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November madness? It's even dumber than it sounds

Sporting News, The, Oct 7, 2005 by Mike DeCourcy

It's hard to imagine anyone doing more good work in basketball than C.M. Newton. He was a terrific coach at Vanderbilt and Alabama. He helped integrate Southern collegiate athletics by recruiting the first African American players to both Transylvania College and Alabama. He was president of USA Basketball during the conception of the one and only Dream Team in 1992. As Kentucky athletic director, he hired two coaches who delivered NCAA championships: Rick Pitino and Tubby Smith.

But even a gentleman of Newton's stature is capable of one or two really horrible ideas.

OK, two.

1. Hal Mumme.

2. An expanded Preseason NIT.

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According to the Lexington Herald-Leader, Newton recently met with NCAA officials as part of a panel examining how the organization should manage the NIT events acquired as part of a $56.5 million lawsuit settlement.

Newton proposed expanding the preseason tournament from its current 16 teams to a 64-team extravaganza that, he says, would provide a definitive starting point for the season.

How about, instead, we provide a definitive ending point for this cockamamie idea. Right here. Right now.

It would harm other events. As currently structured, early-season tournaments have been good for college basketball. Look at the quality of teams involved in this season's major events. Duke headlines the Preseason NIT; UCLA and Memphis are foremost among the competition. Texas will get the chance to fight off Kentucky and Iowa in the Guardians Classic. And heavyweights Michigan State and Connecticut highlight a loaded Maui Invitational.

We don't need one answer at the start of the season. That's what the end of the season is for. Having three or four big November winners to follow through the year works just fine.

Scheduling would be damaged, Let's say a team clears three weeks on the schedule to compete in the larger Preseason NIT. But then that team loses its first game. Then what? Does the team wait two and a half weeks to play again? That makes no sense.

The best teams would wear down. Let's say somebody really good agrees to play in this event. No telling why such a team would be so foolish, but we're being hypothetical here. So this team plays six games to win the Preseason NIT, then 26 other regular-season games, then three games to win a conference tournament, then five more to reach the NCAA championship game. That's 40 games.

Think that team will have the energy to play game No. 41--the one that should matter most?

Teams might feel forced to participate. Oh, I could think of one reason a championship-level team would agree to play in this event: Fear. Because the NCAA now runs the Preseason NIT and the NCAA Tournament, the possibility exists that teams might be averse to rejecting the former to protect their status in the latter.

Does the NCAA really need to place itself in this position, where it can be viewed as a potential extortionist?

Do what we say or we'll either break your thumbs or stick you in the postseason NIT.

Of course, the NCAA wouldn't do something so nefarious. Just as it wouldn't be dim enough to embrace Newton's law. Right?

speed read

Here's one great idea that has been mentioned on how the NCAA can make the postseason NIT better: Issue an automatic NIT berth to any regular-season conference champion that fails to reach the NCAA Tournament. There would be plenty of room for teams such as Monmouth and Portland State, which won their conferences--but not their conference tournaments--last season.

INSIDE DISH

With the accelerated recruiting process leading to so many early commitments, even new coaches hired during the spring find recruiting their first classes challenging. Virginia, which hired Dave Leitao in April, has three openings and several interested prospects but still is looking for commitments. Among the key targets: New York SF Jonathan Mitchell, Georgia SG Solomon Tat, Dallas G Kelvin Lewis and Indiana PF Jamil Tucker. * Freshman PF Adrian Thomas could find his way into Miami's starting lineup. He has a similar playing style to that of Roger Powell, who helped Illinois to last season's Final Four. Adding Thomas would give the Hurricanes the flexibility to bring C Gary Hamilton off the bench. The Miami backcourt rotation is deep and potent, but frontcourt depth is a concern. * Talk of the Mid-American Conference inviting Western Kentucky to become a member appears to have cooled. The MAC lost Marshall to Conference USA after the 2004-05 season. * ESPN's decision to expand the Bracket Buster event to 100 teams is being misinterpreted as watering it down. It's the exact opposite. Leaving that many teams with schedule openings on Saturday, February 18, provides the chance to match the best teams. It's possible some games will be played on the previous Friday or subsequent Sunday, making it a Bracket Buster Weekend. One problem that might crop up: Many of the teams that appear most promising right now (Ohio, Northern Iowa, Creighton, Old Dominion) are designated as home teams. It might be tough to find appealing opponents for them.

November madness? It's even dumber than it sounds

Sporting News, The, Oct 7, 2005 by Mike DeCourcy

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