How To Fix the NCAA Tournament

How can a post-season system invite nearly 20 percent of its members and still feel exclusive rather than inclusive?

For the next week we are going to hear about how the Southern Conference deserves to have two bids in to the NCAA Tournament.

Many agree. But since Furman didn’t do themselves any favors by not advancing to the SoCon Tournament Final, and UNCG didn’t make a strong case by struggling against Samford and running out of gas at the end against Wofford, it appears the real drama of the tournament for SoCon fans will be to see if the Terriers get better than an eight seed, which in the modern era was the highest seed a team from the conference received when College of Charleston earned it in 1999.

Which is not to say the SoCon getting only one bid this season will be just. Only it seems likely. Bracketville.com, which is ranked as the second-best predictor of NCAA Tournament seeding according to bracketmatrix.com, lists both Furman and UNCG as two of their “first four teams out.”

Wofford fans have every reason to celebrate. But the cold reality is by beating UNCG it may have cost the Southern Conference millions of dollars in revenue that a two-bid league would receive and therefore help the Terriers grow in the long run.

And if that happens, it will again send the message the regular seasons of all but a select few conferences count, and the Southern Conference is not part of that party.

A major reason why many wish the major conferences would break away from the NCAA. If you’re not going to play fair with the mid-majors…