Coach Boeheim On Dan Patrick Talks NCAA Expansion And I Give My Solution

Jim Boeheim argues for NCAA Tournament expansion - Dan Patrick.com

While listening to the above clip, I was left wondering if Coach Boeheim is right or I bleed Orange so much that I would agree to jump off the Carrier Dome if he shouted "Jump". Suddenly I had an epiphany that could revolutionize the sport...well not really but it would be a possible solution that utilizes something that is already in place and just make it more relevant.

Every year, the NCAA takes 65 teams and places them into the tournament. Some get the bid because they won their conference tournament and some get it because they proved to be among the best during the season. I do think often times, good qualified teams are left out so there has to be some way to address that issue at least (as Syracuse fans will remember well having quality teams making the NIT because their bubble was burst).

My solution is to use the NIT as a pre-NCAA tournament qualifier using any conference tournament winners who would not have otherwise qualified and at large teams that were on the bubble. Not just big conference teams either as you now can select that team who went 26-1 all season but is in a smaller conference and lost a close game in their conference tournament(or with more seeds open now, you can place them in the big dance). The winner of the NIT then becomes eligible for a seed in the NCAAs. This also allows the NCAA to be the best teams who earned it during the season and you can now use those automatic seeds to put in those quality teams. This also adds significance to the NIT and proves to be the expansion coaches like Coach Boeheim seem to support. Most people do not watch the NIT now unless their team is in it or it is on when nothing else is on so this fixes two problems in one. And the NIT already has an agreement in place with MSG for their finals so you have a big stage for that as well.

What do you think? Is 65 enough or is Coach Boeheim right and we need 96 teams?