I've always had a problem with the selection process for the NCAA Tournament. Here are a few ways to fix it.
Eliminate the play-in game. Cut back on one at-large bid. (So the eighth place team from the Big Ten doesn't make it. Boo-hoo!)
Only teams that win their conference tournaments are eligible for a number one seed. They don't mean that much anymore, anyway. How many times do you see a team lose early, probably on purpose to rest their players, and then still get a top seed? Making only conference tourney winners eligible for a number one seed would put more meaning back into them.
Only teams with a winning conference record are eligible for the NCAAs. So what if you play in a tough conference? If you can't finish in the top half of your conference, what makes you think you deserve to play for a national title? This would allow a few more mid-majors to gain at-large bids, which makes the tournament more exciting anyway. I mean, that's what people like to see, a smaller school going up someone more established. How psyched do you get for Clemson vs Michigan, really? (Of course, if you're a 7-9 team that wins your conference tourney, then that's okay. That probably means you knocked a potential number one seed down to a 2 or 3.)
Only teams that win their conference tournaments are eligible for a number one seed. They don't mean that much anymore, anyway. How many times do you see a team lose early, probably on purpose to rest their players, and then still get a top seed? Making only conference tourney winners eligible for a number one seed would put more meaning back into them.
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