The 2019-20 college basketball season was one of the first major sports cancelations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While some conference tournaments took place, a number were unable to reach their conclusions and, ultimately, the sport’s crown jewel was canceled, marking the first year since the NCAA Tournament’s inception that it was unable to take place.
Trying to map out next college basketball season — which appears likely to take place in some form or fashion despite the pandemic still happening — is next to impossible, but coaches from the ACC have an idea. According to multiple media reports, they would like if all 353 teams in Division I college hoops make the Tournament next season.
Source: The ACC will propose that ever single team in Division 1 will make the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) September 9, 2020
Can confirm reports that the ACC basketball coaches are proposing an ALL-IN NCAA tournament. "Just working on the bracket," said a source. Who doesn't want a 350-team bracket?? Wow.
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) September 9, 2020
As Forde explained, this wouldn’t exactly mean that we have one gigantic bracket. Instead, conference tournaments would serve as the “first rounds” of the Tournament before the round of 64/68 takes place.
Plan would turn conference championship week into the opening round of the Big Dance. From there the field is reduced to 64-68 by the following week.
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) September 9, 2020
Having said this, adopting a tournament where every college team is eligible to play one another is a wonderful idea. This is a common thing in European soccer with tournaments like England’s FA Cup, where every team from every level of English football participates. It gives the occasional Cinderella story, but the coolest element is usually watching the biggest teams in the sport have to go to small pitches in every corner of England — could you imagine Duke having to travel to, say, Bucknell?
This, of course, is a much more feasible idea for when a pandemic isn’t happening. But in the interim, the idea of playing a gigantic tournament appears to have piqued the interest of the coaches from perhaps the sport’s most prominent conference.
