Thank God we beat Tenn

[smootness]

Even the play in teams are "in" the tourney. I just don't think it is fair to penalize a much better team having to play an extra game like a 10 seed. That means there are 24 teams not as good that get a bye just because they play in a weak conference. Not fair at all but I guess that is the equity game being applied like all conferences are the same - Not.

I think the extra teams and the play-in is stupid, I would much prefer they stayed at 64. But if you are going to have them, it makes sense to give 4 extra teams a chance to play their way in, not teams who have already clinched a spot. And regardless, no one truly thinks of the play-in teams as in the tournament yet. Yes, you get to say you are and you are technically in the bracket, but no one cares about those games. The whole point of the tournament is that you do not assume anything, including the strength of the conference, you let the teams play it out. Every conference should have a representative in the 64-team field. It makes no sense to have some 16s and some at-larges playing. There is currently no logic to it, they just wanted more teams and did a bad job of figuring out how to include them.

[Quaoarsking]

I think the extra teams and the play-in is stupid, I would much prefer they stayed at 64. But if you are going to have them, it makes sense to give 4 extra teams a chance to play their way in, not teams who have already clinched a spot. And regardless, no one truly thinks of the play-in teams as in the tournament yet. Yes, you get to say you are and you are technically in the bracket, but no one cares about those games. The whole point of the tournament is that you do not assume anything, including the strength of the conference, you let the teams play it out. Every conference should have a representative in the 64-team field. It makes no sense to have some 16s and some at-larges playing. There is currently no logic to it, they just wanted more teams and did a bad job of figuring out how to include them.

This is false. Most people count the losers in Dayton has still having made the tournament. Remember that the tournament started doing a single game in Dayton in 2001 and the First Four in 2011, so it's not like it's some new thing that people are still getting used to.

Nobody (outside of some of our own fans) finds it questionable that we list 2023 as a year we made the NCAA Tournament.