KALAMAZOO, Mich.- Yes, it’s that time of year again when the snow begins to melt and the flowers begin to bloom and the weather starts to ripen into something that brings a smile to all us Michiganders who appreciate the coming of spring.

With the beautiful temperature increase we also get to celebrate St. Patty’s Day with the best sporting event the year has to offer. Before we get into my picks for the bracket that will come on Monday.

I would like to speak my mind on the expanding the perfect tournament to 96 teams and why this is a lackluster idea. First off it waters down the talent and overall game play of the tournament by allowing any team with a decent record into the tourney.

Did you see some of the bowl games in college football this year. . . need I say more?

Instead of allowing almost anyone in wouldn’t it be better to make it more exclusive as is and just leave a few out in the cold. That is why the NCAA has the NIT to celebrate the success of teams who had solid years but just didn’t quite play well enough to go dancing.

Since 1980 only 3 teams had a team that made it to the finals of the NIT tournament.

Bradley -1982 won the NIT and runner ups Wyoming -1986 and Lasalle-1987. All those bubble teams that went to the NIT lost to power conference opponents who are much weaker then the teams in the actual dance.

I understand that some mid-major teams usually five or six each year get their bubble busted by the committee due to poor RPI ratings, strength of schedule, and quality wins or important road wins.

It’s not an exact science nor should it be that is what is so special about the tournament if you cannot win your own conference tournament or beat a big dog school on their home floor then I think the tournament for you is the NIT unless you are one of the 6-8 at large bids for non-power conference teams.

I understand it’s not fair that these mid-major programs never get large schools to travel to their gyms to play home games but that is a part of being the underdog.

Every year the mid major powerhouses of Butler and Northern Iowa’s and Gonzaga’s win their conference tournament taking away automatic bids from other mid-major schools when they would all make at large bids no matter what happened in their conference tourney.

Saint Mary’s this year proved something and that is the answer to making the tournament prove something at the end of the year by beating a worthy opponent. If you expand the field you eliminate the excitement and importance of so many games throughout the year as well as watering down the excitement and game play of the NCAA tournament by adding teams of mediocrity to the field.

The feeling of accomplishment for teams that make the tourney would decrease drastically because it’s no longer a private party it’s a commercial gathering with anyone with a Facebook invite is allowed in.

It should be a special invite to go dancing in March not like making a bowl game that happens for any team that did anything during the year. I will fill out my picks starting with the sweet sixteen and moving forward once the bracket has been posted.

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