CBKB: An unpredictable NAA Tournament?

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Even though the bracket has changed a bit, the way it is filled in by the NCAA tournament selection committee remains the same.

Wins matter more than conference affiliations. Schedule strength and road wins get more credit than margin of victory, and finishing strong matters.

Selection committee chairman Gene Smith believes the first 68-team bracket in NCAA history will be as competitive and upset-friendly as the 65-team brackets have been.

"I think this year will be a lot more unpredictable," the Ohio State athletic director told reporters during a conference call Wednesday.

So, what's new? Plenty.

All games will be televised to all regions of the country, from start to finish, and the game times will be staggered. Instead of choosing 34 at-large teams, the 10-member selection committee will select 37. Instead of pairing two teams against one another in the opening round, the last four automatic qualifiers and the last four at-large selections will all play one extra game.

"Once we select and begin to bracket, I think (the last four at-large seeds) will fall into place," Smith said. "It's not anything different than what we've done before. It's the four automatic qualifiers and the four at-larges, so it won't be that much of a difference."

Inside NCAA headquarters, where the committee is meeting this week, Smith insists little has changed.

He brushed off the annual questions about how many teams could make it from one conference, how schools can overcome weak nonconference schedules and whether teams from the West might get "overlooked."

Smith offered a simple solution to all three: "You win. I think at the end of the day, winning is a very important criteria."