WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue basketball spent a lot of the previous decade oblivious to the treachery of the NCAA event bubble.
This system’s 9 consecutive NCAA appearances rank a distant third behind Michigan State (25) and Gonzaga (24) because the longest streaks within the nation. The Boilermakers held a 5 seed or greater prior to now eight tournaments.
(A pause for the vital caveat that the COVID-19 pandemic which canceled the 2020 event and saved this streak alive. What occurred to Purdue within the following 4 tournaments, although, solely strengthened the achievement of each constructing a resume and defending it in each nook of the bracket.)
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So if NCAA event growth strikes ahead — and particularly if it provides one other whole spherical value of groups and approaches triple-digit entrants — it is not going to have Purdue’s assist.
Coach Matt Painter, who serves on the Nationwide Affiliation of Basketball Coaches board of administrators, believes growth would solely contain 4 to eight groups. Not that he sees the necessity to take action.
“My knee-jerk response is, don’t mess with one thing that’s been fairly particular,” Painter mentioned.
Athletic director Mike Bobinski as soon as judged bubble resumes as chair of the NCAA event choice committee. He is aware of it’s a thankless, traumatic job which by its nature crushes the hopes of groups who fought all season to face a subjective destiny.
But Bobinski is “not a fan” of growth. He is aware of, virtually, the wishes of media rights holders might in the end win out. Extra video games equals extra stock equals extra advert income for rights holders and more cash again to conferences and athletic packages.
For that motive, he’s ready for “minimal” growth — a number of groups.
“This 96, 120 — not at all,” Bobinski mentioned. “To me, that’s ridiculous. You’ll be able to’t flip that occasion right into a watered-down all-comers event.
“There’s a magic to why it’s so closely seen and closely anticipated and folks take off work these first couple of days. There’s one thing to that that’s actually highly effective. I feel you run the chance of fixing an issue that doesn’t exist at this level.”
Final March, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported conversations continued for growth to not more than 80 groups. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey co-chaired the NCAA transformation committee which beneficial growth over a 12 months earlier. He stirred debate and feelings when he advised Thamel giving event berths to automated qualifiers over energy convention groups was hurting the event’s competitiveness.
These feedback aged poorly due to the SEC’s abrupt first-round face-plant: 6-seed South Carolina dropping to 11-seed Oregon, 4-seed Auburn dropping to 13-seed Yale and 2-seed Kentucky dropping to 15-seed Oakland.
Even with out these examples of on the spot karma, Bobinski — beforehand the athletic director at Xavier and Georgia Tech — doesn’t empathize with the plight of identify model groups hoping their bubble doesn’t burst.
“Having been in that room six occasions with the committee, I recall each a kind of six years, when you’re selecting the final at-large groups, you’re looking at groups whose accomplishments through the 12 months are suspect,” Bobinski mentioned. “Their resumes have plenty of holes and plenty of query marks already.
“That final group, 5 – 6 of them, you’re them like, ‘Eh, did they actually do sufficient to warrant a spot on this event? In the event you broaden that by extra, you’re extra groups which might be going to appear like that. And there’ll nonetheless be a subsequent workforce that claims, ‘What about us?’”
Painter feels sympathy for mid- and low-major groups who win their league within the common season however lose within the convention event. He believes placing within the regular-season champ will make the event stronger. He stopped wanting advocating each ought to get in — one thing which nearly definitely wouldn’t discover assist among the many energy conferences anyway.
“To get extra folks in there — so long as it doesn’t mess with the wonder and the construction of the factor,” Painter mentioned. “Clearly we’ve had some actually powerful losses, however that’s the NCAA event. That’s a part of it. You’ve obtained to play higher. You’ve obtained to have the ability to do it.
“That’s the magic of it.”
Each Painter and Bobinski used that phrase: “Magic.” They skilled it each by way of crushing upset and a long-sought Remaining 4 run.
Which begs the query: If a program that has been overwhelmed up within the NCAA event as a lot as Purdue doesn’t wish to change a factor, why would anybody else?
Observe IndyStar Purdue Insider Nathan Baird on X at @nwbaird.
This text initially appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue basketball leaders cautious of NCAA event growth
