I love March Madness. There’s nothing like watching teams from small conferences battle it out for the opportunity to earn a spot on the big stage.
However, I’m not suggesting that the process is perfect. Every year, it seems there’s a No. 1 seed that gets upset in the conference tournament and misses out on a chance to play in the Big Dance.
It could happen again this spring. We’ve already seen a couple of upsets in the first weekend of tournament play with Wichita State and Murray State losing on Saturday. While the Shockers will likely capture an at-large bid, the Racers will miss the field entirely despite finishing the regular season with a perfect 16-0 record in conference play.
Should Murray State stay home? That depends on who you ask. Some experts will say that if the Selection Committee really wants to pick the best 68 teams for the tournament that it needs to include as many teams from the major conferences as possible, even if it means including Texas and Oklahoma State, which each finished below .500 in league play. Others will assert that the committee needs to reward excellence – such as winning a league title with a perfect record – rather than mediocrity (double-digit losses and inconsistency).
Who’s right? Let’s be honest: there’s no way to know actually know whether the power conference team should get the nod over the “mid-major” (or vice-versa) every time unless the teams actually decide the issue on the floor. That’s the only way to leave no doubt that Team A belonged in the Big Dance over Team B.
So, to prevent the type of tragedy that will likely occur for Murray State on Selection Sunday, here’s what I propose:
- Keep the existing conference tournaments they way that they are. Whoever cuts down the nets, earns a spot in the field.
- After the field of 68 is selected, the NCAA creates an additional spot for any league champion which finished the regular season undefeated but didn’t make the cut. Those teams will play the lowest-ranked at-large teams from a power conference in the first round.
This plan creates a “win-win” situation for everyone. For the “mid-majors,” it rewards excellence with a tournament berth without taking away a spot from one of the big boys. Similarly, it does not punish the power conference teams for suffering a few more losses against top-quality competition.
More importantly, these newly created matchups will finally end the dispute about which team deserved to be there. The result on the scoreboard would end the debate.
Imagine that: a postseason where the participants – not a selection committee – determine the field!
Murray State would certainly like to see that happen.
