July 31
I'm all for a federal judge's ruling which overturned an NCAA rule prohibiting Division I basketball teams from playing in more than two exempt tournaments in a four-year period.

I salute the decision to allow teams to play in a preseason tournament every year. The judge said the NCAA's restrictions violated federal antitrust laws, and he granted a group of tournament promoters and organizers a permanent injunction, basically striking down the two-in-four-years rule.

David vs. Goliath matchups don't normally take place during the season.

Preseason tournaments such as the Great Alaska Shootout, Maui Invitational, Preseason NIT, Las Vegas Classic, San Juan Shootout, Coaches Vs. Cancer and National Association of Basketball Coaches Classic have been hurt by the NCAA's prior restrictions that limited the likes of Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina and Arizona from playing in more than two such events in a four-year period. Spots were filled by less attractive teams, hurting those events and limiting fan interest.

The rule forced 11 of 28 exempt tournaments to be canceled last season because there weren't enough quality teams. Each Division I school is limited to 28 regular-season games, but a team can appear in more by playing in exempt tournaments. A team actually can play in several games in the same tournament, but it only counts as one appearance against the 28-game rule. It makes sense for schools to gain more experience by participating in these events.

Think about it. This gives the opportunity for major programs to travel and perform in Hawaii, Alaska and/or New York on a regular basis. Kids get an opportunity to have a cultural experience.

It also gives an opportunity to the mid-majors to compete against the big boys. Just look at what happened in 2001 when Ball State beat UCLA and Kansas in Maui. These David vs. Goliath matchups don't normally take place during the season. Schools like Butler need the chance to improve their RPI by competing in these events. Yes, that magical RPI is influenced because of such an opportunity.

The bottom line is that this is good news for college basketball. Anything that makes the game better while creating better matchups and more excitement is a positive and whets my appetite.

This will make the competition in the months of November and December special. There will be some big-time events, first class in every way possible. Nothing like some mega-games to kick off the start of the season.