Mar 8, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts against the Southern California Trojans in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The men’s basketball team representing UCLA can only control what they can control. While their 2024-25 season has come to an end via a second-round 67-58 loss to Tennessee, the narratives written about the tourney itself will continue to plague what is supposed to be a celebration of this great game.
Rick Barnes and the Volunteers deserve their place in the dance and their spot in the Sweet 16. Following a 29-7 record in the regular season with a 12-6 conference record, there is no controversy behind their inclusion. That cannot be said about the rest of the SEC, as 14 of their 16-team conference made the tournament.
Eight teams in the SEC had a winning conference record; they deserve to be in. Six of them did not. Five of those teams lost their opening matchups. So, it’s clear that they didn’t deserve to be in, right? Well, Arkansas is the sixth team with an 8-10 conference record, and they just beat St. John’s, the Big East champion, to make it to the Sweet 16. So, where’s the line?
That’s the problem. Finding the line. North Carolina made the tournament over Indiana and West Virginia, only to lose to Ole Miss in the first round 71-64. Had North Carolina not gone, the ACC would only have sent three teams, which would have caused controversy in the continued battle for conference sovereignty.
The Big Ten itself already sent eight, and Indiana could have made it nine. As a result, UCLA found themselves playing in the Midwest.
The Big 12 sent seven teams. Could we be approaching a point where there is a cut-off at how many teams a conference can send to the tournament? But even if that’s the case, there’s another issue.
The lack of Cinderellas. The tournament used to be upset galore, especially in the one-and-done era. Powerhouse programs filled with recruits only playing one year before going off to the league would get upset by teams with starting fives filled with seniors.
This is not the case anymore, as those smaller schools are losing their best players every year to the portal; thus, they don’t grow together in the same program.
Are we losing the essence of March Madness? Only time will tell. It’s also something that may affect Mick Cronin’s plans moving forward.
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