The NCAA men’s basketball tournament has long been considered one of the most unique sporting events in the US, although talks continue to arise about a possible expansion of its field.
NCAA President Charlie Baker told KeynoteUSA in February that he believes there is an opportunity to expand the NCAA Tournament beyond its current 68-team format “if done carefully.” Baker added that the NCAA basketball committee has discussed the idea since last summer.
Add in the fact that Baker and the NCAA reportedly agreed to a multimillion-dollar settlement to resolve three antitrust cases, and March Madness could look very different in the near future. As part of the agreement, the NCAA will allow schools to pay their student-athletes directly under a new revenue-sharing model that will reportedly begin in 2025. The revenue-sharing model could create an even greater divide between power conferences and football non-conferences like the West Coast Conference.
Mark Few, who has been to the NCAA Tournament every season since 1999 as head coach of the Gonzaga Bulldogs, described the first two weeks of the postseason as “the biggest sporting event there is.” As such, he was not ready to put his seal of approval on the expansion for fear that it would diminish the value of the regular season.
“You don’t want to diminish the regular season,” Few said on Gonzaga Nation. “I understand what some of the thought processes are. There is great parity occurring. It is increasingly difficult to choose the 68 (teams). But at the same time, when you look at the drill, well, here’s who would have come in if we had gotten to 96, it would just make the regular season not as important and probably not be very visible a lot of times.”
Few, who is 43-24 in the NCAA Tournament and coming off his ninth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance, has expressed great appreciation for the NCAA Tournament and its uniqueness throughout Gonzaga’s postseason successes. . Perhaps this year even more than ever given the position the Zags were in at the beginning of the 2023-24 season.
“It’s a huge blessing to be in (the NCAA Tournament),” Few said on Selection Sunday after Gonzaga earned a fifth seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. “Everyone has a tendency to take it for granted.” . People tell me, ‘I can’t wait for March Madness’; They tell me in July. I just say, ‘No, you have to earn your way to it, you don’t just walk in.’ Obviously, there were times this year where it didn’t feel like it was going to happen, so…hopefully, that was a good way to level us back out and get us ready to really appreciate moments like this and participate in the best sport. event that I believe there is.”
As discussions about expansion or a new format are likely to continue into the future, few will continue to listen to the other side of the argument.
“I’m very determined to listen to the expansion team and have an open mind,” Few said. “But I’m very reluctant to get fully involved.”
Few shared their thoughts on the future of the NCAA Tournament, what it’s like to watch former Zags play in the NBA Playoffs and much more in a new episode of Gonzaga Nation.
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Produced by Thomas Gallagher.
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