The NCAA revealed their Top 16 teams in an early bracket reveal on Saturday to try to get fans excited for college basketball now that the NFL season is over.
I think the idea was really dumb.
I get that the NCAA wants to capture the casual fan’s attention but this is not the way to do it. First off; a lot is going to change from now to Selection Sunday. You cannot put a lot of stock in what was revealed. A team that was revealed in top 16 could end up finishing nowhere near the top 16.
Another thing I did not understand is why they did not release the last four teams in and the first four teams because revealing who is right on the bubble would be much more interesting than revealing the top teams.
You can just look at the rankings to find out who the top teams are. It is much harder to determine who the bubble teams are, especially for the casual fan. Casual fans are also very interested in following the bubble in the final weeks of the season.
The bubble is also exciting because it usually has teams that are not talked about much, instead of the top teams that are talked about all year long. The bubble also creates a ton of debate. Fans love to argue about what team has a better resumé than the other.
Revealing the bubble would give fans a reason to watch more games because a fan that thinks a team outside the bubble should be in will want to see that team win. Seeing that team win will make that fan look smart and who doesn’t like looking smart. Exactly.
I respect the NCAA for trying to create more interest in the final weeks of the regular season. An "A" for effort. However, I think revealing who they think the bubble teams are at the moment would be a much better way to create interest. The good news is that March Madness is coming at us fast.
Mike Smith is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Are you excited for March Madness? Let Mike know by emailing him at ms983012@ohio.edu.
