So Dickie V doesn't want .500 teams from the power conferences? He wants more of the little guys? How about then adding a whole prelim round of 16 games putting 16 of those .500ish teams from power conferences against the best of the small guys.. their league championships ignored.
There are 32 conferences.. 5 power conferences, 6 with Big East.. maybe another 10 solid mid-majors... let the other 16 conferences prove their worth in a prelim round against "bubble" type teams from the other 16 conferences.. heavy with power conference teams.
Thos 16 games would produce 16 winners... add them to the field of 48 (12 seeds or lower) who get a pass on that prelim round. That's a nice tidy 64 team tourney the rest of the way.. and 80 teams will theoretically have a shot.. but 16 of the field of 64 would be tired, playing one more game than others.
Then we can start complaining why some minor league's champ with a gaudy record had to play in the 1st round. And the answer will be so that the 2nd place team from their conference would have a shot as well. If you cannot legitimately earn a 12 seed or better.. you play in the first round.
