"Shocking" score

[patrick_o'brian]

I can't help but wonder how many other VCUs or Butlers there might have been if the NCAA selection committee would allow the top teams in every conference to get bids. Does anyone doubt that Wichita State (or Missouri State) would have been capable of pulling a couple "upsets", or maybe even advancing as far as VCU or Butler?

For the MVC to not get their #1 team and their #2 team into the NCAA tournament is appalling, especially when one conference got their 11th place team in, and a number of teams with conference records of .500 or lower got in.

I agree with this completely DC.Wichita and Mo. St could have made some noise in this year's tournament, but then Kent State would have been in the tournament and we would have been still looking for a coach sooooooo........ Maybe in worked in our favor!

[TheAsianSensation]

For the MVC to not get their #1 team and their #2 team into the NCAA tournament is appalling, especially when one conference got their 11th place team in, and a number of teams with conference records of .500 or lower got in.

I'm all for the spirit, but given the criteria of .500 conference records or worse getting in....this year was actually one of the best years ever for not selecting anyone under .500 and leaving out plenty of .500 teams.

[TheAsianSensation]

Couple of random responses to other posts:

1) The Great West will never get the 32nd auto-bid - they need to maintain a core group of members in conference for several years for the NCAA to improve them, and there's already basically a handshake deal that all of those teams are looking for a more permanent conference and that the Great West is not the destination. Don't worry about them.

2) I'm all for bragging for mid-majors in general, but let's not cite the "winning all 4 tournaments" as relevant. Cite the big two tournaments. But I sure hope the midmajors sweep the CIT and CBI when there's all of one non-midmajor team in both tournaments combined

[TheAsianSensation]

Also, the NCAA leaves it up for each conference to select their automatic qualifier. Everyone goes to the tournament route to decide it. The simple counter to "the NCAA should let all the regular season conference champs" is, "Just do what the Ivy does, and then you get your best shot at making noise in the tournament".

And if the MVC wants to get an at-large, their teams should stop pissing away every possible quality win.


I probably sound like a Bilas, but you all know my heart is in the mid-major camp. We just need to be careful with these arguments. Mid majors shouldn't get bids just for the sake of taking away from the big boys.

[RedSoxDSM]

TAS, we all know why all of the conferences except the Ivy have the postseason conference tournaments decide the autobid. It generates interest and more importantly more $ for the conference. If the conference tourneys did not generate more money for the conferences, then I am sure they would get rid of them. I am still not sure why the Ivy choses to not have a conference tournament. Maybe they actually have real student athletes who don't want to miss more classes then they already do.

I do think there are some fringe teams in the BIG 6 conferences that really did not belong this year that should have been replaced my mid-majors, but I understand how the selection of these teams works. I just think expanding the tournament to allow more good midmajors in it would be a good thing. I would have liked to have seen Missouri St., Witchita St., Harvard, Milwaukee and some others in the dance. I could have done without Michigan St. and Clemson and a few other mediocre Big 6 teams. No matter how many teams are in the tourney the Big 6 will always get more than their fair share of teams in, so I really don't think we need to be worried about them.

[LittleBrave]

If the Shockers win tonight...

they will be the 1st mid-major school to win the NIT since Fresno St. in 1983. I would imagine the WAC is considered a mid-major conf., right? There was another mid-major team that won the year before, but my memory escapes me as to who it was. (???)

Other non-BCS schools that have won since 1983 are:
Dayton (2010)
Memphis (2002)
Tulsa (2001)
Southern Miss (1987)

Good luck to a fellow Valley team tonight. It would be a good accomplishment for them even if they fell short of high expectations going into the season. It may be Marshall's last game as Wichita's head coach.

[amckillip]

If the Shockers win tonight...

they will be the 1st mid-major school to win the NIT since Fresno St. in 1983. I would imagine the WAC is considered a mid-major conf., right? There was another mid-major team that won the year before, but my memory escapes me as to who it was. (???)

Other non-BCS schools that have won since 1983 are:
Dayton (2010)
Memphis (2002)
Tulsa (2001)
Southern Miss (1987)

Good luck to a fellow Valley team tonight. It would be a good accomplishment for them even if they fell short of high expectations going into the season. It may be Marshall's last game as Wichita's head coach.

How are Dayton et. al. NOT mid-majors?

[SFP]

Santa Clara won the CIT last night!

[LittleBrave]

How are Dayton et. al. NOT mid-majors?

Do you think that Conf. USA is considered a mid-major? There is no real clear definition unfortunately, but it's pretty much assumed within the A-10 and Conf. USA, and probably Mountain West too, that they are NOT mid-major programs.
Dayton is high-major from what I've heard in recent years. And the MVC was considered to have arrived at high-major a few years ago when we made some noise in the tourney.
We can argue this until the cows come home, but there are so many differing views.

The point is that for a non-BCS school like WSU to win the NIT is not common. In fact, I don't remember a Valley team making it to the semis of the NIT since I've been following the league since 1993.

[BUFanatic]

How are Dayton et. al. NOT mid-majors?

Because C-USA has a championship football game.