NCAA Tournament faces challenge with expanded opening round

Now that the NCAA Tournament is expanding to 76 teams, other changes have to be made. No one likes this (except for the greedy people who pushed through this proposal), but if we're going to have 76 teams and 12 opening-round March Madness games, college basketball has to make adjustments.

Dayton's place

It's not Peyton's Place, but Dayton's Place, to host opening-round games. Dayton might still host four opening-round games, just as it always has, but scheduling will have to change regardless of whether Dayton still has four opening-round games. This is where we have to dive into various details.

One or two?

The real question for the opening round is whether there should be one non-Dayton host city or two. If it's just one, that means Dayton and the non-Dayton city would host six games each, three on both Tuesday and Wednesday. If two non-Dayton cities host opening-round games, then Dayton would indeed host four games, alongside the other two cities.

Western city

There has to be a Western city or, at the very least, a city close to the Western United States to host some of the opening-round games. Dayton can be a magnet city for Midwestern and Eastern teams. There has to be a convenient city for teams in the Pacific and Mountain time zones. Denver, Albuquerque, and Salt Lake City make obvious sense as relatively central locations. It would not make sense for coastal cities to be part of the rotation since inland schools would have to travel a greater distance.

Southern or South Central Plains city

If the NCAA wants to go for a Southern or South Central Plains location, Dallas, Oklahoma City, and New Orleans would all be realistic options. Dayton would be for "Northern" teams, this location for Southern teams including those in, for instance, Arizona, Southern California and -- on the other side of the country -- Georgia and South Carolina.

NCAA Tournament schedule structure should influence decision

Thinking things through, it makes more sense to have two non-Dayton cities instead of only one, for two main reasons. First, it's a heavier logistical lift for a city to host three games on back-to-back days. When NCAA Tournament first-round games are played, there are four games split into a two-game day session and a two-game night session. All employees working those games can take a mid-afternoon between-session break. With a three-game session, it's unclear if or when on-site personnel can take a break at any point. It doesn't work well. Having three-game sessions on consecutive days seems like an invitation for fatigue for employees, both for TV and for arena workers.

The other reason why two non-Dayton cities makes more sense

The other reason to have a three-city opening-round rotation instead of two (meaning two non-Dayton cities instead of only one) is the geographical flexibility and balance such an arrangement would provide.

If it's just Dayton and Salt Lake City, teams in the Deep South would face long commutes. If it's just Dayton and New Orleans or Dallas, teams on the West Coast would have a long flight. A three-city setup (two non-Dayton cities) enables teams in all parts of the country to have much more manageable travel plans.

Selection Sunday

The expansion of the opening round from the First Four to a 12-game setup should force college basketball to change Selection Sunday. There should be zero games on Selection Sunday so that players can get extra rest before traveling to a Tuesday opening-round site. With zero games on Selection Sunday, the selection show can be held early -- noon, 12:30 or 1 p.m. Eastern time -- so that travel plans can be made and teams can get on a plane Sunday evening and get to their Tuesday site well ahead of time.

Western challenge

There needs to be a Western site for opening-round games, but that also means teams have to be able to get to that Western city with sufficient time to prepare.

Teams cannot be forced to play a game in Denver or Albuquerque with a late-morning local time start on Tuesday, certainly not if the selection show remains Sunday evening (which, of course, it shouldn't). We can discuss a midday start on Wednesday, since there's more time to arrive at the game site, but on Tuesday, a Western city has to host games no earlier than late afternoon (5 p.m. Eastern time, more or less).

Opening-round schedule

If there's a two-city setup, here's how the schedule should go for both Tuesday and Wednesday, with Eastern time tip times, give or take a half hour. Dayton is a given, but the variable is whether the NCAA picks a Western or Southern city. There will be three games in Dayton, three games at the non-Dayton site. This isn't a nine-game layout. It's a six-game schedule. It's a Western OR Southern city, not both:

DAYTON TUESDAY: 3, 5:45, 8:30

WESTERN CITY (DENVER/ABQ/SALT LAKE): 5, 7:45, 10:30

SOUTHERN CITY (OKC/DALLAS/NOLA): 4, 6:45, 9:30

Three-city schedule

If there are three cities, not two, each city is hosting four opening-round games total, two apiece on Tuesday and Wednesday. Here's how the schedule should go, all times Eastern:

DAYTON: 5, 7:45

SOUTHERN CITY: 6:30, 9:15

WESTERN CITY: 8, 10:45

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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: March Madness Expansion: Which cities should host opening round games?