Spring Break
Point: NCAA should bring back consolation game to Final Four
Chris Licata
Issue date: 4/3/03 Section: Sports
As we head into Final Four weekend, the only thing that might detract from the excitement is the fact that it will all be over after three games. However, that was not always the case. Final Four weekend used to mean that you got four games. That's right, four games. Not even Mark Osborne can refute that four is more than three! What was that fourth game you ask? Why, it was the national consolation game, or the third place game.
The consolation game was last played in the 1981 NCAA Tournament when Virginia defeated Louisiana State. After that season the NCAA did away with the consolation game, sending the losers of the national semifinals packing right after their games. Ever since, the NCAA Tournament has never lost any of it's excitement, to say the least, but having an extra game couldn't hurt it.
By playing an extra game in the Final Four nobody is getting hurt. In fact, it only helps feed the need of die hard college basketball fans like myself to see as many games as possible. In addition, you know that this consolation game would be exciting because if these teams were good enough to get to the Final Four they would definitely put up an excellent showing.
I know the leading argument of some people may be that by playing this consolation game you are taking attention away from the National Championship game, which is most important. But this could easily be solved by doing one of two things.
First, if people are that concerned about it stealing the spotlight of the championship game they could play the consolation game on the day before the final. The national semi-finals are held on Saturday and the championship on Monday, so why not play the consolation game on that Sunday? The other thing is that the consolation game would be an under card match-up to the main event that is that the title game; it would merely wet the appetites of the fans for the next game. Besides think of all the people in attendance that day. I don't think that any fans would mind going to the arena and getting two games for the price of one.
Having a consolation game would also help the schools that play in it. For instance it would be more powerful for a coach to tell a prospective player that they were the third best team in the country last year as opposed to, "We made the Final Four and lost, but if we had played Syracuse instead of Marquette we would have been in the finals."
Not just for recruiting it gives the university the ability to make some more money by selling tickets to one more game, because now that they are in the Final Four they can guarantee ticket holders that they will see two games even if they do not make the championship game.
There is no good reason why the NCAA shouldn't play a consolation game and it would only add to the flavor of March Madness.
The consolation game was last played in the 1981 NCAA Tournament when Virginia defeated Louisiana State. After that season the NCAA did away with the consolation game, sending the losers of the national semifinals packing right after their games. Ever since, the NCAA Tournament has never lost any of it's excitement, to say the least, but having an extra game couldn't hurt it.
By playing an extra game in the Final Four nobody is getting hurt. In fact, it only helps feed the need of die hard college basketball fans like myself to see as many games as possible. In addition, you know that this consolation game would be exciting because if these teams were good enough to get to the Final Four they would definitely put up an excellent showing.
I know the leading argument of some people may be that by playing this consolation game you are taking attention away from the National Championship game, which is most important. But this could easily be solved by doing one of two things.
First, if people are that concerned about it stealing the spotlight of the championship game they could play the consolation game on the day before the final. The national semi-finals are held on Saturday and the championship on Monday, so why not play the consolation game on that Sunday? The other thing is that the consolation game would be an under card match-up to the main event that is that the title game; it would merely wet the appetites of the fans for the next game. Besides think of all the people in attendance that day. I don't think that any fans would mind going to the arena and getting two games for the price of one.
Having a consolation game would also help the schools that play in it. For instance it would be more powerful for a coach to tell a prospective player that they were the third best team in the country last year as opposed to, "We made the Final Four and lost, but if we had played Syracuse instead of Marquette we would have been in the finals."
Not just for recruiting it gives the university the ability to make some more money by selling tickets to one more game, because now that they are in the Final Four they can guarantee ticket holders that they will see two games even if they do not make the championship game.
There is no good reason why the NCAA shouldn't play a consolation game and it would only add to the flavor of March Madness.