CLEVELAND (93.7 The Fan) – A couple of weeks ago we talked to coaches in Cleveland about the importance of the underdogs. With four number-one seeds in the Final Four on Saturday, revisiting what they said about the value of others having a chance.
ORIGINAL STORY
There has been talk of changing the NCAA Tournament, but what they can’t do is change what makes it special.
“My fear is that most things that are getting decided are what's best for Power Four,” said Robert Morris head coach Andy Toole Thursday. “Meanwhile, one of the reasons that people watch this tournament is because of the mid-majors and the low majors. Hopefully, we don't lose sight of that.”
“I think when you go out and about, and if you just randomly grabbed somebody on the street and said, talk about the NCAA Tournament, one of the first things, if not the first thing they're going to say is, the little guys, the upsets,” said Bryant head coach Phil Martelli, Jr.. “You find these random places -- like, there's a ton of people probably in this room that didn't even know Bryant existed four days ago, five days ago.
Well, now you do, and that's special.”
There is talk of expansion, not to add more of those mid-major teams like Robert Morris and Bryant, but for those like West Virginia, Indiana and Ohio State.
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo is in his 27th NCAA Tournament having coached exclusively at a Power Four. He’s lost to a mid-major team, but says unlike what is going on with FBS football, where the top 12 will play for the championship. This is unique and better.
“We have 68 teams of all different levels and all different schools that have 3,000 and schools that have 60,000.
It's just so different. Everybody loves Cinderella. I mean, my mom was probably -- if she's pulling for them tomorrow, she's 98 and three quarters years old, I'm going to be mad at her, but everybody loves the underdog. Everybody loves the small school. Everybody loved when Valparaiso -- I still remember the shot and the things that have happened.”
However, the talk has been consistent and as Toole put it that usually means change it coming. Toole said not to lose sight of the week-plus leading up to the NCAA Tournament. The conference tournament when a number who enter the field have to win to get in. It’s not the same as getting in the NCAAs finishing in sixth place.
“If college athletics was all about the high majors and the power fours being what drives this, sure, when the Final Four comes, that's what drives it, but the ratings for a FOX, ESPN, CBS Sports Network Monday night game that has Wake Forest/Florida State would be way higher if everyone just cared about the power four schools,” Toole said.
“For some reason, these games (Thursday) and (Friday), the 15-2s, 14-3s, the 12-5s, those draw the eyeballs of people that don't watch basketball the other 363 days a year, and that's a real unique thing that we can't lose.”
And even though it’s ended Michigan State’s season in the past, Izzo says the tournament needs to stay the same, not just for the viewer but for how he feels about his peers at places like RMU and Bryant.
“I have great respect, because those guys got to coach without some of the things we get at our level, and there are some great, great, great coaches at that level that are making a name for themselves and going to do some damage,” Izzo said Thursday. “They move up the ladder and get jobs here. Our respect is off the charts.”
Izzo says there are times he could see the NCAA Tournament going to just power schools. There is a time or two where he wished he never faced a school few had ever heard of, but he doesn’t want that. Even with the challenge to his program and his conference, the 23rd winningest head coach in Division 1 history believes they’ve got a good thing going.
“I know we're probably headed towards expansion and towards whatever, but the way it's set up, whatever that expansion looks like, but the way it's set up right now, we can't lose that,” Martelli said, his father a former NCAA head coach. “That's the fabric of this tournament. That's the essence of this tournament.
Anything else would be doing a disservice to all the student-athletes, all the universities that are out there competing their butts off, again, for us, from mid-June until now nonstop.”
“It's what we all love about it, right? We've loved about it since we were kids.”
“That should not change.”