Here’s something that probably won’t make you feel much better. Before deciding to cancel the tournament, the NCAA considered a 16-team alternative, NCAA vice president of men’s basketball Dan Gavitt told the Associated Press.
The next morning, Gavitt presented the idea to the men’s basketball selection committee. He said the hope was to play games starting Thursday at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The city had been scheduled to host the Final Four at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on April 4 and 6.
The idea was to have the selection committee choose the top 16 teams in the country, regardless of conference, to participate.