I suspect that part of the reason Madness is now more about the brackets than teams is the same uber-reason it was a Final Four of 3, 4, 8, and 11 seeds; the really good players (or players thought to have significant potential) are leaving for the NBA after a season or two, so most of the players are relative unknowns to their non-individual=school-supporters (i.e. of course I can name a bunch of my alma mater's team, but could people who aren't alums do so?). It's also hurt the overall quality of play.