NCAA Tournament 2012: 5 Reasons NCAA Must Bring Back 3rd-Place
Game  By (Featured Columnist) on March 28, 2012  2,076 reads   1
of 7 Virginia Commonwealth would have qualified for a
consolation game 30 years prior to their Final Four defeat in
2011. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images  From 1946 until 1981, the
NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship featured a
consolation third-place game.  Virginia beat LSU, 78-74, for the
bronze in the last consolation offered.  Until 1975, there were
also consolation games played in the regional finals. At the
time, the tournament only invited 32 teams, making the third
round the entry into the Final Four.  The school of thought in
eliminating the games was that they were unnecessary and it was
difficult to get teams motivated to play.  Piffle, I say.  The
NIT plays a consolation game. If the consolation tournament can
get kids to play a consolation game, surely the Big Dance can
find a way to sneak this gem in after 30 years of dormancy.
These are the reasons why I belie