Agree or disagree?

[PURPLEFIRE]

i think the NCAA should change the selection process of the 68 teams it chooses...

I think the regular season champ should get the automatic bid to the dance and the conference tournament champ should get the automatic bid to the nit....


it has never made sense to me to play an entire regular season be declared the champion and then not make the NCAA tournament because of one bad game... honestly what's the point of winning your conference in Cusa?

What do you all think?

 

[Dmanminer]

I’ve always felt the same

 

[nattybry]

So then you'd have a top 10 team from a major conference in the NIT instead of the NCAA if they win the tourney? Lol

 

[ShovelMan66]

Money and exposure.

If the conference tournaments didn't accomplish these 2 things, they wouldn't have them. Even the Ivy League started a conference tournament.

No commissioner is turning down money and cable exposure for maybe a best case scenario, higher seed. Would you turn down more money at your job to get a slightly better parking spot?

 

[PURPLEFIRE]

So then you'd have a top 10 team from a major conference in the NIT instead of the NCAA if they win the tourney? Lol

Are you serious??? I thought the common sense rule would apply here.... you would have the option to decline the nit bid but would give teams a reason to have a conference tournament ....

 

[PURPLEFIRE]

then tell me in conference USA what is the point of the regular season ?? Why even play the 16- game schedule or whatever it is? Just get ready for the tournament --- it's ridiculous our top team is not playing for a national championship

 

[Minerforlife]

The regular season is meaningless. The conference tourney is all that keeps some fans engaged and gives people hope. I don't like the tourney champs getting the autobid, but fan bases checking out in January isn't great either. There is really no good answer. In reality the season doesnt start until conference tourny time. The system is more stacked against the little guy in basketball than it is in football, and that's saying alot.

 

[UTEPDefense]

I would like to see some framework placed into the selection process. Just like in football, you have to win 6 games to become bowl eligible, I think that any basketball team with a losing conference record should be eliminated for an “at large” birth unless every single regular season champion has already been selected. For instance, Arizona State finished 9th in the Pac 12 this year, they had a losing record in conference, yet they got in. They are not better nor more deserving than Middle Tennessee. Oklahama and Syracuse also had losing records in conference.

I would also be in favor of an additional type of bid that makes a succesful regular season more binding. For instance, they should select a single RPI computer formula and stick with it. Decide on one RPI formula and then set a number of years that it will not be changed, so that they won’t keep adjusting it each year to favor what’s best for the P5. Then place a qualifier that any regular season champion who also finishes in the top 35 of the Final RPI will recieve an automatic birth. This will give a team the incentive to still win their conference tournament and advance as far as they can in their conference tournament as possible, because they don’t want to lose in the first round of their conference tournament and then watch their RPI fall. This will help to protect a really good mid-major team that had a great season but slipped up in their conference tournament championship game.

 

[nattybry]

Then No I don't agree. That's a pointless Conf Tourney and would lose millions. For real that won't work at all lol Now..... Conf tourneys for the Majors are just about more money. Also a team that was barely above .500 if they gets hot all of the sudden is NCAA worthy. How do you fix that? Well how do u make sure u reward a team like Middle Tenn, St. Mary's etc... Simple! The RPI is set for a reason. So the NCAA Committee should be made to use it. If you win your conf and you're one of the highest remaining at large available teams based on RPI your in. Boom Done!

Are you serious??? I thought the common sense rule would apply here.... you would have the option to decline the nit bid but would give teams a reason to have a conference tournament ....

 

[UTEP Grade]

Disagree 100% If the Conference Tournament wasn't played Marshall wouldn't have had a chance to win a game in the NCAA tournament.

You play the regular season to get a good seeding the Conference Tournament and possibly get a slight chance at an at large bid.

 

[NY/NJminer]

needs to expand to 96 teams

 

[PURPLEFIRE]

Disagree 100% If the Conference Tournament wasn't played Marshall wouldn't have had a chance to win a game in the NCAA tournament.

You play the regular season to get a good seeding the Conference Tournament and possibly get a slight chance at an at large bid.

That doesn't make sense at all... you play 16 or 18 games to see who the best team in the conference is then just to have them have one bad night to be knocked out ---- no sense whatsoever

 

[PURPLEFIRE]

Then No I don't agree. That's a pointless Conf Tourney and would lose millions. For real that won't work at all lol Now..... Conf tourneys for the Majors are just about more money. Also a team that was barely above .500 if they gets hot all of the sudden is NCAA worthy. How do you fix that? Well how do u make sure u reward a team like Middle Tenn, St. Mary's etc... Simple! The RPI is set for a reason. So the NCAA Committee should be made to use it. If you win your conf and you're one of the highest remaining at large available teams based on RPI your in. Boom Done!

I agree but they don't

 

[UTEP Grade]

That doesn't make sense at all... you play 16 or 18 games to see who the best team in the conference is then just to have them have one bad night to be knocked out ---- no sense whatsoever

That's what March Madness is all about.

Virginia was the #1 overall seed and they had one bad night and were knocked out.

This is why March Madness is the best postseason in sports.

 

[utep2step]

As of right now....Go Marshall!!

But conference champs should get invite.

 

[UTEP Grade]

As of right now....Go Marshall!!

But conference champs should get invite.

So the conference champs don't play in the Conference Tournament and at least two teams from every conference gets in? That doesn't make any sense.

 

[JCorona]

The argument against the regular season champ is what if there is more than one champion. I remember a few years ago there was a four way tie for the CUSA regular season title.

 

[UTEP Grade]

The argument against the regular season champ is what if there is more than one champion. I remember a few years ago there was a four way tie for the CUSA regular season title.

There are a bunch of tiebreaker scenarios that would take place.

 

[KaneFan29]

The conferences should have a royal rumble to see who attends the Tourney. Works for the WWE and Wrestlemania.

 

[MinerManiac]

The NCAA allows the conferences to name their champion. It's the conferences themselves that decide to hold a conference tournament instead of naming the regular season champion. The conferences do this to make more money, and, in the case of the small conferences, get a little more exposure, as their championship game is played on national TV.

There are a lot of advantages in taking the regular season champ, whom I believe to be the true champion. But it is the conferences who decide to have the tournaments, not the NCAA.

 

[utep2step]

The argument against the regular season champ is what if there is more than one champion. I remember a few years ago there was a four way tie for the CUSA regular season title.

Yes I remember that. I think it went down to stat leadership. I think it was UAB who then won it outright because they led in average of PPG; Please confirm.

 

[utep2step]

The NCAA allows the conferences to name their champion. It's the conferences themselves that decide to hold a conference tournament instead of naming the regular season champion. The conferences do this to make more money, and, in the case of the small conferences, get a little more exposure, as their championship game is played on national TV.

There are a lot of advantages in taking the regular season champ, whom I believe to be the true champion. But it is the conferences who decide to have the tournaments, not the NCAA.

You're spot on Maniac. At its core it is intended to generate revenue and the conference has that choice.

FBS football and D1 basketball are revenue minded hybrid weighted playoff format animals that are actually an anamoly to organized global (amateur) sports justified by echo boxes (sports media). I understand the debate of where else would a UMBC gat a shot at Virginia and it make America's heart melt when they win. But if every coach has their tighty whities in a bunch because junior gets a trophy for just keeping the bench warm, does a low mid major with a low RPI in a "eh" conference belong in the tourney? In football, should Marshall have been in playoffs two years ago?

In American major college revenue sports, the answer is: "What have you done for me lately? And will take it from there" playoff format

 

[JCorona]

I mentioned this idea on the CUSA board but no one seemed to think it was any good. I’ll float it around here hoping for better results. First we tell the NCAA that we want our regular season champion to be the auto bid. This year MTSU.

For the tournament instead of having all 12 teams meet at one place we hold two or three separate four team mini tournaments. In reality they are more of RPI boosters.

Tier one would be in Murfreesboro. MTSU (33) WKU (39) ODU (78) Marshall (87). The first tier will guarantee you two games vs the top 100 or possibly even two top 50 games. This year it would have been MTSU(33) vs Marshall(87) and WKU(39) vs ODU(78). I would pick MTSU at home and WKU over ODU. Setting up a final of MTSU(33) vs WKU(39) and a third place game of Marshall(87) vs ODU(78). It should help in improving your NCAA/NIT resume or in MTSU’s case for a better seeding. The ideal scenario would be all four of these teams end up in the NCAA/NIT.

The second tier would be in Birmingham. UAB (155) UTSA (186) La Tech (192) and USM (207). These teams are fighting to finish above .500 and will most likely play in the CBI/CIT.

And a third optional tier would have been in Denton. UNT (235) FAU (275) UTEP (293) and FIU (295). These teams are trying to get to .500. Some will play in the CBI/CIT.

The team with the highest RPI would host or if they don’t have the date available or facilities they can pass and the team with the second best RPI would then host.

Some might say that it sucks the entire Cinderella story out of the conference tournament. I’m fine with that. We need our best teams in the tournament that can make a sweet 16 run. Not a lucky (9) seed that strings together a few wins in a row and then gets obliterated by 30 on national tv.

 

[PURPLEFIRE]

The NCAA allows the conferences to name their champion. It's the conferences themselves that decide to hold a conference tournament instead of naming the regular season champion. The conferences do this to make more money, and, in the case of the small conferences, get a little more exposure, as their championship game is played on national TV.

There are a lot of advantages in taking the regular season champ, whom I believe to be the true champion. But it is the conferences who decide to have the tournaments, not the NCAA.

I did not know that... thank you for that info

 

[LaserCoog]

then tell me in conference USA what is the point of the regular season ?? Why even play the 16- game schedule or whatever it is? Just get ready for the tournament --- it's ridiculous our top team is not playing for a national championship

So MTSU was the "top team" in C-USA?

1) Would you not agree that the ideal situation is for each conference to send it "top team" team to the dance?

2) For a variety of reasons, would you not agree that the best team in the conference January/February may/may not be the "top team" team in March?

3) Since Marshall WON the conference tournament in March, would you not agree that The Herd was the "top team" (and most deserving) C-USA team to send to the dance?

Using your logic, why even play the conference tournament?

 

[Dmanminer]

My 2 cents
The regular season gives a better judgement of the best team. The tournament shows who’s playing best that week. I believe the season long best team should get the auto. bid. The conference just needs to get stronger and receive multiple bids.

 

[MinerManiac]

So MTSU was the "top team" in C-USA?

1) Would you not agree that the ideal situation is for each conference to send it "top team" team to the dance?

2) For a variety of reasons, would you not agree that the best team in the conference January/February may/may not be the "top team" team in March?

3) Since Marshall WON the conference tournament in March, would you not agree that The Herd was the "top team" (and most deserving) C-USA team to send to the dance?

Using your logic, why even play the conference tournament?

Sorry, but I disagree with the above. A single elimination tournament may, by definition, determine a champion, but it does not necessarily determine who is the best, or "top team."

Do you really believe that UMBC is a better team right now than Virginia? I don't. If they were to play a seven game series I would bet a large sum of money that Virginia would win in five games, and each of the last four games would be more lopsided than their game one loss. But that's not the way the NCAA Tournament works, and UMBC deserves to move on after that amazing win.

So is Marshall a better team in March than MTSU? I seriously doubt it. I would put my money on MTSU in a seven game series, but, again, that's not the way a conference tournament works. Marshall was the better team on one night in March. That's it. In my opinion being the better team on a single night is not as impressive as being the best team over a 14 to 18 game conference season, playing both at home and on the road.

The conference tournaments were never about finding the best team to represent your conference in the NCAA Tournament. The ACC was the first conference to host a tournament, and they did it for one reason: money. The rest of the conferences followed their example for the same reason.

Marshall is, by definition, the conference champion. MTSU is the conference's best team.

 

[nattybry]

I guess it doesn't matter, but I'll say again its a simple fix.... Automatic Bids from Tourneys and then remaining at large based on RPI... Period End of Story! I mean why is so much importance put on RPI, yet its not applied to mid majors even if they have a higher RPI than a major with 13-15 losses. It's not about the tourneys its about the NCAA Committee Bias plain and simple!

 

[LaserCoog]

Well you're certainly entitled to your opinion. I think, feel, and believe my team is better than Michigan but Michigan is moving on to the Sweet 16 and we're not. And we were with three seconds remaining. But scoreboard said they were the best team that night, when it mattered most. Just like Marshall. Sports mirrors life, it can be cruel and not always fair. But everybody knows the rules before you lace 'em up. Now, if you can convince enough people to change the rules...

 

[LaserCoog]

I guess it doesn't matter, but I'll say again its a simple fix.... Automatic Bids from Tourneys and then remaining at large based on RPI... Period End of Story! I mean why is so much importance put on RPI, yet its not applied to mid majors even if they have a higher RPI than a major with 13-15 losses. It's not about the tourneys its about the NCAA Committee Bias plain and simple!

Using RPI exclusively would be the WORST thing for a mid-major. C-USA was perfect example this year. Marshall and MTSU were pretty good teams this season, but the rest of the conference was horrid. Punishes the top teams in the league to exclusively rely on RPI. Plus, many P5 conference programs will not schedule some of the better mid-major teams, so they don't get a chance to enhance their RPI, even on the road.

 

[nattybry]

Using RPI exclusively would be the WORST thing for a mid-major. C-USA was perfect example this year. Marshall and MTSU were pretty good teams this season, but the rest of the conference was horrid. Punishes the top teams in the league to exclusively rely on RPI. Plus, many P5 conference programs will not schedule some of the better mid-major teams, so they don't get a chance to enhance their RPI, even on the road.

Middle Tenn and St. Mary's would've been selected this year based on RPI on remaining at large teams after Tourney just to clarify!

 

[PURPLEFIRE]

So MTSU was the "top team" in C-USA?

1) Would you not agree that the ideal situation is for each conference to send it "top team" team to the dance?

2) For a variety of reasons, would you not agree that the best team in the conference January/February may/may not be the "top team" team in March?

3) Since Marshall WON the conference tournament in March, would you not agree that The Herd was the "top team" (and most deserving) C-USA team to send to the dance?

Using your logic, why even play the conference tournament?

Using my logic you play the conference tournament to (if you locked up the regular season title to improve your seed) if your not the conference champion then you are playing in the tournament to get a better resume for a possible at large NCAA bid or get a lock for the nit

 

[utep2step]

Coach Davis was correct in his statement for doing what committee asked for but he beat just two SEC cellar dwellers then blew it by losing to Marshall at the end then lost to Southern Miss. So his argument fell apart in the same breath. If you get the privilege of playing a Xavier or Virginia in December, win the game. This isn't a game of horseshoes. RPI helps tremendously but like horseshoes, it gets you close to the pole but doesn't win you the automatic entry to the dance.

 

[JCorona]

Team A
Key rpi wins: 72, 34, 16, 26, 88, 23, 26, 5, 68, 53
Bad losses: @144

Team B
Key Wins: 48, 39, 39
Bad losses: 207


Without knowing anything else which team would you say is more deserving of the NCAA tournament?

 

[MineroFanatico]

Team A looks more deserving on paper

 

[JCorona]

Team A looks more deserving on paper

I present to you the Oklahoma Sooners.

 

[MineroFanatico]

I present to you the Oklahoma Sooners.

Who is team B?

 

[JCorona]

Who is team B?

MTSU

 

[ShovelMan66]

That's why OU was in and MTSU was not. I heard people say that MTSU only most to Auburn by 6.

If you're telling me that's your best result, and you lost, why do you deserve to be in? They also beat Vandy and Ole Miss who sucked this year. MTSU didn't earn it this year. The last 2 tournaments have no bearing on future selections. UMBC isn't making the tournament next year with a resume like MTSU either.

 

[MineroFanatico]

MTSU

OU has some quality wins. Their worst loss isn’t all that bad either. However, given that many opportunities at quality wins, MTSU’s resume might look similar, maybe even better.

My contention with OU getting in is that they were sub .500 in conference play and only won 3 of their last 10 games, not including the tourney game. That’s complete horsesh!+ in my opinion.