Illini in CBI?

[MacabreMob]

And people are holding their breath for Mid-Majors to get a bid to the "new" tournament?

I'm tellin' ya.... this is an attempt to snuff out the NIT, expand and pretty soon be nothing but BCS schools in the post-season.

From the article:

"Officials from the tournament made contact with the Illini basketball office within the last two weeks. The CBI, a 16-team postseason tournament that will apparently compete for teams with the NIT, doesn't require teams to have winning records, and the event will hold games at campus sites before a best-of-3 championship series."

http://www.pjstar.com/stories/030508/ILL_BFVDL4EE.077.php

What a joke!

[Murph]

And people are holding their breath for Mid-Majors to get a bid to the "new" tournament?

I'm tellin' ya.... this is an attempt to snuff out the NIT, expand and pretty soon be nothing but BCS schools in the post-season.

From the article:

"Officials from the tournament made contact with the Illini basketball office within the last two weeks. The CBI, a 16-team postseason tournament that will apparently compete for teams with the NIT, doesn't require teams to have winning records, and the event will hold games at campus sites before a best-of-3 championship series."

http://www.pjstar.com/stories/030508/ILL_BFVDL4EE.077.php

What a joke!

I agree and would hope teams say no thank you when invited to this joke of a tourney.

[TheAsianSensation]

Not having the under .500 rule isn't a bad idea, on the surface. When I saw that, I was thinking of teams for this year like these probable results:

Cincinnati 14-15 (9-9)
Georgia Tech 14-16 (8-

These are the types of teams they were thinking about.

But Illinois?

For reals?


New CBI prediction: They take 16 bad BCS teams, and say "Well, the NIT is supposed to take the good mid majors. Whine at them."

The NIT sees the CBI's existence and will assume they'll gobble up the mid majors. With their autobids, they'll have no interest and will want to pawn us off. So the NIT takes all high majors, A-10, and MWC teams too.



This could be beyond offering a 17-14 Bradley team a spot. I am legitimately worried we're talking about a 19-10 Creighton or 17-13 SIU team not being invited anywhere, because both tournaments will assume the other one is taking them. Both now have a built-in reason to look out for their own interests.

Teams that will get hurt this year:
SIU
Creighton
Bradley
George Mason
IUPUI (Look at that RPI!)
Akron
Ohio
San Diego
Western Kentucky


There's a chance none of these teams may have ANY postseason. This, my friends, is the doomsday scenario.

[J Money]

If Illinois gets into the CBI I will boycott that tournament forever. Bruce Webber should be embarassed to take that team to the postseason.

[BradleyBrave]

If Illinois gets into the CBI I will boycott that tournament forever. Bruce Webber should be embarassed to take that team to the postseason.

The CBI will lose all credibility and likely won't last long if they're taking 20 loss BCS teams like Illinois over 18-20 win non-BCS teams like BU, CU, SIU, or any other non-BCS school. They also wouldn't make any money. BCS school or not, people aren't going to support a loser that's playing in a tournament that's not the NCAA. From a purely financial perspective, taking a BU or a CU would make a lot more sense than taking a team like Illinois. No one is going to the Assembly Hall to see Illinois lose an opening round CBI game to anyone. Most hardcore Illini folks I talk to want this season to be over as soon as possible.

[IlliBraves]

If an offer is extended, I hope the University of Illinois declines. It's an absolute joke, and Illinois has no business being in the post-season this year. I think the CBI is a bad idea. We don't need 3 post-season tournaments.

[J Money]

If an offer is extended, I hope the University of Illinois declines. It's an absolute joke, and Illinois has no business being in the post-season this year. I think the CBI is a bad idea. We don't need 3 post-season tournaments.

I agree. The postseason should be special, not an afterthought to be watched on CSTV or something. No one wants college basketball to end up like hockey or the NBA where teams are getting in the playoffs with records well below .500.

[MacabreMob]

If they have talked with UIUC and their RPI is 137 (and obviously the RPI does not mean anything to them), here are teams ahead of them in the RPI over 60 that are likely on the list to get a call for this tourney....

65 Fl St 17-13
67 Temple 16-12
68 Az St 18-10
70 Houston 21-7
72 Ok St 15-12
75 Seton Hall 17-12
79 Nevada 18-10
86 NC St 15-14
90 WF 16-12
93 Minn 18-10
94 Cal 15-12
96 Charlotte 16-12
99 Mizzoo 15-14
101 Nebr 17-11
105 Prov 14-14
106 Wash 16-14
108 Utah 15-12
110 Va 14-13
112 BC 13-14
113 San Diego 17-13
116 St Louis 15-13
122 Ala 15-14

[BradleyBrave]

If they have talked with UIUC and their RPI is 137 (and obviously the RPI does not mean anything to them), here are teams ahead of them in the RPI over 60 that are likely on the list to get a call for this tourney....

65 Fl St 17-13
67 Temple 16-12
68 Az St 18-10
70 Houston 21-7
72 Ok St 15-12
75 Seton Hall 17-12
79 Nevada 18-10
86 NC St 15-14
90 WF 16-12
93 Minn 18-10
94 Cal 15-12
96 Charlotte 16-12
99 Mizzoo 15-14
101 Nebr 17-11
105 Prov 14-14
106 Wash 16-14
108 Utah 15-12
110 Va 14-13
112 BC 13-14
113 San Diego 17-13
116 St Louis 15-13
122 Ala 15-14

I think if BU falls short of a conference tourney title, they're on this list. They'll have anywhere between 17-19 wins, and an average attendance that likely beats a majority of these schools. The motivating factor is going to be money for the CBI if it truly wants to survive. With that being the case, the prospect of drawing 10,000 in Peoria is certainly more appealing than getting 2,000 at these bottom-feeding BCS schools.

[TheAsianSensation]

To detractors of having a 3rd tournament:

Try telling that to 26-7 Akron last year.

The truth is, as long as the NIT stays corrupt (if they're going 32 teams, they're going to have to repeal their autobid rule, as much as I hate to say it), there is room for the CBI in my book.

The expansion of D-1 has led to the need for the CBI. Look at IUPUI and their RPI - they're probably not making the NIT, but a season like that warrants some type of postseason. Akron this year as well. One of the MAAC leaders, perhaps. There's enough good seasons to award.

Remember, if you were a 16-13 BCS teams, odds are you were LEFT OUT of the NIT last year, not making it. This isn't your mama's NIT where the bottom seeds are filled with junk. There's actually quality there now.

[ph]

There was a Reynolds note that Bradley already submitted their available home dates for the CBI and NIT. Perhaps it is normal for the CBI to get a feel for the top 150 teams? A lot of quick decisions would have to be made, otherwise..

[bert notorius]

Illinois would outdraw any team on that list. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[real fan]

Illinois does not deserve a post season bid of any kind unless they win the conference tour.

[Bravesfan]

If Illinois gets into the CBI I will boycott that tournament forever. Bruce Webber should be embarassed to take that team to the postseason.

I was going to say the same thing. If the CBI pulls that garbage, then the CBI should not even be allowed to go on. That's an embarassment to college basketball, and like you said, I bet even Weber would be embarassed to even consider playing in this!

[Bravesfan]

To detractors of having a 3rd tournament:

Try telling that to 26-7 Akron last year.

The truth is, as long as the NIT stays corrupt (if they're going 32 teams, they're going to have to repeal their autobid rule, as much as I hate to say it), there is room for the CBI in my book.

The expansion of D-1 has led to the need for the CBI. Look at IUPUI and their RPI - they're probably not making the NIT, but a season like that warrants some type of postseason. Akron this year as well. One of the MAAC leaders, perhaps. There's enough good seasons to award.

Remember, if you were a 16-13 BCS teams, odds are you were LEFT OUT of the NIT last year, not making it. This isn't your mama's NIT where the bottom seeds are filled with junk. There's actually quality there now.

I agree with you 100 percent. But if I were the CBI, I wouldn't corrupt myselve before we have even started by considering Illinois! Just my advice for them.