Some would say there's a formula to the lunacy. Millions watch CBS Selection Sunday. ..... follow that with hours of "Bracketology" where the "analysts" dissect each game.....and then it's time for making an "educated" guess for an individual bracket which gets dropped into a contest, company "pool" or family challenge. If anything has been proven over the years, it's that there is NO recipe for success. Some entrants choose the winners by mascots, some flip a coin, others fall in love with school colors or there is the method of going strictly by the higer seeded team and God knows what else. No matter the philosophy used, each thinks their bracket is the winner. Is that delusional or what?
For the NCAA, there is a method for this madness. The basketball tournament funds up to 96 percent of their annual budget. It has become a cultural, financial success that has generated huge televison ratings. This year offered something new for the viewer. "All the games all the time" was a ratings success the first weekend of March Madness. Instead of just some of the games on CBS, every NCAA tournament game -- First Four, second and third rounds -- was on CBS, TBS, TNT or TRU-TV. The games have averaged 8.4 million viewers, a 14% increase over last year.
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However, there has always been an element of controversy that has followed the tournament. The selection of teams has left some schools feeling cheated. Eleven Big East teams comprised the new format of 68 teams in 2011. After the first weekend, only UCONN and Marquette remained. The Golden Eagles were the last team selected by the committee after compiling a 9-9 conference mark. Oklahoma State, New Mexico and Alabama are a few of the good teams that were left out.
Former Indiana and Texas Tech head coach, Bobby Knight suggested in 2008 that the field be expanded to 128. He raised those same concerns again this season. For now, the remarks have fallen on deaf ears. Still it makes little sense for teams to play in the National Invitational Tournament or the CollegeInsider.com Tourney. Case in point...if you saw the size of the crowd at the Missouri State-Miami NIT game on Monday evening you'd have a hard time convincing me otherwise. 1,623 people showed up. Missouri State lost 81-72 and finished 26-9. The Bears, who were 15-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference this year....deserved better.
The madness is also prevalent in the coaching carousel as teams seasons come to an end. Wins and losses were the most important factor in a coaches dismissal years ago, but that is no longer the case. Tennessee might be the best example of this insanity. Volunteer Athletic Director Mike Hamilton stood behind coach Bruce Pearl for months amid violations of lying to an NCAA committee. "Bruce will be our coach at Tennessee for now and years to come" he said. Yet, his tune changed. It raises the question as to whether Hamilton feared losing his job and to appease his bosses, he gave in. But not only did he give in, he caved!! Two days before the Volunteers opener versus Michigan, he said Pearl would be evaluated at the end of the year. With Pearl's job now clearly in jeopardy, Tennessee displayed little energy in a 30 point blowout loss to a young Wolverine squad. The torpedo Hamilton launched at the Volunteer Nation hit with a resounding thud. To add fuel to a fire, Hamilton then dismissed Pearl this past Monday on the morning of the Tennessee Women's First Round game against Marquette. Volunteer fans were livid. Critics are now questioning why Hamilton couldn't have waited one more day to fire Pearl so as to not detract from the Women's game. Clearly his lack of leadership in the Athletics Department with basketball and with the recent Lane Kiffin era in football has amped the chatter on sports talk shows and in the sports pages in Knoxville. Clearly, Hamilton's dismissal could be forthcoming.
Already there are a number of coaches who have turned in their whistle this spring. Some are household names and others are retreads. Still the list has some names you will probably recognize: Pat Knight, Keno Davis, Paul Hewitt, Jim Les, Jim Boylen, Jeff Capel, Ricardo Patton, Pat Kennedy, John Pelphrey, Sidney Lowe and Heath Schroyer. And then there are the "hot" seat coaches.... Jeff Bzdelik from Wake Forest, Herb Sendek of Arizona State, Trent Johnson of LSU, Mark Phelps at Drake, Tim Jankovich at Illinois State and Darrin Horn at South Carolina.
One big name coach is on the move. Mike Anderson accepted the coaching reins at Arkansas on Wednesday. Who replaces him at Missouri? How about Tubby Smith from Minnesota. And who is brave enough to take the Tennessee job knowing NCAA penalties are in store? There are also hires that raise eyebrows. Texas Tech named Billy Gillespie as their head man. Two previous stints in the state of Texas at Texas A & M and UTEP were successful, so maybe this is a good fit. A short two-year run as the Kentucky Wildcat coach proved Gillespie was not good under the microscope. After his dismissal from Kentucky, Gillespie was charged with his third alcohol offense. As a result of that, many programs avoided the "name" Gillespie. It's taken him two years to resurface. Clearly, one man's trash is another man's treasure.
Why has college coaching become so competitive? Well, because it's nice work if you can get it. At least 25 of the 347 Division I college basketball coaches now strolling the sidelines earn $1 million or more annually, not including potential bonuses. Heading that list is John Calipari of Kentucky who makes $4 million a year. Following Calipari on the pay list are Florida's Billy Donovan (a two-time national title winner), $3.3 million a year; Kansas's Bill Self (a national title in 2008), $3 million a year; and Ohio State's Thad Matta (national runner-up in 2007 and owner of a .749 career winning percentage), $2.5 million a year. University of Louisville's Rick Pitino, one of the most storied names in the game thanks to his run at the University of Kentucky and in the NBA, pulls down $2.25 million a year. The average salary of a head basketball coach is $800,000. Hmmmmmm, that's crazy........
I'm sure none of us will receive anywhere near those kinds of "payoff" in hoisting a winning NCAA bracket this year. Still, there is some great satisfaction awaiting the TOP DOG. The foolishness is in knowing that however exhilarating the moment is on April 4th, there will be a need to defend the crown you been entrusted with in 2012. And that, is what you call Madness any way you look at it!!
Thanks for Reading,
John
P.S. If your bracket got "blown up" last weekend, don't feel bad. Mine did too!!! Now just sit back and watch and enjoy the games.
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