CIT tournament field set

[Da Coach]

Here is the complete CIT tournament field just released-

http://www.collegeinsider.com/tournament/schedule-results.php

Only 1 MVC team-Missouri State
UNI and Illinois State might be in the CBI?



FIRST ROUND

Monday, March 17
Holy Cross (19-13) @ Brown (15-13)

Tuesday, March 18
VMI (19-12) @ Canisius (20-12)
Wright State (20-14) @ East Carolina (17-16)
Norfolk State (19-14) @ Eastern Michigan (21-14)
Chattanooga (18-14) @ ETSU (18-15)
Columbia (19-12) @ Valparaiso (18-15)
Alabama State (19-12) @ Sam Houston State (23-10)
Portland State (17-14) @ San Diego

Wednesday, March 19
Quinnipiac (20-11) @ Yale (15-13)
Towson (23-10) @ USC Upstate (19-14)
Cleveland State (21-11) @ Ohio (23-11)
Akron (21-12) @ IPFW (24-10)
Murray State (18-11) @ Missouri State (20-12)
North Dakota (17-16) @ Nebraska-Omaha (16-14)
Texas A&M Corpus Christi (17-15) @ Northern Colorado (18-13)
Pacific (15-15) @ Grand Canyon (15-14)

SECOND ROUND
March 21-22

QUARTERFINALS
March 25-27

SEMIFINALS
April 1

CHAMPIONSHIP
April 3

[cpacmel]

Here is the complete CIT tournament field just released-

http://www.collegeinsider.com/tournament/schedule-results.php

Only 1 MVC team-Missouri State
UNI and Illinois State might be in the CBI?

Uni already declined postseason.

ISU in the CBI: http://www.gazellegroup.com/events/c...14_bracket.pdf

[Da Coach]

The first postseason tournament gams is tonight- in the opener of the CIT Holy Cross won 68-65 at Brown-

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=400546978

[Da Coach]

7 more CIT games Tuesday night-

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/scoreboard?date=20140318&confId=56

[tornado]

EMU advances - ex-BU Brave Jerome Robinson is an assistant coach & ex-BU recruit Kerrington Ward had 6 pts, 3 reb

Valpo's season ends but Alec Peters had yet another nice game 14 pts/ 5 rebs

[Da Coach]

EMU advances - ex-BU Brave Jerome Robinson is an assistant coach & ex-BU recruit Kerrington Ward had 6 pts, 3 reb

Easten Michigan had a pretty good season in the MAC, winning 21 games, and buying their way into the CIT.
They also had maybe the most embarrassing home crowd in the history of these postseason tournaments. The only averaged 901 fans at their home games this year, so basketball does not seem to be a draw at EMU. But for their game last night in the CIT against Norfolk State they drew just 373 fans!.

It was embarrassing enough, but one of their players took to twitter to deride their own students and fans for the poor support-
Senior guard Glenn Bryant tweeted-

We FORSURE got the top 5 worst support in the NCAA, it's almost 30,000 students go to this school smh, y'all at ALL the parties tho

http://deadspin.com/emu-player-rightfully-pissed-only-373-people-came-to-wa-1546885385?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitter&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

[Da Coach]

There are 8 more first round CIT games tonight (Wed. 3/19), including Murray State at Missouri State-

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/scoreboard?date=20140319&confId=56

[tornado]

Missouri State loses at home to Murray State 66-63 in front of 2910 fans...
they held the lead almost all of the 2nd half save for just a few seconds...
but those few seconds were crucial...
Missouri State lead 63-60 with 2:46 left then MSU did not score again and Murray State scored the final 6 pts - taking the lead with just 20 seconds left.

[Braves2006]

Missouri State loses at home to Murray State 66-63 in front of 2910 fans...
they held the lead almost all of the 2nd half save for just a few seconds...
but those few seconds were crucial...
Missouri State lead 63-60 with 2:46 left then MSU did not score again and Murray State scored the final 6 pts - taking the lead with just 20 seconds left.

Wow. What an embarrassment the Valley is this year. I can't recall the last time we were this weak. I hope this changes over the next few years.

[tornado]

the MVC has alternated between some weak years then stronger years...
the MVC peaked in strength in 2002-2007 when several schools in that span made it to the NCAA and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen...

over the past few years the Valley has been characterized by one or two strong teams then a whole bunch of mediocre to weak teams...
What's needed is for all the Valley teams to improve and the Shockers are currently setting the pace for everyone.

I am just one observer but here's a few thoughts...

-historically in the MVC anyone who even breathes or touches anyone while playing defense - gets whistled for a foul.
This isn't the way it is in other leagues - the Big Ten & other conferences seem to have lots of hard contact in the paint and yet their big men play the whole game and you don't see touch-fouls and Adriene Payne or Frank Kaminsky sitting with foul trouble.

There is the appearance of a trend in the MVC that big men get penalized for playing defense. The best big men in the MVC (Reggie Lynch-118 fouls, Mockevicius-113 fouls, Jarmar Gulley-98 fouls, even Loyola's Osborne & BU's Xzavier Taylor - and SIU's Olaniyan has 80 fouls and doesn't even play much - 15 mpg!!)

Sorry - but IMO, there isn't some pressure on the guys who ref the Valley to continue this ridiculous trend that even hampered POB from actually being a star.

Until this changes - it is and always will be next to impossible for any MVC team to land quality big men - and thus MVC schools will continue to settle for 6-6 jucos who average 6 ppg as their big men.


- then instead of slightly tough talk with no bite - Doug Elgin should enforce his call for MVC schools to work on scheduling better! It's OK to play and lose to a top team - maybe even get on TV in the process --
but scheduling the IUPUI's, Rockhurst's, Sonoma State's, and Alaska Anchorage's of the world and losing to some of them - is embarrassing - it not only hurts the MVC's image, but it hampers recruiting and hurts RPIs- and the MVC's post-season chances.


-lastly - start thinking a little about appealing to the fans & alumni - the very lifeblood of the programs.
I won't waste everyone's time recapping all the tremendously unpopular things going on that have alienated even some of the loyal fans, caused them to give up season tickets, and like I said - it is no coincidence that all of the MVC's programs (except WSU) have dwindling crowds...

Even Indiana State - the 2nd best program right now,look at their attendance - they drew more for their home games against Ball State and IUPUI than they did for seven of their home conference games!!
Their attendance was up a little, but why can't they draw better?

The MVC is weakened and it's getting worse...

[bradleyfan124]

I agree T. All fans should unite to make the conference better. Spread the word thruout all the individual schools websites. I know we read each others info because we are interested. Lets join together for the common cause. Promotion of the conference thereby promoting each school

[cpacmel]

- then instead of slightly tough talk with no bite - Doug Elgin should enforce his call for MVC schools to work on scheduling better! It's OK to play and lose to a top team - maybe even get on TV in the process --
but scheduling the IUPUI's, Rockhurst's, Sonoma State's, and Alaska Anchorage's of the world and losing to some of them - is embarrassing - it not only hurts the MVC's image, but it hampers recruiting and hurts RPIs- and the MVC's post-season chances.

Your right, MVC teams have to schedule better. Loyola's(341) and Bradley's(33 non conf schedules were among the 15th worse schedules in all of DI basketball! (according to Ken Pomeroy http://kenpom.com/index.php?s=RankNCSOSPythag). SIU's was 260 and the ACES were 262 out of 351!

Not really fair when you have teams like UNI (15), Wichita State (93), and Illinois State (105) doing fine scheduling wise. Outside of UNI, everyone can really improve some. But there is no reason why all MVC schools shouldn't be atleast in the top 150 non-con schedules.

And Sonoma State was part of ISU's tournament in SF. Sometimes you have to play those games to get two top 100 games, like ISU go vs. San Fran and Vermont. Also games against non-DI teams don't hurt your RPI or SOS.

Same with Indiana State who played Alaska Anchorage. That was part of the Great Alaska Shootout. The Trees lost to Tulsa (NCAA tourney team) in the first round of the Shootout. Had they won that game, they would had a shot at games vs. UW-GB and Harvard.

[tornado]

mel - almost all of the MVC schools hover within the top 100 DI's in attendance, significance, and in many years - RPI... and they ALL ought to aspire to be there with scheduling being perhaps the one thing MOST inside their control!
Thus it is reasonable to argue we should all be within the top 100 in scheduling....but as I noted, only TWO MVC schools have overall SOS better than 100 and those two (Wichita 98 & UNI 97) just barely make it.

Just LAST YEAR the Valley had SEVEN teams at or better than SOS 100.
Same in 2011-12...and when you go back a few more years (2004-2008 ) all ten of the MVC teams were there!

I make no excuses about BU's bad numbers the past few years, but that only started in 2011-12 - while ISU's streak of triple-digit-SOS goes back 7-8 years running.
I have been very vocal in saying we need to schedule better

[cpacmel]

Last year we also had Creighton (RPI 11) in the MVC, instead of Loyola (rpi 289). That's a pretty big exchange, when it comes to SOS too.

These are 2 different things we are talking about as well. (Non-Conf SOS and Overall SOS).

Non-Conf SOS you have some control over, as you decide who and where you are going to play teams. The only part you don't have control over is tournies. As you can't decide the match-ups, or who might win or lose in bracket form.

So much of SOS is determined by how good your conference is. In the MVC, you play everyone twice. When the conference is down as a whole, it's going to hurt your overall SOS.

Jank was a terrible scheduler. Muller has done a much better job with getting good teams on the schedule. This year we had Manhattan (NCAA), VCU (NCAA) and Dayton (NCAA team, and still playing) on the schedule. We also had Vermont (NIT) and San Fran (NIT).

[Da Coach]

There was also 1 CIT game tonight (Friday 3/21)-
Towson beat East Tennessee State-

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/scoreboard?date=20140321&confId=56