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Georgia’s Tom Crean says expanding the NCAA Tournament is ‘a fantastic idea’

After Thad Matta turned down Georgia's offer, the school may turn to Tom Crean. Crean was born March 25, 1966 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Crean's wife, Joani, is the sister of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh. Georgia reportedly reached out to Crean to gauge his interest in the job soon after it fired Mark Fox. Crean previously coached at Marquette and Indiana. In nine seasons at Marquette, Crean’s record was 190-96, a winning percentage. In nine seasons at Indiana,
By Juliakate E Culpepper
June 7, 2018

Georgia basketball coach Tom Crean is all for expanding the NCAA Tournament.

In a report Thursday by The Macon Telegraph, Crean said expanding tournament field from 68 teams to 72 teams would only be good for the sport.

“I think it’s a fantastic idea,” Crean said. “We’re not talking about making it another week, right? I’m for anything that’s going to continue to bring more attention to it. You look at where it’s at right now. You look at the finances that are behind it, the sponsorships that are behind it, the TV coverage that is behind it. I don’t think there’s a downside to that.”

The potential change to the number of teams that could clinch a tournament spot is based on a proposal from the ACC from May, which was discussed among coaches at SEC leaders at recent spring meetings.

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