March Madness Bracket 2011: The Biggest Problems With the NCAA Tournament

For all those people who write 10 brackets in seven different NCAA tournament pools, then today was a holiday with the unveiling of the 2011 bracket that saw Duke, Pittsburgh, Ohio State and Kansas nab the top seeds. 

The days before a tournament always have the same type of water cooler talk.

—The person who always has that great 13-4 upset no one is talking about.

—The person who knows about that one five seed that is going to make it to the Final Four.

—The person who cannot fathom why a team was left out of the tournament.

If you've ever taken part in a pool, you know what I am talking about.  Personally, I often hate hearing from the person that swears that Team A got hosed while Team B got into the tournament.

However, after seeing tonight's bracket come out, no one can argue there were some serious problems in the selection process, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. From the expanded bracket, to the times the first games are played, the 2011 tournament will undoubtedly be one of the more wide-open ones, yet it is one of the more disorganized in history.

Here are just some of the issues that the NCAA committee is facing.

1: The 2 At-Large Play-in Games

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LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 07: Steven Gray #41 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs brings the ball up the court against the Saint Mary's Gaels during the championship game of the Zappos.com West Coast Conference Basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena March 7, 2011 i

When I found out that the NCAA was expanding to 68 teams, I was overjoyed.  I have long been a proponent to expand the field to 68 teams, as it would allow three more at-large teams while letting the awkward single play-in game become a little more uniform.

That was, until I learned just how they were going to have the play-in games.

When the announcement came out, I assumed the eight worst teams in the tournament would play for the "right" to get trounced by a No. 1 seed.

It would eliminate four poor teams immediately and could lead to some interesting matchups by having a power conference at-large bid be seeded 13th or 14th, which could give a higher seed a big headache. 

However, in its infinite wisdom, the NCAA decided to have two 16/16 matchups as well as an 11/11 and 12/12. 

This led to a ton of confusion for fans and has only gotten worse since the teams were announced tonight.  It's going to cause a lot of tournament pools to be in disarray, as no one will know the final matchups of these upset special contests until the day before the tournament.

While this may not sound like a big deal, consider the fact that the NCAA tournament is so popular by and large because of these pools.  Causing a disturbance in them can't be a good thing. 

Every Game Covered, but No Live Look-In?

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NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 11: Scoop Jardine #11 of the Syracuse Orange brings the ball up court against the Connecticut Huskies during the semifinals of the 2011 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament presented by American Eagle Outfitters at Madison Square Gard

Just like when the announcement came that the field would expand to 68 teams, I was jubilant when I heard the coverage of the tournament would expand to four channels: CBS, TBS, TNT and Tru TV.  Finally, I could watch a game like Michigan/Tennessee even though I lived in Pennsylvania.

However, that joy was short-lived when the news came that CBS would most likely not continue its live look-in.  If you have watched the tournament, you know what I am talking about.  You're watching Duke beat on a hapless foe, when Greg Gumbel comes into the coverage and transfers viewers to a game that's coming down to the wire. 

It was an ingenuous way to allow viewers to see buzzer beaters even though they might not get the game in their area.  Now, fans will have to keep a close eye themselves on every game, and hope they even get Tru TV by their local provider.

Considering CBS and Ted Turner spent billions to cover the tournament, you'd think they would have the foresight to realize how much people enjoyed the coverage for years.  Now, it appears it's about to bite the dust. 

Wait, What Is the Second Round?

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CLEMSON, SC - JANUARY 13: Trevor Booker #35 of the Clemson Tigers against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Littlejohn Coliseum on January 13, 2010 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Which is the second round this year?  I only learned this one yesterday. If you tell me that it's when there are 32 teams remaining, you would be wrong.

The fact is, the people who fill out brackets are by and large filled with people who are casual fans, and don't live and die college basketball.  People generally assume the second round is the final 32.  However, in a totally foolish move, the four play-in games are now being associated with the first round, and the second round is the 64-team field.

Again, this may not sound like a big deal, but why the NCAA would want to fool around with the brackets is beyond me. 

The Tournament Seeding

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ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 12: Head coach Billy Donovan talks to Kenny Boynton #1 and Erving Walker #11 of the Florida Gators during their 77 to 66 win over the Vanderbilt Commodores the semifinals of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Georgia Dome on March

When Ohio State put Penn State out of its misery yesterday, I geared up to see the new bracket come out.  Now with a 68-team field, I was curious as to who'd be in the play-in games and who would eventually get the top seeds.  What I ended up seeing was shocking, and not just because of the last bubble teams (see slide five).

The Florida Gators as a two seed?  The Gators, a team not even ranked in the top 10 and having just lost the SEC Championship game, is considered one of the eight best teams in the country?  That was bad enough until you realize the Kentucky Wildcats, a team they lost to in the SEC Championship, is a four seed. 

How about Georgia, a team most thought wouldn't make tournament, not only making it but being seeded 10th?  The Alabama Crimson Tide had virtually the same record as Georgia, except they beat the Bulldogs twice, yet the Tide will be going to the NIT.

The fact is, there are other controversial seedings all over the place, but you have to wonder sometimes what the selection committee sees.  The seeding of teams is just part of the problem though. 

Selecting the Bubble Teams

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KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 11: Levi Knutson #24, Marcus Relphorde #5 and Cory Higgins #11 of the Colorado Buffaloes walk on the court during their semifinal game against the Kansas Jayhawks in the 2011 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at Sprin

Before I write this, let me first state that I support small conference teams getting into the tournament.  We have seen in the last few years that teams like George Mason and Butler have proven the little guy can compete with giants. 

However, the choices for the last teams to get in this year were very poor.  Virginia Commonwealth (VCU) got into this tournament as an 11 seed while the University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB) got in as a 12. 

Now it's true both have to compete in these play-in games, but when you realize how unworthy these teams are while others like Colorado were, the selections are maddening.

UAB in particular is perplexing.  The Blazers beat one team in the top-50 RPI all season.  Colorado beat six.   UAB did not win its conference tournament, losing in the quarterfinals.   A team like Virginia Tech got as far in the ACC tournament, and oh by the way, beat Duke during the regular season.

VCU beat no team of consequence except for George Mason.  The Rams finished fourth in the CAA and did not win its tournament.  A team like Alabama had a much better tourney resume.

Again, I have no issue with teams from non-power conferences going to the Big Dance, but if it is at the expense of deserving teams, it is inexcusable.  The fact is, those teams did not deserve to go to the tourney.

Conclusion

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INDIANAPOLIS - APRIL 05: A general view of the Butler Bulldogs playing against the Duke Blue Devils during the 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 5, 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Kev

Other than the NFL playoffs, there be no sport that gets fans as energized as the NCAA tournament, particularly the first week.  This is a tournament where you could make an argument for possibly 15 teams winning, which is going to make tournament pools quite exciting. 

However, there are a lot of issues with the tournament that need to be addressed.  To me, these play-in games have to be for 16 seeds only.  Allow the more competitive teams to have a shot to win while the smaller conference schools that feel glad to just be there can essentially stay out of the way.

The fact that fans may be losing the live look-in feature is a problem.  It's how fans get to see the buzzer-beater finishes that makes watching this tournament great.  Moving forward, CBS and Turner need to have a channel that operates similarly as the NFL RedZone.

The other issue is the NCAA needs to stop messing around with its bracket.  A lot of what the NCAA did this year is going to confused the casual fan.

Lastly, there needs to be an overhaul to the selection committee.  Whatever formula they use that brings in a VCU and UAB and keeps out a Virginia Tech is a formula that doesn't work.  Likewise, it doesn't make sense when Florida is ranked two spots ahead of Kentucky after losing to the Wildcats in the SEC championship.

In the end, I'll be watching the tournament and filling out numerous brackets everywhere.  Hopefully, the NCAA will see these errors, correct them and make the 2012 tournament the best one ever.