PITTSBURGH -- Count Kentucky's John Calipari and Oakland's Greg Kampe among the growing chorus of college basketball voices urging the NCAA to resist making more changes to March Madness.

The two head coaches in Thursday's first-round NCAA Tournament matchup between the third-seeded Wildcats and 14th-seeded Golden Grizzlies both acknowledged that their signature event is special because of matchups like their own.

"I hope it stays where it is," Calipari said of rumored expansion from the current field of 68 teams. "You know, I know people get mad. They get mad at the committee. You won't believe this: I've been mad at that committee a few times... it's part of the NCAA Tournament, not getting in, getting in, bad seed, good seed."

Calipari, of course, speaks from the position of being near the top of the college basketball mountain. Kentucky is making its NCAA-record 61st appearance in the event this year. The Wildcats have won 130 games and eight championships in their illustrious history.

Oakland, a small school located just north of Detroit, has a much different perspective. The Golden Grizzlies moved up to D-I in 1999-2000, have now made four trips to the NCAA Tournament, and are seeking their first win.

While those appearances have not come as frequently as they have to a college hoops Goliath like Kentucky, they might mean even more to Oakland's David. With talk about expanding the field to as many as 96 teams, coaches like Kampe know that it's not necessarily an effort to get more Davids into March Madness.

If it doesn't mean more opportunities for teams like his own, he thinks the NCAA should resist the urge to expand.

"You know, we're what make this tournament, the little guy," Kampe said. "Why does everybody love 'Hoosiers,' right? The greatest movie. Why? Because the little guy. And today is the anniversary of the day that Jimmy Chitwood in real life made the shot. I don't know if you knew that, but it is... That's what college basketball is. That's why it's one of the three greatest sporting events in the world."

Under the right conditions on Thursday, Oakland might have its own Jimmy Chitwood, Kampe suggested.

"Don't take that away from us," he said.

"It''s too good a thing," Calipari said. "It's the event. Like, you could tell I'm excited about coaching in this... Keep it where it is. Don't mess with something that's great."