Thus begins the rant of the day:

Welcome to March madness; an event every sports fan waits for all year, much like the Super Bowl. With March madness upon us there are a few things I like to get off my chest:

#1 -- Why is it that the "Western conference" is played in the East? The last time I checked, east and west are on opposite sides of the country! It frustrates me to no end that fans of colleges that reside on the West Coast are forced to travel across the country to watch their own teams compete in the tournament. How does this benefit the students of these colleges? I understand that television revenue drives everything nowadays, but it is ridiculous that the NCAA finds it appropriate to force Western-based colleges and their fans to spend exorbitant amounts of money on tickets as well as the cost of travel to go watch their favorite team compete on the other side of the country. This is just the latest in a long string of awful decisions by the NCAA and proves once again that the leadership of the NCAA needs to be summarily dismissed. At best this shows the NCAA's irresponsibility.

#2 -- Why does the NCAA feel it necessary to have a "game before the games" on Tuesday? Having a game to determine the whipping boy for the country's number one team is pathetic at best. When did we find it necessary to get more excitement built up for the tournament? They certainly did not require this in years past; why now? The answer is quite simple: revenue. The NCAA wanted to find a way to get even more money by getting ESPN involved in the tournament directly. Will this mean more money for the schools, I think not. This just proves the greed of the NCAA lives well in its "leadership".

#3 -- Why are several hours required to hold the NCAA tournament selection show? The answer to this question is quite clear: revenue. Are you starting to see the pattern in this discussion? The fact that they drag this 15 minute event on for hours shows the NCAA's greed, as well as the television networks. While we are on the subject of the selection committee, why is it so difficult for them to figure out who the best teams are? The fact that teams like Arizona State was left out of the tournament in 2008, which nearly everyone questioned, shows the ineptitude of the selection committee as well as the arrogance. Clearly, there is a bias toward the East Coast teams, but we certainly did not need a very evident reminder. Will someone please get rid of the NCAA or at least dramatically revamp it?!

As much as I enjoy the NCAA tournament, I find it necessary to bring up some very obvious points of correction. Competing in and winning tournament games is such a vital part of the schools' revenue, allowing them to hire better instructors, make improvements in the school, and generally bringing attention to programs such as Mount St. Mary's that may go overlooked otherwise, that it is pathetic when the NCAA decides to ruin this time with their own greed. Please don't get me wrong, I adore tournament time. There is nothing better than watching a full day of excellent basketball being played at the highest level, and seeing teams overachieve on a national stage. All I'm asking for is someone to look at the way the NCAA handles their affairs and to correct their many errors and their clear arrogance.