@RML, I can no longer post
your post about top seeds only getting de facto home games some of the time, but you raise a good point. I would hate to see any round of the NCAA Tournament ever leave neutral site locations, as I think that "trip" to another city makes it a sort of destination and unique event. However, it does suck that schools like Duke or UNC seem to be practically guaranteed a First Weekend location instate 90% of years they get a top 4 seed, whereas some programs in states that don't often get sites get screwed.
This would NEVER work, but in my dream world, venues could be "at the ready" to host, and after the selections are announced, the top 8 teams (i.e., #1 and #2 seeds) would get a neutral site location that is effectively a home game, as long as that city has the appropriate arena and infrastructure to host. Using this year's top 8 for the
current Bracket Matrix, it might look something like this for each team's First and Second Round games:
#1 Auburn - Atlanta, GA (State Farm Arena)
#1 Duke - Raleigh, NC (Lenovo Center - NC State's arena)
#1 Houston - Houston, TX (Toyota Center)
#1 Florida - Orlando, FL (Kia Center)
#2 Alabama - Birmingham, AL (Legacy Arena - where we played 'Bama)
#2 Tennessee - Nashville, TN (Bridgestone Arena)
#2 Michigan State - Detroit, MI (Little Caesars Arena)
#2 St. John's - New York, NY (Madison Square Garden - not technically their home arena!)
Again, probably could never happen logistically, but this would give a special honorary status for #1 and #2 seeds. You could then "protect" #3 and #4 seeds in the way that is already done, where the other locations are pre-determined, and you just try your best to get a top seed in a location that is close to home (e.g., using 2025 locations, trying to get #3 Wisconsin in Milwaukee).
