Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

http://www.salon.com/news/college_basketball/index.html?story=/news/feature/2010/04/03/ncaa_tournament_96_expansion_ruins_it

Was reading this on salon (yeah, I know, not really a sports-centric site), and it piqued
my interest. I don't follow sports, so just keep that in mind.

More teams means lower quality basketball in the early rounds. It won't kill the tournament, but it won't add anything either.

I think it's a fine thing, given that it's more wagering opportunities for Vegas, and more playing experience for the soon-to-be pros.

In short:

More games, more $ for the sport, less quality overall, better chance of upset, more incentive to be the best, harder to pick brackets, notoriety for smaller/mediocre programs that do well, ect.

In short, they did it for the money at the expense of what purists and traditionalists saw about the game when it started becoming popular.

No team capable of winning the national championship is currently being left out at 64. There's no reason to do it other than a shameless money grab.

Jay Bilas said it best...it's still going to be good, just not as great as it currently is.