Here's one for ya...GAH!

[Deke3]

Missouri sorry conference
By Tony Dobies, Sports Writer



After looking at the new conference RPI in college basketball, I realize that the NCAA Tournament is just as screwed up as the Bowl Championship Series.

Through Monday's games, the Missouri Valley Conference is fourth, and the Big East is seventh.

Omaha World Herald sports writer Tom Shatel wrote last week that the Valley was the best overall conference in the country.

''We're talking total package,'' Shatel wrote in the Jan. 18 edition of the World Herald. ''Depth of teams, talent, coaches, non-conference wins, conference and team RPI, conference race, fans, rivalries, game atmospheres...''

Almost needless to say, but I disagree.

Comparing the depth of the MVC to any BCS conference, including the Big East, just doesn't work. Big East basketball is played at a different level.

Every game in the Big East is against talented teams. In addition, the Big East might have the best big men in the country.

The MVC is a guard dominated league with no front court depth. Teams in the Valley Conference don't play physical basketball, and when they try to, most get into foul trouble.

And the talent in the MVC can not even compare to the rest of the big conferences. Pittsburgh's Aaron Gray, Georgetown's Roy Hibbert, West Virginia's Frank Young, Villanova's Curtis Sumpter, Marquette's Dominic James -- and that is just the Big East.

The MVC's best might be able to play in the Big East, but the difference is that the Big East has five of the Valley's best on each team.

The same thing can be said about coaches.

The Big East has two Hall-of-Fame coaches and some younger coaches who have revived ailing programs.

''Valley teams have beaten LSU, Syracuse, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, Iowa, Iowa State, Purdue and giant-killer Butler. Everyone, seemingly, except Nebraska. Sorry Bluejays,'' Shatel wrote.

The Valley peaked in the middle of November, and the Big East has yet to peak this season. And when it comes to the NCAA tournament, the later the better.

If you look at the teams they beat, Wisconsin is the only one that is overly impressive. They played young teams early in the season and caught them before they were prepared.

''The Valley also has seven teams in the top 64 RPI. The only leagues that can touch that are the Big East (nine), ACC (eight) and Pac-10 (seven),'' Shatel wrote.

There is not one team in the MVC that could win the NCAA championship. I don't care if they had two teams in the Sweet 16 last season because they got to the Sweet 16 and lost.

The Big East doesn't pride itself on how many Sweet 16 teams they have per year, they go by NCAA champions, and the Big East has three championships in eight years to the Valley's all-time goose egg.

''There are not more electric atmospheres on Planet College Hoops than in the classic back-road barns of this old-school league,'' Shatel wrote.

Does this ''Planet College Hoops'' exist only in the Mid-West? If so, then maybe he is right, but when Creighton's Qwest Center, with a capacity over 17,000, can get louder for 2006 NCAA Volleyball National Championship between Nebraska and Stanford than it gets for a rivalry game in the Valley, it makes me wonder.

Maybe by the end of February, each of these teams will have lost 10 games, and the big boys can finally return to the top of college basketball, where they belong.

Just like Boise State , it's a good story, but I'm not engaged.

[MediaPanther]

****ing Idiot. No more needs to be said. End of thread.

[DWadle1983]

What publication did the article appear? That wasn't clear from the post.

It's just being written to argue why the Big East should receive more bids, and is a propaganda piece. It's not meant to be objective journalism anymore than the Fox News Channel is meant to be objective journalism.

Comparing the depth of the MVC to any BCS conference, including the Big East, just doesn't work. Big East basketball is played at a different level.

I guess that's why Wichita State won at Syracuse, and Illinois State won at St. John's, Bradley hammered DePaul, etc. I guess that's why Pitt blew out Bradley in last season's NCAA Tournament in the writer's imagination.

Every game in the Big East is against talented teams. In addition, the Big East might have the best big men in the country.

Once again, I guess that's why Wichita State won at Syracuse, and Illinois State won at St. John's, Bradley hammered DePaul, etc.

The MVC is a guard dominated league with no front court depth. Teams in the Valley Conference don't play physical basketball, and when they try to, most get into foul trouble.

He hasn't watched SIU has he?

And the talent in the MVC can not even compare to the rest of the big conferences. Pittsburgh's Aaron Gray, Georgetown's Roy Hibbert, West Virginia's Frank Young, Villanova's Curtis Sumpter, Marquette's Dominic James -- and that is just the Big East.

I guess that's why Gray had a huge game and led Pitt to an easy win against Bradley last season.

The MVC's best might be able to play in the Big East, but the difference is that the Big East has five of the Valley's best on each team.

Once again, I guess that's why Wichita State won at Syracuse, and Illinois State won at St. John's, Bradley hammered DePaul, etc.

The same thing can be said about coaches.

The Big East has two Hall-of-Fame coaches and some younger coaches who have revived ailing programs.

Okay, the Big East has 2 HOF coaches, one of whom, lost at home to Wichita State and Drexel.

''Valley teams have beaten LSU, Syracuse, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, Iowa, Iowa State, Purdue and giant-killer Butler. Everyone, seemingly, except Nebraska. Sorry Bluejays,'' Shatel wrote.

The Valley peaked in the middle of November, and the Big East has yet to peak this season. And when it comes to the NCAA tournament, the later the better.

He's hasn't watched UNI, using only three players who saw significant playing time last season, has he?

If you look at the teams they beat, Wisconsin is the only one that is overly impressive. They played young teams early in the season and caught them before they were prepared.

Weren't we told that Syracuse, St. John's, and DePaul play on a "different" level? Who were the unprepared young teams? I bet their fans would like to know why they weren't prepared.

''The Valley also has seven teams in the top 64 RPI. The only leagues that can touch that are the Big East (nine), ACC (eight) and Pac-10 (seven),'' Shatel wrote.

There is not one team in the MVC that could win the NCAA championship. I don't care if they had two teams in the Sweet 16 last season because they got to the Sweet 16 and lost.

This one is true. No MVC team will win, but the Big East doesn't have any team that will win either.

The Big East doesn't pride itself on how many Sweet 16 teams they have per year, they go by NCAA champions, and the Big East has three championships in eight years to the Valley's all-time goose egg.

This is news to the NCAA. Two, now former, MVC teams won multiple championships. This is where having an MVC team get to the Final Four every few years would help the league's image.

''There are not more electric atmospheres on Planet College Hoops than in the classic back-road barns of this old-school league,'' Shatel wrote.

Does this ''Planet College Hoops'' exist only in the Mid-West? If so, then maybe he is right, but when Creighton's Qwest Center, with a capacity over 17,000, can get louder for 2006 NCAA Volleyball National Championship between Nebraska and Stanford than it gets for a rivalry game in the Valley, it makes me wonder.

How does he supposedly know this? He doesn't.

Maybe by the end of February, each of these teams will have lost 10 games, and the big boys can finally return to the top of college basketball, where they belong.

[Panthers to the Bone]

As for the big man comment:
Pat O'Bryant owned Gray from Pitt last year. Ask Syracuse if they enjoyed what Kyle Wilson did to Syracuse this year. Yes, Roy Hibbert had a solid game against UNI last year, but I think most UNI fans feel that UNI didn't played their best against G'town, and they still had a chance to win the game.

The fact is, the Big East has 16 teams...if they are a conference worth their salt, I would hope they would have about half their teams in the top 70, like the rest of the leagues. The only differece is that of those conferences listed, only the MVC has 70% or more of their conference in the top 70.

[joecooll6]

Its obvious from reading this that this guy hasnt watched very many, if any, MVC games this year.

[Blue42]

As for the big man comment:
Pat O'Bryant owned Gray from Pitt last year. Ask Syracuse if they enjoyed what Kyle Wilson did to Syracuse this year. Yes, Roy Hibbert had a solid game against UNI last year, but I think most UNI fans feel that UNI didn't played their best against G'town, and they still had a chance to win the game.

My biggest frustration wth the Georgetown game last year was that McD didn't have Stout and Coleman take it at Hibbert more. I think Hibbert would've picked up his 4th foul with 10-15 minutes left in the game and his fifth shortly after coming in off the bench. But instead we threw up reams of 3 pointers on a cold shooting day.

[Deke3]

Here's the link: http://www.da.wvu.edu/new/show_artic...ate=01-25-2007

And here's the writer's email: [email protected]

[Beaker416]

Alright, so its from a campus paper from West Virgina University. Makes a lot more sense. I wouldn't get too worked up about it as someone who goes to a Big East school and writes for one of their school's papers is of course going to be defensive.

[joecooll6]

Agreed, it adds up now.

[ceaser150]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isnt the MVC 5-0 against the Big East this year?

[joecooll6]

Is he right?

[DWadle1983]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isnt the MVC 5-0 against the Big East this year?

Yes, you're right the MVC has won at least 5 games against the Big East. Bradley beat Rutgers, and MSU beat South Florida. Rutgers and South Florida are not only at the bottom of the Big East, they would finish at the bottom of the MVC.

[Catnep]

If you look at the teams they beat, Wisconsin is the only one that is overly impressive. They played young teams early in the season and caught them before they were prepared.

You could pick this whole thing apart, but I do like the above one...Soooo, Wichita State played a young Syracuse team that wasn't "prepared". Same for LSU? This kid hasn't watch one MVC game, couldn't name one player in the MVC. And how about the one below....this kills me. Was he at the championship game? Has ever been to a Creighton(rivalry) game? Does he have a decibel reading on this to compare...DUH What an idiot.

Does this ''Planet College Hoops'' exist only in the Mid-West? If so, then maybe he is right, but when Creighton's Qwest Center, with a capacity over 17,000, can get louder for 2006 NCAA Volleyball National Championship between Nebraska and Stanford than it gets for a rivalry game in the Valley, it makes me wonder

[JayJ79]

Really, a National Championship game being louder than a regular season game? that would just be unheard of and shameful, or something.