Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
StumbleUNLV BASKETBALL:
NCAA finalizes format for 68-team hoops tourney starting in 2011
Kruger finds expanded bracket system fair as chances for at-large berths grow
UNLV coach Lon Kruger talks to his players during a first-round NCAA Tournament game against UNI at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City on March 18, 2010.
Friday, July 16, 2010 | 2:15 a.m.
Related Content
Many college basketball fans let out a sigh of relief this spring when the NCAA announced that it shunned the idea of a 96-team men's basketball tournament and opted to expand only to 68.
On Monday, the format for the latest edition of the Big Dance was set in stone.
The NCAA announced that, beginning in 2011, the first round of the annual tourney will consist of just four games: Two games between the four lowest-seeded teams in the field, then two games between the final four schools awarded at-large bids.
"I think it's good," UNLV coach Lon Kruger said. "I'm surprised a little bit because the natural thought would be the lowest eight seeds would play their way in.
"I think it's fair to everyone. Again, it's one of those cases where you know what you have going in."
When the Mountain West Conference formed in 1999, the NCAA last expanded the tournament from 64 teams to 65, starting the play of an opening-round game in 2001. That game — played in Dayton, Ohio — took place the Tuesday before the first round began, pitting the two lowest-seeded teams against each other.
"With the new bracket essentially adding four additional at-large teams, the committee determined it was appropriate to have the teams play in the first round," said Dan Guerrero, who serves as chair of the committee for the 2009-10 academic year and also is the athletics director at UCLA. "We believe this format provides an extraordinary opportunity for the championship's first round games to be quality match-ups as March Madness begins."
The addition of four at-large slots could be beneficial for the MWC, which has a fledgling status as a basketball conference.
Last spring, the league earned four bids into the NCAA tournament for the first time in its 11-year history, with three at-large invites extended on top of San Diego State's automatic bid.
In trade for the better odds of landing an at-large spot, though, is the possibility of being one of the last four teams in, leading to an added hurdle in the quest for a deep run in the bracket.
The interesting twist to those two games is that they could be played between two potential 10-seeds or two potential 12-seeds, for instance. Nothing will be set in stone in terms of which seeds those first round games are played by.
The first round in the new format will have all four games broadcast in primetime on truTV, which is a member of the Turner Broadcasting family. It's a part of the new 14-year partnership agreed upon by the NCAA, Turner and CBS Sports.
UNLV's trip to the 2010 NCAA tournament was short-lived, as the Rebels suffered a 69-66 first round loss to Northern Iowa in Oklahoma City, Okla. However, the program hopes to remain a mainstay in the postseason tourney, as the recent berth was its third in the last four years.
Discussion: 8 comments so far…
Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy.
Post a comment
Never can get enough UNLV analysis and chatter? Then this is the stop for you. Join the Sun sports staff in The Rebel Room for your fix.
Rebels down San Diego State in final minute
Follow the Rebels
Widgets
Jerry Tarkanian: Mike Moser impresses yet again on a day to remember former Rebel greats
Email Newsletters
To view/update your newsletter subscriptions and interests, please visit our Preference Center.
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
Cha Ching!!!
Are we ever going to get an update on Tre or a comment from Coach? What happened to our 10 minutes with segments?
I feel it will expand again in the next 5 years unfortunately. Money talks.
Gumby, I was wondering about the 10 minute segment interviews as well.
Coach Kruger and the University have said they will not take any action on Tre'von until his legal status has been settled. Which is fair, innocent until proven guilty. His next court date is August 3rd, where I suspect he will plead not guilty and bring the case to trial. That trial wont be until next year, or possibly longer if he gets a good lawyer.
Which then begs the question: "If this goes to trial and that trial won't occur until the next basketball season is presumably over, does Trevon get to (or deserve to) play?" This is sort of a no win situation for Kruger. If Tre plays, he'll take crap from all sorts of directions about how he is "playing thugs" and "teaching athletes that they are above the law." We all know thats ridiculous, but it will come. If Tre sits, it hurts a team that had realistic Sweet 16 aspirations. It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out.
It's not Tre's or Kruger's problem that the court is going to take so long. There are a lot of "what if's" that can happen, and it would be wrong to punish the kid for something he may or may not have even done until all the evidence comes in to play and the trial is over with a verdict.
Agree with both of you guys. Rock and a hard place on this one. Until some admission of guilt comes from Tre or he is convicted of an offense, Kruger can not kick him off the team. He might get crucified after the season if Tre is found guilty but Coach has to presume he is innocent and let him play at this point.
I think its going to come down to what happens at his next court date. If he pleads Not Guilty and professes his innocence, it would be unfair to punish him at all until he is found guilty by a jury of his peers. If he and his lawyer work out a plea bargain, it would depend on what charge they would go with. I doubt that he would be dismissed if he is convicted of a misdemeanor, but could face a suspension. I support a dismissal completely if convicted of a felony charge. But its all up to Kruger and the AD. There is no way he will just plead guilty, it makes no sense.
If he plays he will definitely get taunted for it, I just hope he doesn't let it get to him mentally too much. There will be plenty of nay sayers complaining about him playing, but who cares... they just don't want us to have our leading scorer.
If he is dismissed, I think the team will still come together and find their next leader. Either way I am sill excited about next season. No one person is greater than the team, and no one is guaranteed to play the whole season with all the injuries or bad luck.
Im hoping that he is innocent and that he can use this experience to learn from and grow as a man, regardless of his stats as a player.