NCAA Tourney

[DrewDog]

No Syracuse??? Jim Boeheim is gonna flip!!!

Only 6 at-large bids for mid-major conferences. That is less than last year and has decreased since 2004.

I hate the Cuse, but I think that Boeheim has a legitimate beef. No way the Big 10 deserves six bids.

[Newsbreaker]

I agree totally, plus add 4 being BCS bias. I think getting rid of the term BCS and major and mid major and just call every d-1 be the best.

It's an informal nomenclature, and that's the problem.

The thing is, the Valley, alone among the other non-major conferences, deserves more then 2 bids, so I don't really view it as a "BCS Bias" so much as a "not enough respect for the upstart league" bias.

[williebat]

It's an informal nomenclature, and that's the problem.

.

that is the problem. No matter what valley does we are still stuck with the label mid major. NO formal way to change it. The media does not seem to understand that BCS is for football not basketball. And to top it off BCS has been horrible for college football so why on earth do they want to use that term for basketball.

[Panthers to the Bone]

Would you rather have the title:
Best Mid-Major Conference

or

Best Non-BCS Conference

[Newsbreaker]

Would you rather have the title:
Best Mid-Major Conference

or

Best Non-BCS Conference

Unfortunately, that is literally the "choice" we face.

If we call them the "BCS" leagues, then we are a non-BCS league. If we call them "Major" conferences, then we are "Mid-Majors."

The best case scinerio would be for the Valley to prove itself PERMANENTLY (and that will take a long time) as a league for which no boundaries exist.

You want something GOOD to happen this march? We want SIU and Creighton both in the Sweet 16, and one of them to make it to the Final Four. It's going to take that, maybe even one of them playing for the big prize (plus Bradley and MSU making a long NIT run) to prove that we can be the 7th "major." The really hard part is that we need to have teams do that regularly over several years.

[GonzoCat]

I'd rather not have either. I'd rather have the title 3rd best conference, or 6th best conference or wherever we fall. It shows we belong right in with those other 6, better than some, worse than others, but certainly on the same level, not at the top of some imaginary lower level.

[UNIAlum95]

You want something GOOD to happen this march? We want SIU and Creighton both in the Sweet 16, and one of them to make it to the Final Four. It's going to take that, maybe even one of them playing for the big prize (plus Bradley and MSU making a long NIT run) to prove that we can be the 7th "major." The really hard part is that we need to have teams do that regularly over several years.

Thought the same thing. SIU has a tougher than it appears match up with Holly Cross. Everyone here knows that CU will have a tough game with Nevada. We really need the MVC to make some waves this year. And it would help tremendously if the NIT teams made a deep run.

[GonzoCat]

You want something GOOD to happen this march? We want SIU and Creighton both in the Sweet 16, and one of them to make it to the Final Four. It's going to take that, maybe even one of them playing for the big prize (plus Bradley and MSU making a long NIT run) to prove that we can be the 7th "major." The really hard part is that we need to have teams do that regularly over several years.

I thought we had two teams make the sweet sixteen last year and they rewarded us by cutting our selected teams in half. I expect if SIU or CU make the sweet 16 or final 4 this year we will be reduced to only the autobid next year.

It's hard to advance teams a long ways over several years when you get two teams in with lower seeds than they deserved instead of getting 6 or 7 teams in with higher seeds than they deserve. I understand that's just how it's going to be and there's no point complaining about it, but don't pretend the deck isn't stacked heavily against us.

[AmesPanther]

I think there is a way to change the perception. We need CU or SIU to make a run to the final four. And then we need a team to do it next year.

[williebat]

Would you rather have the title:
Best Mid-Major Conference

or

Best Non-BCS Conference

how about fifth best div 1 conference

[Newsbreaker]

Making the Sweet 16 is important, but not getting much further with any regularity places you firmly in the "Cinderella" category, and only Cindarelly is not someone people view as legitimate. We have to transcend being capable of being Cinderella.

[Matt Trump]

I'd rather not have either. I'd rather have the title 3rd best conference, or 6th best conference or wherever we fall. It shows we belong right in with those other 6, better than some, worse than others, but certainly on the same level, not at the top of some imaginary lower level.

This is exactly the way it should be.

[Coachdags]

Making the Sweet 16 is important, but not getting much further with any regularity places you firmly in the "Cinderella" category, and only Cindarelly is not someone people view as legitimate. We have to transcend being capable of being Cinderella.

You got it News...

Watching some stats yeaterday and today, I do not believe there is a MVC team or coach with a NCAA tournament winning record....

We will always be compare to BCS Conference teams that do and Legendary Coaches that have winning records.

[Newsbreaker]

You got it News...

Watching some stats yeaterday and today, I do not believe there is a MVC team or coach with a NCAA tournament winning record....

We will always be compare to BCS Conference teams that do and Legendary Coaches that have winning records.

Yes, and if you want to know why, even though RPI says otherwise, we are not considered one of the "Big Six" it all comes down to ONE reason.

Every one of those leagues, in a given year, has a team that could win the National Championship. There is almost always a team from each one in that position, and if there isn't, the next year there certainly WILL be.

There has not been an MVC team in that position for a very long time. If we, as a league, want the respect of being one of the six/seven (with us) power leagues, we have to have National Championship contenders on a regular basis. To demand consideration as "one of them" when we are the only one never fielding those sorts of teams is to ask for a double standard.

If we, as a league, want to get to that "next level" then that's what we need to have happen. If we don't, we'll forever be a 4 bid league some years, a 2 bid league others, and always lacking in seeds.

[Coachdags]

Yes, and if you want to know why, even though RPI says otherwise, we are not considered one of the "Big Six" it all comes down to ONE reason.

Every one of those leagues, in a given year, has a team that could win the National Championship. There is almost always a team from each one in that position, and if there isn't, the next year there certainly WILL be.

There has not been an MVC team in that position for a very long time. If we, as a league, want the respect of being one of the six/seven (with us) power leagues, we have to have National Championship contenders on a regular basis. To demand consideration as "one of them" when we are the only one never fielding those sorts of teams is to ask for a double standard.

If we, as a league, want to get to that "next level" then that's what we need to have happen. If we don't, we'll forever be a 4 bid league some years, a 2 bid league others, and always lacking in seeds.

This is some of the reason News that I felt Iowa had a chance at the NIT...

Rather than UNI...