Imagine an NCAA Tournament being played without the likes of the Duke Blue Devils, Kentucky Wildcats, or North Carolina Tar Heels.
Actually, don’t imagine. It might be happening.
The 2021 NCAA Tournament in Downtown Indianapolis may be without three of the most recognizable and popular teams in the country.
That on one end could help the sport to give some smaller schools a big chance to shine; But it can also hurt potential ratings if the big boys are not present.
Greg Rakestraw discussed this topic on The Ride with JMV on Tuesday. Rake told JMV that while a Duke-less Big Dance may interest him, it wouldn’t wet the whistle of others.
“What it does is make it tougher for the casual fan to follow it,” Rake said. “But by the time we get to March and when you’re breaking down your bracket, it’s the competitive sense that pulls you in of wanting to win your office pool. When it’s the middle of March, there will be the realization that we didn’t have this last year and it will make it even more special.”
To be honest, we could care less if it’s the Washington Generals versus the Flint Tropics out there.
Give us some NCAA Tournament action.
According to Joe Lunardi’s last Bracketology post on ESPN, North Carolina is among the last four byes. However, that can certainly change in a hurry.
Good news if you’re an Indiana or Purdue fan though. The Hoosiers are listed as a 10-seed facing Clemson, while the Boilermakers show as a six-seed taking on Drake.
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