College basketball analyst criticizes Bob Huggins tournament idea
West Virginia men’s basketball head coach Bob Huggins believes the major conferences should split from other schools and create their own postseason tournament. The controversial idea brought many opinions to the table, ranging from total agreement to complete disagreement.
Stadium’s Jeff Goodman provided his thoughts on the possible split from the NCAA – as well as Bob Huggins’ statement on mid-major programs – over social media.
“Bob Huggins isn’t the only coach who wants the high-majors to break away from NCAA and start their own tourney,” Jeff Goodman posted on Twitter. “I don’t mind the ‘break away from the NCAA part,’ but leaving out the mid-majors is a terrible idea.”
More so than football, there is some discussion about the relevance of mid-majors to the product’s value. Conferences like the Big East and American hover on the fringes of Power Six conversations in basketball, where football has failed.
Bob Huggins on NCAA Tournament
Bob Huggins is entering his 15th season at West Virginia. Holding a 310-171 record in his time, Huggins has led the Mountaineers to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, with one Final Four berth and four Sweet 16 appearances. He brings both credibility and experience to the conversation.
“They’re doing it in football,” Huggins told ESPN at Big 12 media day. “Why wouldn’t they do it? The presidents and athletic directors that have all the juice, why wouldn’t they do it? Makes no sense why they wouldn’t do it. I think it’s more ‘Why wouldn’t they?’ than ‘Why would they?’ And then, the other people, they can have their own tournament.”
Huggins believes controlling the postseason tournament is a way for basketball to remain financially relevant in the future as college football’s influence and footprint continue to grow. He added that college basketball revenue, on many campuses, goes toward supporting football, while the NCAA makes the bulk of its money off its basketball tournament.
“We have no power because we don’t generate the same kind of TV income that football does,” Huggins said. “But we don’t try to.”
He continued: “Those Cinderella schools are putting 200 people, at best, in their gym. We’re putting 14,000.”
The majority of the NCAA’s annual revenue is attained through the TV rights contract for the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA signed an eight-year, $8.8 billion extension through 2032 with Turner Sports for the rights to the NCAA men’s tournament in 2016. The event has become known for upsets and Cinderella teams, but that format could be in jeopardy with coaches starting to talk.