The NCAA finally gets something right and will restore the old nomenclature for the NCAA tourney.
The first 4 early in week play-in games will no longer be referred to as the "first round." I never understood how teams could be considered to make it to the second round of the tourney if they hadn't played in a game yet. From 2011 until last season, that first game for 60 teams was called the second round, and the third round determined a berth in the Sweet 16.
This season returns to sanity by having the third round once again being referred to simply as The Sweet Sixteen. The first round games will again be those played on Thursday and Friday.
The only thing accomplished by the old system was to create maximum confusion for fans by allowing mediocre coaches to claim to have made it to the second round of the tourney despite their having gone out with a loss in their first game played. Yeeeesh.
The first 4 early in week play-in games will no longer be referred to as the "first round." I never understood how teams could be considered to make it to the second round of the tourney if they hadn't played in a game yet. From 2011 until last season, that first game for 60 teams was called the second round, and the third round determined a berth in the Sweet 16.
This season returns to sanity by having the third round once again being referred to simply as The Sweet Sixteen. The first round games will again be those played on Thursday and Friday.
The only thing accomplished by the old system was to create maximum confusion for fans by allowing mediocre coaches to claim to have made it to the second round of the tourney despite their having gone out with a loss in their first game played. Yeeeesh.
