The NCAA Tournament field of 68 is not expected to have "any more big changes anytime soon," as the governing body has "no interest in messing with it," according to John Marshall of AP. Michigan State AD and NCAA Tournament Selection Committee Chair Mark Hollis said, "Because of the intricacies of the NCAA Tournament, I would challenge that's something you wouldn't want to touch. We live in a society where we want to change, improve everything, but the core of it is pretty good." NCAA VP/Men's Basketball Championships Dan Gavitt said, "Is it (expansion) possible in the future? Sure, anything's possible, but I don't see that in the short term. The core of it and the thing that makes it so incredibly popular is what's protected by this committee, so by and large the traditions that make March Madness the way it is will stay." Marshall noted the NCAA has "discussed moving the First Four from Dayton, Ohio, or at least expanding it to two sites, but has had a hard time justifying it." Since becoming the First Four site in '11, Dayton has "been a perfect host." The teams are "selected on Sunday and the games are Tuesday night, but the city is always ready and the games usually sell out despite the short turnaround." Meanwhile, the NCAA is "looking at changes to the regional rounds of the NCAA Tournament," which "often don't get the hype of the tournament's first and third weekends." To enhance the regionals, the NCAA is "looking at making those games more of a stand-alone event like the Final Four by adding concerts and fan experiences to go along with the games" (AP, 12/12).
PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE: The AP's Marshals noted the NCAA Tournament "followed a massive jump in ratings with a big tumble last season after switching the title game to cable TV," as it aired on TBS. But the NCAA wants to "give it time." Hollis: "You have to look at it over periods of time, not in one-year blips. We're in extremely good position as far as interest." The Final Four was on TBS last season, "marking the first time it aired on cable TV." Ratings for the entire tournament were "down across CBS and the three Turner networks --TBS, Turner and truTV -- and the title game drew a record-low rating," dropping 37% from '15. Turner and CBS "signed an eight-year extension shortly after last year's Final Four, a deal that will carry the partnership" through '32 (AP, 12/12).
