Expand The Big Dance ??? To What, "The Mediocre Mambo" ???

Every year in recent memory we hear of certain individuals who theorize that it is time to expand the Field of 64 to either 96 or 128 teams ...

Unfortunate as it is, the media gives this proposition plenty of discussion time where everyone get to deposit their two cents into the bank of public opinion ...  

This year, though, offer the best example in years why the idea of expansion is a TERRIBLE idea !!!

1.   This year we have an inordinate number of traditionally power programmes who are not automatic seeds into The Big Dance ...  UCONN, who is 7-11 in conference, and UNC, who is 5-11 in conference both come to mind without much thought ...

2.   This year, the "Bubble" is wider than it is taller ... there are programmes who are .500 or close to that who are considered eligible for consideration based on their conference tournament performance ...

3.   The "Bubble" gets even wider with contentions that programmes with less than a #64 RPI or Strength-of-Schedule belong in the Dance ... simply because they win their conference tournament against a team who already qualifies for the Big Dance ... the best example is St. Mary's - 43 RPI but a 131 SOS !!!

Yes, this is a less than stellar year with teams who have had their SOS raised by being in a good conference ... proving that " ... a rising tide raises all boats ..." but it also proves that a programme like Kentucky - RPI of 3 but a SOS of 38 really only deserved their one and only #1 rating by default !!!

A wider "Bubble" this year will more-than-likely provide a greatly competitive tournament, but it could also provide some ridiculous upsets by programmes who in past years would not have been @ the Big Dance ...

So, how could anyone in their right mind want to include programmes which, in a year like this, would quite conceivably be .500 or less ???  

Does NCAA Basketball want to make the Big Dance the "Mediocre Mambo" to go with their already watered down Bowl Game scheme ???

The NCAA College Basketball Championship is the greatest single annual event in sports ... why mess with perfection ???