NCAA to expand March Madness to 68 teams

[smupony94]

NCAA to expand March Madness to 68 teams
CBS, Turner Broadcasting to share rights under 14-year deal


CBS and Turner Broadcasting will share NCAA Tournament broadcasts on four networks beginning next season under a 14-year, $10.8 billion agreement announced today that also will expand the Tournament field from 65 to 68 teams.

Beginning next year, first- and second-round games will air on CBS over-the-air stations, including KHOU (Channel 11), plus Turner Broadcasting’s TBS, TNT and truTV.

The men’s tournament last expanded in 2001, adding one team to the 64-team field that was set in 1985, and talk of tweaking March Madness again had generated a lot of criticism from fans and bracket-fillers worried about watering down the competition.

The NCAA studied expanding the tournament to 68, 80 or even 96 teams, with the latter option likely enveloping the 32-team NIT. But the NCAA said that the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee unanimously passed the 68-team proposal and it will be reviewed by the Board of Directors on April 29.

CBS and the Turner networks will split coverage of the regional semifinals, and CBS will continue to air the regional finals and the Final Four through 2015. CBS and TBS will alternate the Final Four beginning in 2016.

Turner Broadcasting also will develop the March Madness on Demand online video player, which will continue to be available from CBSSports.com and NCAA.org in addition to Turner- and Time-Warner-owned online platforms.

The agreement increases the average payment to $771 million from the current $710 million paid by CBS, an 8.5 percent increase.

[RGV Pony]

unsubstantiated reports suggest SMU won't be one of the 68

[CalallenStang]

Woohoo, we're three spots closer to a first round loss.

[Pony_Fan]

good news, 96 would have ruined it

[DiamondM75]

Can someone explain how this will work? After the first game, there will be 34 teams, but after the second games, there will be 17 teams. What do you do with the odd team?

[mustangnation]

I think basically there will be 4 "play in" games instead of the one. I would imagine that the 3 extra teams that they added will all be 16 seeds that get killed a few days later against the #1 seed. Not really a change at all to the current format

[EastStang]

That's right - one play-in game per region with the winner getting to face the 1 seed in each region. It means three more Ark. PB vs. Winthrop type games. And three more boerderline ACC/BE/ Big XII/SEC teams being added to the tournament. Not may CAA teams or CUSA teams will get a nod.

[RGV Pony]

so that means this year we would have seen Va Tech, Miss St and maybe Memphis or UAB get in. I wonder who wouldve been bounced down to one of those marginal team v marginal team game, the winner of which is served up to a #1 seed? Definitely not Va Tech, Miss St or the other. Cornell? Houston?

[PonyDoh]

We're a lock

[RGV Pony]

We're a lock

hear from Loyd did ya?

[PonyDoh]

We're a lock

hear from Loyd did ya?

Loyd has us chasing our tail. Almost to the point of taking a kid, I'm not sure I'd personally take

[The PonyGrad]

so that means this year we would have seen Va Tech, Miss St and maybe Memphis or UAB get in. I wonder who wouldve been bounced down to one of those marginal team v marginal team game, the winner of which is served up to a #1 seed? Definitely not Va Tech, Miss St or the other. Cornell? Houston?

Generally it would be the winner of a conference/conference tournament that would otherwise not make the top 64.