I agree with most of you that it was very hard to watch. Especially with the audio delay, so painful.

But the format was RIDICULOUS as well. Here is how they can fix it... and still build a little suspense...

* Announcing the Auto-bids in alphabetical order is a useless waste of time. We already know that and if we don't we can Google it in seconds. That was STUPID.
* Announcing the At-Large teams in alphabetical order was strange too. Let's be honest... at least 75% of the at large teams (including VT) knew they would be in there. It was just awkward when Gumbel started reminding us of the alphabet to say "this means Louisville is out" and "Notre Dame not selected". Uhh... there is a better way to do that.

Instead, announce the SEEDS in numerical order, saving the play-in games for last.
* First seeds: Kansas, Villanova, Virgina, Xavier
* Second seeds: Cincinnati, Duke, North Carolina, Purdue
Builds drama... gives some useful information... yet we still will hang in waiting for the actual brackets.

VT fans would started perking up about here:
* Seven seeds: Arkansas, Nevada, Texas A&M, Rhode Island
(OK... unless VT is a 10, we're not playing these teams...)
* Eight seeds: Creighton, Missouri, Seton Hall, Virginia Tech
(WOOHOO! We're in! We're in!... and we're not playing these team either... hmm...)
* Nine seeds: Alabama, Florida State, Kansas State, NC State
(OK... we're not playing FSU or NCSU... so it's Bama or K-State)

Then... we chill while the real drama happens...
* Eleven seeds: Loyola-Chicago, San Diego State... and two First Four games...
Slog thru the 12 - 16 auto-bids... which gives those folks their seeds as they all hope they are not in the 16 play-in games...

Then announce the First Four games. ASU, SBU, Cuse and UCLA exhale and celebrate. That's when the pit in the stomach aches for Louisville, ND, OSU and some others. You can fill some time here discussing who got left out... then pick up the second half hour of the show with the bracket reveal.

By doing it this way... the networks can drag things out like they want to... but still give fans NEW information they can text and tweet about for twenty minutes or so until their actual game is revealed.

I should work for TBS... sheesh!