All college basketball fans already appreciate the work of Joe Lunardi, the college basketball aficionado who has made the tournament his own in much the same way Mel Kiper Jr. has taken ownership of the NFL Draft through the years. Although Lunardi has not parlayed his expertise into the financial security ad year-round presence of Kiper, he's no less an expert.
And while Lunardi maintains his regular job as assistant vice president for marketing and communications at St. Joseph's University he rarely misses when predicting the tournament field because he understands the selection process quite well.
Still, ESPN has added someone even more versed in the workings of the tournament selection committee this year: Greg Shaheen, the former NCAA executive vice president for championships and alliances. He worked closely with the selection committee during his 11-year tenure from 2001-12.
The beauty and value Lunardi and Shaheen should provide for viewers comes with a start-to-finish perspective. While Lunardi points out who's likely in the field and who's not, Shaheen can share insights about the process and timing of the selection committee's work.
They both do good work and ESPN's ongoing relationship with Lunardi as well as its decision to add Shaheen show the importance of adding the right talent at the right time -- even for broadcasters.
Expressing expansion
When the tournament went from 64 to 65 teams, it grew by one team but the impact was even greater. That's certainly true with the current field of 68 teams -- thanks in large part to how the media shapes its conversation about the selection process.
For example, when Lunardi talks about the tournament, the discussion has been parsed into segments, and the segments do not add up to 68. Here are the specifics ...
-- Last Four In, that means the group that gets the field to 68
-- First Four Out, pushing the discussion to 72
-- Next Four, expanding the conversation to 76.
And, in the buildup to Selection Sunday and the announcement of the backets much more time will be spent on the Last Four In and beyond than on any other regarding the makeup of the tournament field. Sure, debates will range a little bit about top seeds and who plays were but the most vocal debate will be about who's not in and why.
Quite honestly, though (and kudos to the experts who will point this out), who cares? We're talking about teams just barely making the field when the tournament exists to crown a winner.
That's not to say a team's inability to make the field does not come without casualties. Most notably that would include coaches whose teams miss the field, Virginia Tech's Seth Greenberg, for example, and Northwestern's Bill Carmody just this week.
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