What is missing from the NCAA Basketball Tournament?

It hard to tell, but the last 15 years or so have been blessed by great games and some individual shining moments. Looking back at the tournament, we have not come across a great story for the ages.

In the pre-big television and NIT competitition, you had the following:

1946 - Holy Cross - Bob Cousy

1950 - CCNY - won both NIT and NCAA in the same season

1955, 56 - San Francisco - Bill Russell

1957 - UNC beating Kansas in triple OT

1966 - Texas Western - starting 5 African-Americans

1974 - NC State - stopping UCLA's 7 in row

1976 - Indiana - last undefeated

Big TV Era

1979 - Michigan State - Magic vs. Bird

1983 - NC State and Jimmy V.

1985 - Villanova - perfect game

1991 - Duke - knocking UNLV in the semi's

2003 - Syracuse - freshmen GMac and Carmelo giving Boeheim first title

2006 - George Mason's miricle fun - didn't win

Am I missing something?

The Madness in March

The NCAA now owns the post season NIT. The NIT is still made up of the usual 32 teams. Just for simple agrument's sake, why not just expand the NCAA field to 96 teams? The NCAA functioned for a long time with 32 teams and eventually expanded to the present day 64 teams in 1985.

Like with the BCS in football, there are the majors and there are minors (mid-majors). It seems like the major conferences are rewarded no matter what is on the record. The allure of this tournament and it's golden goose television revenue was built on the underdog winning. Is anyone for the underdog? Remember Billy Packer's argument last year about George Mason getting an invite.

When you are ready to puke after watching all the NCAA advertisements about itself this weekend, read Byron Williams blog. Once again the student athlete is the oxymoron in the story.

Here is a shout out to a great bunch, the 1985 Villanova Willcats. The 1985 NCAA champions feature a mix and match of future NBA players and some great role players. The stat coach Rollie Massimino is most proud of is that every member of the team that team who made it to senior year graduated.

NOTE: Freshman Veltra Dawson transferred to Evansville after the 1985 season.