***Official 2025 NCAA Tournament Thread***

[CycloneErik]

However, see if that changes in coming years if this years results continue. A lot of the allure for casual fans, especially in the early rounds, is the potential for anyone to go on a run. If people don't think that's as possible anymore, they won't tune in that first weekend.

Heck, junkies like me will tune out from boredom.
I'm sure there aren't that many junkies ready to tune out, so maybe it won't matter, but this definitely isn't a draw.

 

[FriendlySpartan]

Loser pays $50 to the collective I’ll take AU

Done! Good luck and honestly kinda hope I lose this one

 

[Cyhig]

I’m sure it’s been said, but if the future of basketball is just 3 point shooting, the sport will die quickly

Can’t stand watching the NBA because of this. And Alabama took 66 shot attempts with 51 of those 3 point attempts

That’s not how basketball was intended to be played

 

[Cychl82]

Done! Good luck and honestly kinda hope I lose this one

My only reasoning is actually the lack of consistency in the schedule for Duke. I think love is way overrated but the matchup for AZ could be favorable because of the competition difference

 

[Clonehomer]

You mean their highest ratings in decades? I’m pretty sure CBS is ok with that

It’ll take a few years of this for the ratings to be hit. But if those first round games become boring, you’re going to see a huge hit in ratings over time as less people take time away from working to watch. It’s not like people were going to immediately turn off the games this year because there were so few upsets. But it’ll slowly deteriorate until the tournament only matters to true CBB fans.

 

[alarson]

It’ll take a few years of this for the ratings to be hit. But if those first round games become boring, you’re going to see a huge hit in ratings over time as less people take time away from working to watch. It’s not like people were going to immediately turn off the games this year because there were so few upsets. But it’ll slowly deteriorate until the tournament only matters to true CBB fans.

Yep. The later rounds will always get ratings because big fanbases = big ratings.

But the ratings of the first weekend come from millions of casual fans turning in, fans who may not watch many games all year, who love the 'madness'.

If the first weekend were to become as chalky as the womens' is, that draw will fall off and fast.

 

[FriendlySpartan]

It’ll take a few years of this for the ratings to be hit. But if those first round games become boring, you’re going to see a huge hit in ratings over time as less people take time away from working to watch. It’s not like people were going to immediately turn off the games this year because there were so few upsets. But it’ll slowly deteriorate until the tournament only matters to true CBB fans.

Maybe but this will take a really long time and it only takes a couple upsets for people to remember the year that way. A Duke losing to Mercer, a 16 beating a 1, doesn’t take much. Clemsons slaughter was close but just wasn’t quite a high enough seed.

Also to the average fan having teams like Kansas and UConn drop count as big upsets despite the seeding

 

[FLYINGCYCLONE]

It’ll take a few years of this for the ratings to be hit. But if those first round games become boring, you’re going to see a huge hit in ratings over time as less people take time away from working to watch. It’s not like people were going to immediately turn off the games this year because there were so few upsets. But it’ll slowly deteriorate until the tournament only matters to true CBB fans.

So are we getting to the bowl games that don’t matter, being the same as some of the round 1 games? So what does that do to teams like ISU ?

 

[Pharmacy99]

My only reasoning is actually the lack of consistency in the schedule for Duke. I think love is way overrated but the matchup for AZ could be favorable because of the competition difference

Proctor for Duke is really good.

 

[madguy30]

Love might be overrated but he also just kind of floats around and can get going from about anywhere.

 

[CycloneDaddy]

Would have been nice if they spaced these games out more.

 

[FriendlySpartan]

Proctor for Duke is really good.

They really have formed an annoyingly well balanced team

 

[HoopsTournament]

They just called a Blarge in the Arizona-Duke game.

 

[CY88CE11]

Pretty blatant charge there.

 

[cayin]

of course Duke gets that call. geez

 

[Cyhig]

Another blarge?

 

[isufbcurt]

Blarge in the Duke AZ game

 

[Jeffreyisu]

If it's a double foul on each guy, it's not a foul at all, it's just called playing basketball.

 

[Malone]

Refs continue to be utter trash at the highest level of games

 

[PizzaTheHutt]

I’m cheering for Arizona’s cheerleaders. I hope they go far