How do you make college basketball's regular season meaningful?

[KingOfBBN]

The criticism often hurled at the sport (rightfully so) is that the regular season means absolutely nothing. When you can suck all year long and even have a losing record going into the conference tournament and win a few games to become conference champion, that's an issue.

That has been my biggest problem with it. The unknown outcome is exciting and it's awful at the same time in the one and done format. How do you fix that?

 

[G-PIP]

Answer: Get out of the SEC!

 

[Double Oaked Juice]

the only way to fix it would be to limit the tournament to a smaller number of teams, but capitalism simply wouldn't allow that.

 

[KWilt43atbuzz]

The UCONN stories are few and far between.
Most of the time the teams that play well all season and get the top seeds in the Dance are the ones who make the FF and ultimately win it.

 

[WildcatfaninOhio]

Stop tinkering with it! The season is fine the way it is. The only change that needs to be made is to change the tournament back to 64 teams from the current 68.

 

[KingOfBBN]

The UCONN stories are few and far between.
Most of the time the teams that play well all season and get the top seeds in the Dance are the ones who make the FF and ultimately win it.

We've seen bubble teams get to the final four but I guess one of my biggest gripes is the conference tournament. A mid-major could go undefeated in the regular season and lose the conference title in a fluke game to a team that was terrible all season. The regular season champ gets left out of the NCAA tourney. That's bull crap.

I think getting rid of conference tournaments would be one of the best things possible.

 

[Xception]

The conference tournament can render a good regula season meaningless and I don't agree with that . That's not going to change either , what's the incentive for fans of bad teams to buy tickets ?

 

[KingOfBBN]

The conference tournament can render a good regula season meaningless and I don't agree with that . That's not going to change either , what's the incentive for fans of bad teams to buy tickets ?

What's the incentive for fans of bad football teams to buy tickets?

 

[Xception]

What's the incentive for fans of bad football teams to buy tickets?

The situations aren't comparable because football doesn't have a conference tournament that gives the winner a ticket to the football final four . The goal for most in football is a bowl game and that hope keeps people going , just different circumstances altogether.

 

[WeWant9]

I don't think you really can, at this point. All the money and excitement is tied into March Madness, and a lot of casual fans only start watching around that time. I do think conference tournaments are pretty pointless. Teams who win their regular season conference should get the auto bid, but there isn't a lot of excitement from that.

One way to possibly make the season better, is limit the number of cupcakes. Far too many teams just load their OOC on cupcakes, which leads to a great record but against teams that won't even sniff the nit. If you make the power 5 schools play one another more it could lead to more exciting games, and records won't be as inflated.

 

[W_Heisenberg]

I disagree...season is meaningful for seeding purposes...you want a top 4 seed at all costs.

Only way to make it more meaningful is to cut back number of teams drastically...like CFB, but that won't (nor shouldn't) happen.

 

[KnowsAllTellsAll]

If all you care about is the tournament, you're probably not a true basketball fan in the first place.

 

[KingOfBBN]

The situations aren't comparable because football doesn't have a conference tournament that gives the winner a ticket to the football final four . The goal for most in football is a bowl game and that hope keeps people going , just different circumstances altogether.

You can still go to the NIT though in basketball. You just don't get to go to the big tournament. It's no different than the garbage football teams who go to meaningless/average bowl games. They already know they're not going to a BCS bowl game/playoff midway through.

 

[KingOfBBN]

If all you care about is the tournament, you're probably not a true basketball fan in the first place.

Silly.

In the record books, the champion is all that will matter. No one remembers your regular season record or seed. We can all be entertained and enjoy the sport but in terms of legacy, no one remembers a good record. They only remember the tournament's winner.

 

[FiveStarCat]

Don't conferences have the right to chose how they pick their automatic NCAA tournament qualifier? Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Ivy League is the only team who gives the auto berth to the regular season champion. Is this just an exemption for that league or is that option open to every conference? Quick google search doesn't tell me much.

 

[FiveStarCat]

If all you care about is the tournament, you're probably not a true basketball fan in the first place.

Or you're a Kansas fan.

... only kidding, it was too easy for me to pass up.

 

[OHIO COLONEL]

The conference tournament can render a good regula season meaningless and I don't agree with that . That's not going to change either , what's the incentive for fans of bad teams to buy tickets ?

Many years ago that was the reason put forth by Major League Baseball to go to the playoff format. Before that, attendance would tank late in the season for all teams other than the 2 or 3 that maybe had a chance to win the Nat'l or American League. Then those 2 would immediately go to the World Series. Thus the beginning of the playoffs. Wasn't long before the same happened in the NFL, hockey, and the expansion of the NCAA tournament.

 

[Ron Mehico]

You have to finish at least .500 in your conference to be eligible for the tournament? That's really the only type of stuff you can do. Kinda like you have to be .500 to be eligible for a bowl game.

 

[pikespeak1]

The criticism often hurled at the sport (rightfully so) is that the regular season means absolutely nothing. When you can suck all year long and even have a losing record going into the conference tournament and win a few games to become conference champion, that's an issue.

That has been my biggest problem with it. The unknown outcome is exciting and it's awful at the same time in the one and done format. How do you fix that?

The regular season is very important. Those that think otherwise have low standards for success.

 

[KnowsAllTellsAll]

Silly.

In the record books, the champion is all that will matter. No one remembers your regular season record or seed. We can all be entertained and enjoy the sport but in terms of legacy, no one remembers a good record. They only remember the tournament's winner.

Alumni of their universities remember. For instance, a Kentucky grad would remember Kentucky's regular season record or conference title. A casual fan who never went to a college and had no affiliation with the actual university probably doesn't care about the regular season.

 

[pikespeak1]

The UCONN stories are few and far between.
Most of the time the teams that play well all season and get the top seeds in the Dance are the ones who make the FF and ultimately win it.

This^^^the idea that the regular season isn't meaningful has been created by the lie that every college football game is meaningful.

 

[FiveStarCat]

Alumni of their universities remember. For instance, a Kentucky grad would remember Kentucky's regular season record or conference title. A casual fan who never went to a college and had no affiliation with the actual university probably doesn't care about the regular season.

Is this some sort of veiled shot at non-alumni fans?

 

[pikespeak1]

We've seen bubble teams get to the final four but I guess one of my biggest gripes is the conference tournament. A mid-major could go undefeated in the regular season and lose the conference title in a fluke game to a team that was terrible all season. The regular season champ gets left out of the NCAA tourney. That's bull crap.

I think getting rid of conference tournaments would be one of the best things possible.

That's the conference's fault.

 

[sluggercatfan]

the only way to fix it would be to limit the tournament to a smaller number of teams, but capitalism simply wouldn't allow that.

Stop allowing 8-9 teams from one conf. From being allowed in the tournsment

 

[KnowsAllTellsAll]

Is this some sort of veiled shot at non-alumni fans?

No. I don't think you need to be an alumni to be a fan of a sports team. I am just saying alumni tend to be more vested in the regular season, conference tournaments and NCAA tournament. If you didn't go to a particular university, conference bragging rights probably don't mean that much to you.

 

[pikespeak1]

I don't think you really can, at this point. All the money and excitement is tied into March Madness, and a lot of casual fans only start watching around that time. I do think conference tournaments are pretty pointless. Teams who win their regular season conference should get the auto bid, but there isn't a lot of excitement from that.

One way to possibly make the season better, is limit the number of cupcakes. Far too many teams just load their OOC on cupcakes, which leads to a great record but against teams that won't even sniff the nit. If you make the power 5 schools play one another more it could lead to more exciting games, and records won't be as inflated.

If they do that they should create separate divisions, one for the power 5 and one for everyone else. Two separate tourneys and two separate champs. Don't count any regular season games against non power 5 schools.

 

[SilentsAreGolden]

By that logic, the regular season doesn't matter in any sport.

 

[wildcatsboston1984]

68 teams make the NCAA Tournament and everyone or nearly everyone has a shot to make it even if they suck all year because of the conference tournaments. For many, what's the point of watchin regular games games (outside of the marquee matchups) when it won't matter a whole lot come conference tournament time? Literally the regular season is just a glorified tournament to determine what teams get seeded in the conference and NCAA tournaments.

So reduce the size of the NCAA Tournament so it's actually hard to get into it, get rid of the conference tournaments so that the regular season has meaning. If you aren't #1 in your conference in the regular season you don't get an autobid. Makes every conference game meaningful, can't just get hot at the end of the season and win your conference tournament as a bad to mediocre team. It would also help cut down on teams who may sandbag games at the end of the season to get more favorable matchups in their conference tournament as well.

Think of how much more meaningful an early January conference game will be when you have in the back of your mind "we're going to have to win every game to get an autobid!" Midmajor contests would be viciously competitive.

Of course this will never happen. The financial windfall now makes it too far gone of a possible solution. Any attempts at making the regular season more meaningful will just be putting lipstick on a pig for the casual fans who only tune in for marquee matchups and March.

 

[Opinpi]

Every time a team loses a regular season game, a player has to forfeit a finger.

 

[bthaunert]

The almighty dollar will always rule out for conference tournaments. The Ivy League still sends their regular season champion to the tournament and have had a lot of one game playoff games over the years if teams tied for first...great games. The Big 10 was the last major conference to succumb to the money and add a conference tourney. That was in the 90's I believe.

One thing I've always thought is that mid major or lower conferences should always have the regular season champion host the post season tourney. A lot of smaller conferences used to do this, but almost all have moved to a neutral site or prior to the season starting, they award it to one of the teams in the league. I think that would be great incentive for a team to win their regular season conference championship.

One final thing to note is no one is making these conferences have post season tournaments. That is completely up to the conference.

 

[Wildcat-in-STL]

The college football season is meaningless unless you are undefeated or a top 4 team. At least in basketball your season isn't ruined the first time you lose.

Basketball is fine the way it is.

 

[dckala2]

nothing matters, everything in life is pointless. :/

 

[kyeric]

Stop allowing 8-9 teams from one conf. From being allowed in the tournsment

This. No team in the bottom half of their own conference should get in, period. Could make it that only 1/4 (or thereabouts) of the teams, at most, from a conference can get invited.

If you have 14 teams, 4 teams get in. A ten team league, 3. No more 21-13 teams in 7th place in the Big Ten get in. If a conference chooses to have a conference tournament and one of the teams NOT in that top tier wins it, then too bad for that last team. They are being replaced.

 

[stonethecrow]

Take the mentality of "drink till she's pretty", and use it during games. Put some money on the line. If you have money down on a game, and you drink enough, any game can become entertaining.

 

[DaBossIsBack]

Alumni of their universities remember. For instance, a Kentucky grad would remember Kentucky's regular season record or conference title. A casual fan who never went to a college and had no affiliation with the actual university probably doesn't care about the regular season.

Ohhhhhhhhhh you're one of those guys.

 

[DaBossIsBack]

The college football season is meaningless unless you are undefeated or a top 4 team. At least in basketball your season isn't ruined the first time you lose.

Basketball is fine the way it is.

Which is why it is exciting. Each week there is a lot at stake. It's in a way a playoff all season long. The college football season has probably the most exciting regular season of any sport.

 

[bigbluelou]

My opinion: There are too damned many D1 teams, which waters everything down. While it does make for some fascinating Cinderella stories in the tourney, they are so few and far between that it makes the regular season less interesting to me. Who really cares about Stony Brook vs. Slippery Rock? (BTW, I just made up that matchup so don't try and call me out on it.)

I don't suggest that we have as few as D1 college football (120'ish) but maybe 150-200 D1 schools max. It would make the names more recognizable and provide for more interesting regular season, out-of-conference match-ups.

 

[MWes11]

We've seen bubble teams get to the final four but I guess one of my biggest gripes is the conference tournament. A mid-major could go undefeated in the regular season and lose the conference title in a fluke game to a team that was terrible all season. The regular season champ gets left out of the NCAA tourney. That's bull crap.

I think getting rid of conference tournaments would be one of the best things possible.

If a mid major goes undefeated throughout the regular season and there only loss is in there conference tourney, they are in the dance no questions asked. I have cannot recall a mid major, with 1 loss, not making the tourney. Do you have any examples? Maybe I am way off here.

 

[Sawnee Cat]

The fix would be easy but will never happen. Too much money involved. If the National Championship Tournament was scaled down to allow only one team from a conference to represent the league it would make the regular season meaningful. This is how it was years ago but it will never happen again. Like I said, too much money. The more games on TV the more $$$$$$$$$$

 

[UKrazycat2]

Every time a team loses a regular season game, a player has to forfeit a finger.

I like this; if we as fan can participate in choosing which "walk on" makes the sacrifice.