# Why 65 teams in the NCAA Tournament?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-65-teams-in-the-ncaa-tournament/348170>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 13, 2006, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-65-teams-in-the-ncaa-tournament/348170 "2006-03-13T15:07:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2006, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-65-teams-in-the-ncaa-tournament/348170/21 "2006-03-17T01:35:12Z")

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Kid\_A writes:

\> The play-in game always happens in Dayton. I’ll try to find out why.

The idea for the play-in game came from the aliens. You know, the ones who landed in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947 and who ever since have been living in Hanger 18 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton. It’s something about them trying to get us used to their alien logic. There’s a special hidden balcony in the basketball court in Dayton that allows them to watch the game while being kept at their native gravity and atmosphere.

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**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2006, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-65-teams-in-the-ncaa-tournament/348170/22 "2006-03-17T01:39:02Z")

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That’s better than any explanation I could find. Let’s go with it.

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**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2006, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-65-teams-in-the-ncaa-tournament/348170/23 "2006-03-17T13:33:35Z")

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> [@SaintCad](#):
>
> To answer the question:  
> Under the rules, the committee must select the 34 “best” teams once the conference winners are determined (by tournament in all but the Ivy League). This rule was not changed when the new conference was introduced, ergo there are 65 teams.

Technically correct, but precisely what is sacred about having 34 at-large teams and not 33? Let’s face it- the 30th thru 34th at large teams have no chance whatsoever to win the tournament.

Why Dayton? Darned if I know. But they seemed to always have hosted far more than their share of tourney games.

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