Is bigger always better?

An NCAA Tournament expansion being mulled, but nothing formal. Plus, how Illinois and Butler are making the transfer portal work in their favor, and much more.

October 06, 2022

The MLB playoff bracket has a familiar look this season. Twelve teams, and no re-seeding after the wild card games. So this image has the paths for each team to win. Hm. Sounds like baseball finally learned how to bracket.

Then again, the NCAA is reportedly throwing around ideas about its already ideal bracket. So let's get to the news.

STARTING FIVE

1. A Big(ger) Dance discussion

Some NCAA officials are reportedly discussing a proposal that would expand the NCAA Division I postseason tournaments by as much as 25 percent. This could include the NCAA Tournament, but that is far down the road. Probably.

“They've thrown the concept out there for the commissioners to consider and go back to their ADs,” one league commissioner told CBS Sports. “At this point, they're talking about baseball, they're talking about all [sports], it's not just a basketball conversation. But everyone knows basketball will be the thing that moves the needle the most.”

Other NCAA officials told CBS Sports that it’s far too early to include the NCAA Tournament in such discussions. Others flat-out said it’s the thing in college basketball that doesn’t need to be tweaked. It reportedly did not get discussed by the men’s and women’s basketball oversight committees this week.

Changes to the at-large format were a hot topic during the summer. Any formal expansion discussion would be just as heated, primarily since it would involve more money (Turner, the existing media rights holder, would need to pay more) and worries about the quality of play.

Expanding to 90 teams would simply change the bubble discussion, and the bubble already features a handful of subpar teams. Adding more teams would just mean more games, not necessarily good basketball.

Also on the change front:

High-major teams have a history of not renewing a player (“running them off”) if they want to use the scholarship on a different player. One hopes that if leaving a school wasn’t really a player’s choice, the NCAA wouldn’t enact a rule that hurts the player.

2. Illinois’ flexible lineup construction

We’re highlighting transfer portal winners this week. Want more about the portal winners? Buy your copy of The Almanac. A bargain for $20.

Indiana is the favorite to win the Big Ten, but there’s plenty of room for challengers. Look no further than Brad Underwood’s Illini, who have finished first and second in the past two seasons. They turned to the transfer portal to bring in talent (Terrence Shannon, Matthew Mayer, Dain Dainja) and are expected to start freshman guard Skyy Clark.

But what if Clark is a typical freshman and struggles?

Underwood got experimental in the last month trying out different lineups during Illinois’ fall workouts. Stocking up on wings with varied skill sets gives the Illini coach that option. One bigger lineup — at least in terms of positional size — saw Terrence Shannon Jr. running the point.

“The basis of what we did this fall was really teaching our guys how to play and be unselfish and very basic concepts and fundamental stuff,” Underwood said. “We’re still trying to figure out and get a grasp of Terrence Shannon’s game. Can he score in the post? Is he this or that? Where’s Matt (Mayer) comfortable? Where do we get RJ (Melendez) his opportunities at? All of that stuff plays into it. As chemistry builds and roles become defined, it kind of works itself out in a lot of ways.”

Shannon, a 6-6 wing who played at Texas Tech the past three seasons, has always shown flashy athleticism but never spent much time at the point.

Still, if you’re an Illini fan, the idea of a lineup with five players 6-6 or taller has to be exciting. Early season games could see Shannon flanked by wings Mayer, RJ Melendez, Ty Rodgers and big man Coleman Hawkins, which is exactly the kind of versatility Illinois could never feature with Kofi Cockburn the past two years. It’s also exactly the type of info The Almanac expands upon.

Replacing Kofi Cockburn is impossible. A multi-time All-American can’t be replaced by one player. Thus, versatility, especially on defense, becomes one of Illinois’ most important factors. The Illini can essentially switch at any position, as Underwood explained.

“I think we have a chance to be an elite defensive team,” he said. “We have so much positional size that we just haven’t had.”

3. Two programs land much-needed impact recruits

Better days may be ahead for Mike Hopkins’ Washington program.

He expects a stout defense this season (bolstered by four transfers). By 2023-24, the Huskies should have a new starter in place as well. Wesley Yates, a top-35 prospect, said Wednesday that he’s headed to UW. (Family ties always seem to help; Yates is the cousin of Quincy Pondexter, a legend at UW and a current assistant on Hopkins staff.)

The 6-4 guard should thrive in Washington’s 2-3 zone, as his length will help him disrupt the passing lanes.

Another program in need of a talent influx, Missouri hauled in 2023 4-star recruit Jordan Butler, who chose the Tigers over Auburn and his hometown team, South Carolina. It’s a major boost to the second recruiting class for coach Dennis Gates.

Butler is a lanky 7-footer who’ll need to add weight once he gets on campus next season, as 195 pounds likely gets pushed around in the SEC. He’s Mizzou’s third 2023 commitment, joining forward Trent Pierce and guard Anthony Robinson.

4. How does Butler look in Thad Matta’s first season?

Butler might be the biggest unknown in the Big East.

Former coach (and alum) Thad Matta ended his retirement and promptly revamped the roster with four transfers, three of whom — Eric Hunter Jr., Ali Ali and Manny Bates — expect to start.

They weren’t small moves, either. Bates is a shot-blocker extraordinaire. The 6-foot-10, 230-pound Jalen Thomas is a beast inside. We’ll see if Butler can score consistently (Ali Ali should help), but as Lukas Harkins highlights in this in-depth piece, the defense has elite potential.

Also key? Eric Hunter Jr. The 23-year-old was one of the top defenders in the Big Ten during his time at Purdue and should bring a similar impact to another school in Indy. He’ll mesh well with returning starters Chuck Harris and Simas Lukosius.

As a reminder, you can always learn more about Butler with The Almanac.

5. Time for a Southern Conference rule update

When you’re the only conference that prevents intra-conference transfers from playing right away, it’s probably time to reserve the course and join the rest of college basketball.

The Southern conference is preventing sophomore guard Honor Huff from playing for Chattanooga this season under current conference guidelines. Huff transferred from VMI when his coach, Dan Earl, made the same move.

Yes, the coach who brought Huff to VMI left, and Huff now wants to play for the staff who recruited him.

Huff told CBSSports the following: “He (Earl) was the only one who pulled the trigger and gave me an opportunity, then he gave me another opportunity as a freshman,” Huff said. “I really enjoy the coaching staff and it was an easy decision to make the move. It's a conference I'm familiar with, having played in it for a year. It's a good mid-major conference. I wasn't really considering any other schools heavily.”

It would be a bad look if Huff is unable to play this season while virtually every other transfer in America earned immediate eligibility. When Southern Conference officials meet Thursday, here’s hoping they discuss his waiver request.

THE FAST BREAK

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