But maybe that's not such a bad thing.

With the NCAA considering opting out of its CBS deal and moving the tournament to ESPN— a prospect mainly generating attention for the possibility that the tournament field might be greatly expanded — imagine what else could change about overall coverage.

If that move happens, viewers might be watching the last NCAA tournament coverage involving any decaf — or much restraint.

For CBS, the NCAA selection show Sunday was a concise, hour-long lead-in for its 60 Minutes that allowed casual fans to get basic information and move on. But it's not hard to imagine ESPN turning the selection show into a marathon yakfest — perhaps devoting an hour to each of the four regionals? — that would go on and on across prime time.

CBS offered up its usual visual clichés of players jumping around after their team selection flashed onscreen — although top-seeded Kansas remained motionless Sunday — and an interview with the inevitably diplomatic selection committee chairman. Sunday, committee head Dan Guerrero shockingly revealed that "we wanted to make sure we worked real hard to give everyone a fair shot."

No other playoff generates as much attention to teams that barely make or miss its field. But for all the bracketology babble, CBS hardly milked it. Studio analyst Seth Davis didn't exactly rage about the bubble team verdicts: "You can quibble, but there's nothing here where you can say they missed it bad."

Not so on ESPN, where its analysts did more than quibble after CBS signed off. "The committee members are not capable of judging basketball," noted Bob Knight. And Jay Bilas suggested CBS isn't headed for lots of big upsets: "This is the weakest at-large field in the history of the NCAA tournament!" Dick Vitale was emphatic: "The Midwest is dynamite!!!"

In CBS, and ESPN — whose running commentary will continue throughout NCAA games it doesn't air — viewers can choose between networks that provide the biggest contrast in TV sports in approaching the same sport so differently. And as CBS now rolls out its largely unchanged tournament coverage — among announcers on its eight on-air game teams, only play-by-play caller Spero Dedes is new — viewers might be watching the last TV NCAA tournament that isn't, no matter what happens in the games, just absolutely awesome!