NCAA Tourney Unfair?

I don't remember what number seeds played for the championship last year. I don’t remember who played or who won. But I do save lots of stuff and probably have my bracket from last year around here somewhere. Good Sports Illustrated article about the decline of the UNC athletics program. The author, an UNC grad, pretty much points to the building of the Dean Dome as the beginning of the end.

There are no perfectly fair tournament systems, especially when the greedy people in charge expand the tournament by only a few teams. Would’ve been more fair to add another 64 teams, but that would’ve killed the NIT and the TV Networks with that contract would’ve have that. Plus a round of 128 would add a week to the tourney. Play couldn’t start on the Monday after the conference tourneys end, and there would have to be another short break after the round of 128. This would cause more weekday games and fewer weekend games. And it’s hard enough to televise the 16 current first round games on Thursday and Friday. A round of 128 would need 64 first round games. Even if these could be televised, who’d want to watch them? Plus a 128 team tournament would completely negate the meaning of both the regular season and conference tournaments.

  

REID: Can you please explain to me the fairness of a number 11 seed having to win 7 games to win the championship, and a 16th seed only having to win 6 games ???  I don't have the teams right off, but a 7 seed played a 8 seed. Still didn't explain how it is fair for a 16 seed to only have to play 6 games instead of a 11 seed having to play 7. I'm not for adding more teams, just make it fair for the 68 teams that are in there. I watched the Pitt/GW game followed by the Ala/Ill game. Ill was the lower seed however had to play at Ala. Ala (coachless) beat Ill by almost 30. It was pitiful.

44 years ago today, E and I had tickets to the NCAA Regionals played in Athens, GA. The four teams were Kentucky, Marquette, Western Kentucky, and Ohio State.  I'll never forget the ovation Adolph Rupp received from the crowd when he entered the arena. Must have lasted 5 min.

A rare picture of Anna's almost clean room.

TUESDAY: Picked up M on the way home again yesterday. Then C and M went to the grocery so I ate hot dogs. 

Watched a good “A Football Life” show on the NFL Network about Mean Joe Greene. He is still in touch with the kid from the famous Coke commercial. The kid (now a young man) still has the jersey. When Coke started looking for a Steeler for the commercial the producer wasn’t a football fan, but wanted the biggest toughest player on the team. When she heard the name Mean Joe Greene she knew he was the one. To get the commercial just right Mean Joe had to drink 18 bottles of Coke. 

Mean Joe Greene has a better name than the former USFL football player who changed his name to “He Hate Me.” I wanted to watch the next football show about the Immaculate Reception, but Ceil had to watch her HGTV show. I was tired and went to bed after taking Anna’s Jeep for a fill-up.