Final Four

Last night Duke and Butler solidified slots in the national championship game with wins in their respected Final Four games. Butler handled themselves as they have all tournament against a very formidable Michigan State team whom went to the National title game last year. It is m ost impressive what third year coach Brad Stevens has done with this team over his last 3 years of service, and perhaps the most astounding thing about him...he is only 33 years old. Butler has a highly cohesive unit who understand the game of basketball and how it is played. Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack have been essential to the teams success as they lead the offensive attack that the Bulldogs have used to push through to the final game.

Dukes convincing victory over West Virginia proves that they will be a daunting task for Butler to overcome. With players like John Scheyer, Kyle Singler, and Nolan Smith leading the team in scoring as the big three, it is safe to believe that the National title will rest on their shoulders. Mike Krzyzewski will most definitely have the Blue Devils ready for Butler like they are for any other team, his legend as a coach has grown exponentially over the years and his tactics as a coach have him and his team always prepared for the situation at hand. Butler will be a daunting task however, though some feel that with their similar playing styles this game plays right into the hands of Krzyzewski, but don't tell Duke that, because everyone should know that in this tournament, no one has the safe-ground and anything is possible, even in the last game.

This past week the NCAA announced that they will be soon put forth a vote on expanding the tournament to 96 teams. NCAA vice President Gary Shaheen feel that this would be the best fit and have a positive result on the overall outlook of the tournament. This is not a popular decision amongst many fans and schools alike due to the reasoning behind possibly making such a change. Should expansion happen it would completely wipe out the NIT Tournament which has been held since 1938, and had a greater meaning in college basketball until the Division I tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. The executive committee says that this idea was spurred on by the complaints that not every good team gets the chance to make it to the tournament because of limited spots, however the novelty of making the field of 65 would be taken away due the uselessness of conference tournaments to decide automatic bids. The news of possible expansion should come as great news to school such as William & Mary, Chicago State, and the 34 other teams that have never had the chance to play in the big dance, but terrible news for any team that could potentially have their chances ruined of ever making another tournament if conference tournaments a rendered obsolete. This most definitely spurred on by the financial gain the NCAA and sponsors would get with a bigger tournament. More teams means more games and larger broadcasting ranges, this gives the selection committee the freedom to choose teams that will grab the biggest market and implant them into the field though they may not deserve to make it. For the last 10 years people have been calling for changes in college football to make it fairer to the little guys who do not get a chance Instead the wanted change could come in the sport which already had a fair process in deciding a national champion.