RIP, March Madness.
It hurts me. To me, the first few rounds of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament has always been the most exciting, enjoyable time of the sporting year.
I go all the way back to the 1980s when I was in elementary school and high school, watching my Louisiana Tech Bulldogs play in the annual event year after year.
I became hooked, probably starting with an alley-oop one-handed slam by the Mailman himself in an upset win over Fresno State in 1984. Sold.
And although my team hasn’t played in the event for some time, March Madness has become something that I look forward to every year.
Why? Because it’s the best reality TV there is IMO. Or at least it was.
Who will ever forget UMBC becoming the first ever No. 16 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in 2018, downing the top-ranked Virginia Cavaliers. What about Fairleigh Dickinson following suit in 2023 by beating No. 1 seed Purdue?
Then there was the heart-warming story of Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt following her beloved Loyola Chicago Ramblers all the way to the 2018 Final Four. Other Final Four dark horses over the years like VCU (No. 11 seed in 2011) and George Mason (No. 11 seed in 2006) and Wichita State (No. 9 seed in 2013)
How about the Butler Bulldogs who advanced to the title game in 2010 and 2011. Florida Atlantic and San Diego State both played in the 2023 national title game.
Those are the teams and the memories that make the NCAA Tournament so great.
Don’t get me wrong. I vividly remember MJ’s jumper to beat Georgetown in 1982 in the Louisiana Superdome. It was the beginning of the career of the best basketball player to ever play the game.
Or Lorenzo Charles grabbing the desperation almost halfcourt shot by teammate Dereck Whittenberg and dunking it at the buzzer as NC State upset Phi Slamma Jamma and the Houston Cougars in Albuquerque in 1983. I can still see Jim Valvano running around looking for someone to hug, God rest his soul.
There have been so many great moments that make the NCAA Tournament so great.
But the Madness in March is about the upsets. Unless you are a diehard fan of one of the blue bloods of college basketball, one of the big boys, the NCAA Tournament is about upsets and Cinderella stories.
And quite frankly, they have been few and far between the last few years.
No. 11 seed Texas beating No. 6 seed BYU … not an upset. No. 10 seed Texas A&M beating No. 7 seed St. Mary’s … not an upset.
In fact, it’s kind of ho hum.
The past three years, the number of true Cinderella-type upsets in the first round has dwindled. And you can forget about one of the true underdogs making it to the Sweet 16.
2024 saw the likes of Yale, Duquesne, Grand Canyon, and James Madison pick up first round upsets, but alas, none won in their next match-up. That year Gonzaga, Creighton and San Diego State made it to the Sweet 16 although I don’t consider Gonzaga or San Diego State a mid-major in men’s hoops.
In 2025, the only double digit seeds that won opening round games were No. 12 McNeese, No. 12 Colorado State, No. 11 Drake, No. 10 New Mexico, and No. 10 Arkansas. I don’t view SEC Arkansas as a Cinderella. None of the other four made it past the round of 32. BYU was the only non-P4 to make it Sweet 16.
This year, the only double digit seeds to win in the first round were No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 11 Texas, No. 11 VCU and No. 12 High Point. Throw out the two SEC teams and that leaves VCU and High Point and neither made it past the second round.
So why the recent drought in the Sister Jean’s of the world? My theory … and it’s only that … is the transfer portal and NIL.
I think it’s a pretty sound one.
One of the reasons that teams like Butler, VCU, George Mason, and Loyola-Chicago could make runs to the Final Fours in the past was because they had veteran, senior-laden rosters, while so many of the blue bloods had freshman and sophomores.
The Kentucky’s of the world had a lot of one-and-done-types; guys who played for one (maybe two years) and then were departing to the NBA. It’s hard to advance to the Final Four with that type of roster filled with nothing but talented, yet inexperienced, underclassmen.
But now thanks to the NCAA and the courts we have turned college athletics into a minor league system where the mid-majors have become a feeder system for the blue bloods. It’s ruining the pandemonium and the excitement of March Madness.
Each and every year has become free agency in college athletics. Every player on every team is a free agent, who can go to the highest bidder. Imagine that scenario in the NFL or the NBA. It would be chaos.
How do you build a sustainable roster? You can’t.
I have some ideas on how to solve some of this (contracts with buyouts, one-time transfer), but the NCAA isn’t knocking down my door to ask my opinion.
I still love college athletics. I still think there is great value in the college athletic experience for student athletes. Tremendous value, but not as much as it once had due to the lack of continuity.
The pendulum has to start to swing back at some point or more and more things like March Madness will continue to be impacted, negatively in my opinion.
There will be a national champion crowned in a few weeks. And yes, there will be some exciting games pitting blue blood vs. blue blood along the way.
But the final chapter in the Cinderella story that is March Madness may have already been written, unless there is some change.
I hope I’m wrong. Only time will tell.
