There has been plenty of discussion as of late about expanding the field of 68 even further for the NCAA tournament. Recently Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga stated he was in favor of expanding the field to 96 teams. However, Dan Hurley has a different opinion on the matter.
“For me, I think it’s great the way it is,” Hurley said on Sunday. “I feel like devaluing the regular season, I think, potentially hurts the regular season and what it means. I think the pressure to have to win games and being rewarded for winning big nonconference games and then taking care of enough business in the league … I think it’s a privilege to play in this tournament, not a right.”
Hurley doesn’t believe that the selection is perfect but instead of expanding the field, perhaps they should look into how they select certain teams. There are plenty of deserving mid-major programs around the country. Just look at this year’s Final Four field. Florida Atlantic and San Diego State made improbable runs to the final weekend of the tournament. The Aztecs will take on Hurley’s UConn squad for the national championship.
“I do think, though, that there are probably mid-major programs, a lot of times, that are more deserving than like a 10th-place team in a power conference that has figured out how to just game the numbers, so I’ll say that. I see that on Selection Sunday sometimes. And I cringe at that.”
Whether fans agree or not, we could find out if the NCAA committee will expand the field beyond the 68 team format.
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