Add More Teams? That's Madness

Every year, Selection Sunday officially kicks off the beginning of March Madness. Usually, the three-day lull between the release of the almighty brackets and the actual beginning of games is marked by complaining, whether it's Memphis not getting a No. 1 seed -- which is going to end up being the best thing that ever happened to the Tigers, by the way -- the Big Ten or Pac-10 being allegedly overrated, or the dwindling of mid-major entrants. It's always something.

Still, we can put up with that. Debate and discussion are good things. There is one suggestion, however, that is so absurd I'm almost embarrassed to dignify it: Some people, including several predominant commentators, want to expand the tourney field to 128.

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Usually this talk stems from a team who all of a sudden becomes America's sweetheart. This year, it's St. Mary's. People who can't name more than one player (Patrick Mills) on the Gaels have anointed themselves Gaels' apologists on talk-radio shows and internet message boards. We hear cries about what is fair, and what conferences have been given too many teams. Their best player was injured, after all (I don't know if you heard, because it hasn't been mentioned much). Please understand, their fans have every right to complain; I have no bone to pick with their real fans. I've just never heard so many "St. Mary's fans" across the country. They have assembled a Dallas Cowboys-sized following in just one weekend.

Honestly, much of it is valid. St. Mary's had a better resume than Arizona, and I agree it should be in the tournament. On the other hand, the Gaels were not a lock to make it. So the next logical step is for people like Bob Knight to proclaim the tournament should include 128 teams.

Why stop there, Bob? What if Portland State (RPI 113!) got screwed out of the field of 128? Oh, I know ... it's time to expand to 256 teams. I mean, we're all about socialism, right? If every team doesn't get a chance to play, it's just not fair. They've really got to find a way to include all 343 Division 1 teams in the tournament. That's the only way we can ensure a fair shake. Otherwise someone gets "screwed," and we can't have that. This is a life and death matter, you know. We can't squeeze out a potential 11-seed.

How laughable, only it's not funny. Teams have the chance to play themselves into the tournament. It's called the regular season. You want to make the NCAA Tournament? Be better. Control what you can control. You can't control the selection committee, so take care of your own business. Don't lose to UTEP at a neutral site, as St. Mary's did in November.


You also have the conference tournament. Don't get blown out by 25 points on national TV in the finals. Be more than a one-man team. Oh, I know they aren't, but the way everyone is painting the picture, you'd have thought they were helpless without the services of Mills. On Feb. 7, in fact, they were. They lost by 18 to a team ranked almost 200 in the RPI. If they aren't a one-man team, they've got to play better in that game. Again, be better if you want to dance by controlling what you can control.

The part St. Mary's couldn't control was the injury to Mills. If we're going to give them a free pass for those losses without him, though, that's a really slippery slope. Are you going to go through and check out every team in America who had injury woes and adjust their value? Injuries are part of the game. Sure, it's not fair, but life ain't fair. The Gaels suffered a huge setback when their star player got hurt. It happens. From a personal standpoint, I do feel sorry for the players on the team -- it really sucks how things transpired over the past month and a half. Then again, things that suck happen in life from time to time. When it happens, you are allowed to complain, but eventually you have to turn the page.

Expanding the tournament field to 128 teams is not the way to reconcile with a team who suffered an unfortunate circumstance. It would be a way to further deteriorate the meaning of each regular-season game.

Worst of all, it would change March Madness, the greatest event in sports.

You know what you do with something that's not broken, right?