbage has to be stopped, but until it is, only the rich will get richer, and everyone else will lose all their good players in the off season.
So yeah, DeVries is in deep if he doesn't recruit very well, land a major portal overhaul, and make major gains next season.
(and might as well sign Tre Singleton if he's gonna leave Collins' team. Heck of good passer for a 6'8" guy. He was excellent for Sherron Wilkerson's championship Jeffersonville squad)
Wouldn’t mind adding Harralson and Bizjack to the list, and eff it, why not try Rioux as backup C atleast?
A few years ago I was sitting in a chair watching a summer game at an outdoor venue and heard a guy nearby telling everyone "he's too good to stay in high school.(referring to Harrelson). He has to go where there is better competition"
Bollocks. He already made 2 bad decisions: leaving a really great prep team with excellent coaching and competition, and 2.) going to play for a pretty mediocre Shrewsberry.
In my book, I'd take him at IU, but not as a priority. Because that kid will bolt again, he's already done it twice. Bedunga is a very different scenario. Certainly not originally from Kokomo, and he has a little more leeway in navigating a good fit in college.
I'd take Singleton and Bedunga and Robinson from Butler, all in state transfers, and that would be a boon class.
I hope so. Then maybe IU could compete with NW.they will have become Northwestern.
i don't think devries wants to be in the portal each year and that's why he has 3 freshman coming in next season while already having a '27 commit.
but after the failure to get to their goal of tournament or bust, they're in the same spot as last year but with three freshman. you're right...that sucks.
The danger comes next year. If DeVries doesn't knock it out of the park in the portal, IU will lose one or more of their quality 4 players they actually have, and if that happens, they will have become Northwestern. One year away.
Northwestern was mid pack and they just lost all their good returnees to the portal. This garbage has to be stopped, but until it is, only the rich will get richer, and everyone else will lose all their good players in the off season.
So yeah, DeVries is in deep if he doesn't recruit very well, land a major portal overhaul, and make major gains next season.
(and might as well sign Tre Singleton if he's gonna leave Collins' team. Heck of good passer for a 6'8" guy. He was excellent for Sherron Wilkerson's championship Jeffersonville squad)
I think DD probably would have done fine pre NIL where you could simply recruit and build teams over four years. But with those days sadly over now it is going to be an uphill battle for him imo. From what I saw at least last year he does not seem like the type of coach who is going to have success by building teams from the portal.
My hopes are pinned on Coach now having a GM to help build his team for him.
Because last year Coach did not seem ready to pull up stakes and hit the ground running, but also my concerns on which players he got.
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