The N&R’s Ed Hardin says the ACC tournament “dodged a bullet” with the NCAA’s plan to expand its tournament to 68 teams instead of the proposed 96 teams:

Had the NCAA tournament not come to its senses about expanding the NCAA tournament beyond recognition for 2011, Greensboro would’ve been facing an uncertain future for its nearly annual hosting of the conference tourney. We still might watch it being phased out over time, but at least for the foreseeable future, the ACC tournament will survive as we know it.

That doesn’t mean it’s time to relax and toast our good luck. That means we’ve been given a reprieve and a chance to be ready for what happens next.

Rumored conference expansions and realignments should still be of concern, however. If the Big Ten expands, the SEC will not sit idle, which means the ACC will not sit idle. Further expansion would dilute the ACC brand, meaning less interest in the tournament. Hardin anticipates that problem, saying “(i)f the trend is going to be fewer people making the trip here, the difference has to be made up somehow…..tickets have to hit the streets of Greensboro, and the people here have to know they can get them.”

The NCAA’s new TV deal actually has me worried about the strength of the March Madness brand. Is it ever a good sign when any league broadcasts its championship game on cable?