Kentucky's John Calipari slams talk of expanded NCAA tournament - ESPN

PITTSBURGH — Count Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari among the ever-growing group of outspoken critics against expanding the NCAA tournament.

Speaking Wednesday from Pittsburgh ahead of his No. 3-seeded Wildcats' first-round matchup against No. 14-seed Oakland, Calipari urged officials to keep the tournament from ballooning past its current 68-team format.

Sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel last week there are ongoing discussions about expanding the men's tournament to one featuring no more than 80 teams.

«I hope it stays where it is,» Calipari said. «You know, I know people get mad. They get mad at the committee. You won't believe this. I've been mad at that committee a few times. But you may be mad because of your seed or where they've shipped you to.… But it doesn't matter who the committee is. We're all going to be upset.»

Calipari referred to the newly expanded format for the College Football Playoff and how more teams getting in will also mean more teams being angry over being left out.

«This is a business trip for me,» Calipari said. «And I'll say everybody that's in this thing, I would say they'd say the same thing — keep it where it is. Don't mess with something that's great.»

Oakland coach Greg Kampe, who is in his 40th season with the Golden Grizzlies, echoed Calipari in spurning the possibility of a tournament with as many as 80 teams.

«This is the holy grail for mid-majors, right? It is,» Kampe said. «And I've said this many times over the last week. The NCAA basketball tournament — please don't change it, please don't change it. But it is one of the three greatest sporting events in the world.»

Thamel reported that one consequence of expanding the field and revamping the qualification and bid process