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Clemson Basketball

Brownell on 347-team NCAA Tournament proposal: "What better way to reward players?"

September 9, 2020
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On Wednesday, news broke that the ACC was proposing a scenario in which every Division I program made the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

Yes, you read that right. Every. Single. Team. All 347 of them, ranging from the Blue Devils of Duke down to the Leathernecks of Western Illinois.

How exactly would the logistics of such a debacle play out? At this point, that can only be determined by the extent of one’s imagination. But thanks to a movement being driven by Coach Mike Krzyzewski and his Atlantic Coast colleagues, it has a chance, albeit a small one, to become reality.

The idea seems to have gained unanimous support among coaches in the ACC, with Louisville head coach Chris Mack tweeting the following statement Wednesday morning:

“For the last 21 Wednesdays, we as ACC head coaches have been meeting to discuss options for college basketball in 20-21. We are united. The safety of our players is paramount. The ability to incentivize the regular season without mandating a select number of nonconference and conference games provides options and flexibility for all member institutions. As ACC head coaches, we strongly believe it’s in the game’s best interest to have an all-inclusive 2021 NCAA Tournament.”

ACC coaches have been fairly vocal about the desire to do away with non-conference match ups this season in favor of a conference-only schedule. A fair proposition, keeping travel to a minimum and still allowing for the top-level of competition as consistently seen in the ACC.

The idea of an all-inclusive tournament is unheard of in college basketball, as well as throughout all of American sports. The NFL allows just 12 of its 30 teams to participate in the postseason, while the NBA, MLB and NHL allot their franchises 16 playoff spots to compete for. Just four teams battle for the College Football Playoff National Championship every season.

Clemson head coach Brad Brownell also released a statement to Twitter on Wednesday:

“As we embark on the 20-21 season, we know there are many unforeseen challenges ahead. This is a time to think differently. We as ACC head coaches believe an all-inclusive NCAA tournament is a great way to excite, unite and engage the college basketball community. After all these players have been through, what better way to reward them than the opportunity to compete in an unprecedented version of the most exciting event in sports?”

Other ACC head coaches, including Wake Forest’s Steve Forbes and Miami’s Jim Larranaga also tweeted support for the plan.

There’s no question that an all-inclusive tournament would be exciting. “Exciting” would hardly do the ordeal justice. But logistically, is it possible?

If the safety of the players truly is being considered, it’s hard to see how adding 250+ more teams to such an event does anything to aid that. Despite how intriguing the all-inclusive NCAA tournament sounds, it seems to only complicate the process of keeping the student-athletes well-being at the top of the priority order.

On the other hand, Brownell does raise a respectable point about what the players have been through. So many teams and players were denied an opportunity to compete in “the most exciting event in sports” last season.

There will always be the perennial college basketball powerhouses (Think Duke, UNC, Kentucky, etc.) that consider making the tournament a formality. But for some mid-major schools, last year may have been their one shot.

For many teams, the 2020 tournament could have been their best opportunity to get into and make a solid run in the tournament. Graduating seniors and certain players declaring for the draft make this a considerable possibility. Giving those programs another chance seems not only fair, but serves as a great look for NCAA basketball as a whole.

As of now, the college basketball season feels to be light-years away. But when it finally arrives and progresses to tourney-time, perhaps this season will provide fans with the most beautifully chaotic sporting event the world has ever seen.

Long gone could be the days of filling out 68-team brackets. That was apparently far too easy.

So get your favorite pens ready, college basketball fans. Go ahead and call out of work for a day or two. You’ll need as much time as you can get. These 347-team brackets aren’t going to fill out themselves.

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Brownell on 347-team NCAA Tournament proposal: "What better way to reward players?"

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