March Wars: We're Getting A New College Hoops Tournament Being Called The NIT's Rival, Will Have 16 Teams From Limited Conferences
Hell yeah, this is exactly what we need. Everyone knows how much the NIT matters - at least to someone like Tom Crean who may or may not have cried on TV about teams skipping it. Let's go ahead and add another one limited to conferences and separating the NIT into more things that people won't watch. I keep trying to find a way to spin zone this in my head, like hey, more games are on. What's wrong with that?
Then I saw when it's being played. It starts March 31. We really waiting 3 weeks after team's seasons are done for them to start playing again? The same teams who have guys hit the portal once their seasons end. Yeah, this will keep them around. Actually, you know what? Let's get weird with it. Bring in guys from the intramural champs to fill out a roster because you know there will be at least one school that will need it.
So just to be clear, we're taking a new Tournament with teams that will take away from the NIT which already switched rules this year to cater to power schools - the same ones who turned it down? What can go wrong! I actually think this is a good idea though. If the tournament was played in January. Make it a bracket busters tournament or just a break in conference play. Conferences hardly matter anymore since we have USC and UCLA in the Big 10 and Arizona in the Big 12 and Texas in the SEC and SMU and Cal in the ACC. You get the point. Do it when there's less football games and get more eyeballs on the college basketball regular season. Step 1 is right there.
I know that this is all tied to TV rights and things that fans don't care about, but can we have some logical sense here? Maybe talk to fans and see what we care about? That would be a step in the right direction. I love Tournaments just play them when they matter and we actually get eyeballs on the sport.