The NCAA Tournament is one of the most beloved sporting events in the country.
The vast majority of people around the sports world are content with the action-packed 64 team field. But, as with any tournament format, there are some lone dissenters.
Missouri head coach Dennis Gates would like to see the tournament field double.
“I would like to see it double, to be honest with you. There are some great coaches left out of the tournament and some great players we don’t get to see,” he said, per college basketball reporter Kyle Tucker.
The college basketball world took to Twitter to react to these comments from Gates.
“Ah yes. Let’s expand the tournament so more coaches can earn their contract bonuses. Genius level stuff,” one fan wrote.
“Why are people determined to ruin one of the best events in sports?” another asked.
“OF COURSE the Missouri basketball coach approves of tournament expansion,” another said.
It makes sense that the Missouri basketball coach would push for an expanded NCAA Tournament field. The Tigers program has made just one postseason appearance since 2018 — falling to Oklahoma in the first round of the 2021 tournament.
Gates was named as the program’s 20th head coach earlier this year. Before taking over in Columbia, Gates spent three seasons as head coach for Cleveland State. There, he led the Vikings to two-straight NCAA Tournament appearances as champions of the Horizon League.