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Vahe Gregorian: Why ‘bracket creep’ in NCAA Tournament field is unsettling ... but justifiable
Vahe Gregorian argues the tournament’s gradual expansion can unsettle fans while still widening access and revenue for college basketball.
- Prairie Village writer Vahe Gregorian examined NCAA tournament expansion and what he calls 'bracket creep,' a term originally applied to sports by his friend Bill Hancock.
- Conference realignment and commodification of college sports prompted the NCAA to expand men's and women's basketball tournaments from 64 to 68 teams, a shift Hancock described as inevitable.
- Hancock, Final Four director from 1989-2004, acknowledged expansion means 'less to get in,' yet contended the spirit of 68 should guide tournament structure.
- NCAA officials worried expansion creates a playoff structure rather than authentic tournament, with attendance and ratings suffering in some bracket configurations.
- The portal era already separates competitive tiers, rendering Cinderellas a thing of the past, while questions remain whether expansion ultimately enhances or diminishes college basketball's appeal.
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Omaha World-Herald+24 Reposted by 24 other sources
Vahe Gregorian: Why ‘bracket creep’ in NCAA Tournament field is unsettling ... but justifiable
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — At least according to the Oxford English Dictionary and archives of Newspapers.com, the term “bracket creep” originated in 1977 in the context of inflation and taxes and such. But the first time I heard it used…
·Omaha, United States
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Total News Sources25
Leaning Left2Leaning Right0Center23Last UpdatedBias Distribution92% Center
Bias Distribution
- 92% of the sources are Center
92% Center
C 92%
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