Maybe 96 teams isn't so bad after all...

This is probably going to get me ripped. To be honest, I can't believe I'm actually about to type the words I am going to type. This here column may get me banned from the internet, or at the very least suspended from all online activity for conduct detrimental to hoop-heads worldwide. If I end up the pariah of the blogosphere, a heretic that will be black-balled from all future linkage, I'll have to accept that I, in fact, brought it upon myself.

Here it is.

You ready for it?

I think I am warming up to the idea of a 96 team tournament.

(Keyword: think)

This may be the last time you actually see this bracket.
(photo credit: ESPN)

Yesterday, Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany stated that he believed that NCAA tournament expansion to 96 teams was probably, a kick to the already-sore-collective-groin of college hoops junkies.

I've been vocal in my displeasure with the tournament expansion talk. I think everyone has. But for the first time this afternoon, I actually really sat down and thought about it.

And I wasn't disgusted.

I may just be reaching the fifth stage of grieving -- acceptance -- but hear me out.

For starters, the way that it seems to be playing out is that the first weekend of the tournament will turn into the first week. 32 teams -- the top eight seeds from each region -- will get a bye, while 64 more teams will play a play-in game for the last 32 spots on that Tuesday and Wednesday. The Round of 64 and the Round of 32 will continue to be played on the same Thursday-Sunday schedule.

In other words, we won't just be getting 16 games over the course of 12 hours on Thursday and Friday, we will be getting it on Tuesday and Wednesday as well. I'm always a fan of midweek, noontime college hoops. West coasters can pull for an upset while sipping their Starbucks. The only people really hurt by that are the bosses who would have to deal with their employees watching MMOD.

The team's that would be joining the tournament are essentially the teams that would be in the NIT. Typically, the NIT is where you are banished when your team simply isn't good enough, right?

Right. But the NIT has been kind of exciting this season, especially the first round. Memphis beat St. John's on a buzzer beater. Jacksonville banked in a three to beat Arizona State, an eight seed knocking off a one seed. Kent State beat Tulsa in the final minute, while UConn went down to the wire against Northeastern.

Hell, we even had some outrage, albeit minor, over a call in the NIT semis last night.

Look, I'm not saying that this was great basketball. I'm not even saying it was good. But it was exciting. It was fun. The theory right now is that the NIT would essentially be folded into the NCAA's. If the teams came to play in the NIT opening round, you better believe that they would come to play in the NCAA's.

Now imagine if one of those teams makes a run into the second weekend. How long would it take to see a team get three first weekend wins? You're telling me you wouldn't be intrigued by a 20 seed playing a five seed for the right to go to the Sweet 16? Talk about a cinderella story.

Another argument against expansion is that it makes the regular season meaningless. If the NIT is truly being folded into the NCAA Tournament, then that means that all conference regular season champions will be getting automatic bids to the Big Dance as well as the tournament champions.

And believe it or not, there is still going to be a cut line. There won't be 12 ACC teams in the Big Dance. The Big East isn't sending all 16 teams from the conference to the tournament. They may get nine or ten, but there is still going to be a bubble. Its just further down the totem pole.

There is also another dynamic here as well. The bye line.

Perhaps the most interesting race in the college basketball regular season is for conference tournament byes. If Georgetown is the nine seed instead of the eight seed in the Big East tournament, do they still make the finals playing that extra game? Three games in five days is a tough thing to do, let alone three NCAA Tournament games. It will wear on you mentally and physically. For a team at the 8-9 cut line, the difference could be a real shot at upsetting a #1 seed.

No, the regular season is going to matter quite a bit.

I love the tournament the way it is set up. Its nearly perfect the way it is (that stupid play-in game). If it were up to me, I wouldn't change a thing.

But its not up to me. And it is looking more and more likely that this is going to happen.

Maybe its time we all just accept our fate, make the best of it, and move on.