SIU had (has) built a reputation of being a consistent winner and NCAA participant with a couple of sweet 16 appearances. Drake has come out of nowhere and hasn't been in the big dance since 1971. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs will not get the same respect as SIU received last year.
Congrats to DU....good luck and enjoy The Dance!!!
I really think that Drake will be seeded based on their profile, which merits a 4-5 seed in comparison to other teams IMO. I know Butler has had a nice run of success in recent years, but they really came onto the national scene after their run at the beginning of last year, which culminated in a 5 seed in the NCAA's.
I just think in some situations we like to think that prestige really makes a big deal, but the committee members are looking at the same profiles for these teams that we are. I think that the first combination regular season and tournament MVC title in 10 years is a big deal, as well as how they did it (by multiple games/destroyed ISU on national TV).
If you really want to stick with the prestige argument, I would counter with this: based on Butler's performance the last few years, they would get a higher seed from the committee. But in that case, how could they justify giving Drake a lower seed than Butler, seeing as Drake won @Butler?
It's a tough job the committee has, but I think Drake's 4-1 record vs. RPI top 50, 8-2 vs. RPI top 100, 13-3 record on road/neutral courts, and dual championships in RPI 8th best conference compares nicely to teams that are vying for the 4-6 seed range.
