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TEAMS ANNOUCNED FOR 56TH ANNUAL WESTSTAR BANK DON HASKINS SUN BOWL INVITATIONAL

“We are thrilled about this year’s field. We are hoping to continue our plan of bringing in the best teams we can find,” Sun Bowl basketball committee chairman Barry Kobren said.

My first thought follows in line with what axingfools1 said.

My second thought is that the Sun Bowl basketball committee needs a new ****ing chairman.
 
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While it might not have the big name schools from the P5 or even some of the mid majors we would like to see these are still some good basketball teams coming to the Don.

Howard university is the buy game to make sure UTEP makes the championship. North Carolina Wilmington is the three time defending CAA champions. A league much better than CUSA that finished ranked one spot outside the top 10. Last season North Dakota St finished with an RPI of 111 it would have ranked second in CUSA and a sos of 178 good for the third hardest schedule in CUSA.

If UTEP can make the championship game they will likely face either a top 30 or top 100 team something that is very rare in our own conference.

Like the rest of you I would love to see better "name" opponents but I can understand why some of the lower P5s and higher Mid Majors would avoid a trip to the Don Haskins.
 
While it might not have the big name schools from the P5 or even some of the mid majors we would like to see these are still some good basketball teams coming to the Don.

Howard university is the buy game to make sure UTEP makes the championship. North Carolina Wilmington is the three time defending CAA champions. A league much better than CUSA that finished ranked one spot outside the top 10. Last season North Dakota St finished with an RPI of 111 it would have ranked second in CUSA and a sos of 178 good for the third hardest schedule in CUSA.

If UTEP can make the championship game they will likely face either a top 30 or top 100 team something that is very rare in our own conference.

Like the rest of you I would love to see better "name" opponents but I can understand why some of the lower P5s and higher Mid Majors would avoid a trip to the Don Haskins.

Yup...find the positive. We've been known to lose, at home, to much worse teams.
 
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This tournament once had a 4 year stretch(1983-1986) when the 12 teams that joined UTEP(UTEP + 3 teams each year) were: Arizona, Michigan, Ohio State, Texas, Alabama, Auburn, Purdue, Wake Forest, Mississippi State, Iowa State, Texas Tech, and Nebraska. UTEP actually won 3 out of those 4 Tournaments competing against those teams during that 4 year stretch.

http://www.sunbowl.org/system/documents/documents/6/original/Basketball_All-Time Results & All-Tournament Teams.pdf

We went from that, to now we think that UNC Wilmington is a good get for the tournament. We also went from beating to those elite teams, to now we are 1-3 in our last 4 Sun Bowl Tournament games against significantly lesser competition.

It has gotten so difficult getting teams and competing against all of the other tournaments, that we have been wondering for a while now how much longer this tournament can last?
 
Who is Matt Williams and when will Floyd and Stull stop whining about players that have left the team? STFU already!
 
Queue the spin about how these teams are great. It makes no sense to beat these teams at home. Even less to lose to them. If you can't bring in at least 1 quality name, get rid of the tournament.
 
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I wouldn't mind if we tried to rotate NMSU and UNM in this tourney, that would be pretty good. North Carolina Wilmington might not be a name but they are really good bball team.
 
I personally think UTEP is in no position to reject top 100 teams at home. Had UTEP made the championship game last season they would have played a top 60 team in Akron. In 2015 had UTEP made the championship game they would have played a top 75 UC Irving team. Given that CUSA only had one top 100 team I don't see why we would want to drop a home game against an NCAA resume building team.

While the tournament is going though a rough patch right now that is no reason to give up on it. Who's to say that in a few years when UTEP returns to being a regular NCAA team and the arena is built this tournament won't see better days. Back in the 80s when this tournament attracted the name schools it was partly due to UTEP having strong teams and a fairly new basketball arena.

I envision a tournament that eventually is hosted at the new arena. With UTEP back to being a top 50 team it attracts at least one or two top names. Maybe in the future it can expand to an eight team field.
 
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I get what you're saying, jcorona, and I have no argument with any of it.

I think some posters are just pointing out how far off the map this tourney has fallen. Comparing participants from the 80s to the recent/current participants is one way of highlighting that fact. By comparison, the tourney has lost its allure. This tourney used to draw large crowds and national attention.

Keep in mind, most of our fan base is no where near as knowledgeable about cbb as you are. As a result, the next round of participants are just not going to draw large crowds because they are relative unknowns as far as the average fan is concerned.

I hope what you envision down the road, comes about. You are certainly more optimistic about it than I am. While I have hope, I have become increasingly jaded in regards to our program for the better part of a decade now.
 
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I personally think UTEP is in no position to reject top 100 teams at home. Had UTEP made the championship game last season they would have played a top 60 team in Akron. In 2015 had UTEP made the championship game they would have played a top 75 UC Irving team. Given that CUSA only had one top 100 team I don't see why we would want to drop a home game against an NCAA resume building team.

While the tournament is going though a rough patch right now that is no reason to give up on it. Who's to say that in a few years when UTEP returns to being a regular NCAA team and the arena is built this tournament won't see better days. Back in the 80s when this tournament attracted the name schools it was partly due to UTEP having strong teams and a fairly new basketball arena.

I envision a tournament that eventually is hosted at the new arena. With UTEP back to being a top 50 team it attracts at least one or two top names. Maybe in the future it can expand to an eight team field.

Here's why -- to give the fans at least one compelling home game against a team they've actually heard of.

Kind of like the Arizona football game this year, which significantly dresses up the home football schedule.
 
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It's no coincidence that at the moment everything that has to do with UTEP athletics with the exception of the Sun Bowl game has deteriorated. The lack of leadership has affected the quality of our teams, our conference affiliation, and the overall morale of the fan base. It's tragic that a university with previous glory and a city with so much potential is relegated to such an inferior product.
 
At least it's a tournament this year. There was that one year where they changed it to an "invitational" where both games were pre-arranged (there was no championship game where the previous day's winners played). It was the lamest thing ever. And didn't they outright cancel it one year?
 
It's no coincidence that at the moment everything that has to do with UTEP athletics with the exception of the Sun Bowl game has deteriorated.
And what does the Sun Bowl game have to do with UTEP athletics, other than the use of the facilities?
 
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Where the hell is UTEP on that list? :eek:

I know of all these teams, but as stated previously, the average fan won't buy tickets to see these guys play....
 
I think NMSU and Utep should work together on tourney. Have 8 team tourney.And have games in the Pan am and Haskin Center. Then have championship game in the new Arena.
 
Where the hell is UTEP on that list? :eek:

I know of all these teams, but as stated previously, the average fan won't buy tickets to see these guys play....


I dont think Utep is considered a mid major. If so Middle Tennessee would be top 5.
 
Good stuff by Kappy....

Face it fellas, the SB Tourney is a bonafide mid-major tourney, guess the hope is to bring in the Cinderella's from the previous NCAA's, and maybe get lucky with a top-100 RPI team and now a MEAC team seems to be UTEP's first round opponent.... Attendance is the main issue that bothers me with this tourney....

Good read from Kap....

http://krod.com/the-evolution-of-the-weststar-bank-don-haskins-sun-bowl-invitational/
 
Good stuff by Kappy....

Face it fellas, the SB Tourney is a bonafide mid-major tourney, guess the hope is to bring in the Cinderella's from the previous NCAA's, and maybe get lucky with a top-100 RPI team and now a MEAC team seems to be UTEP's first round opponent.... Attendance is the main issue that bothers me with this tourney....

Good read from Kap....

http://krod.com/the-evolution-of-the-weststar-bank-don-haskins-sun-bowl-invitational/
Yeah what he said. That's what I was trying to say.
 
Send the team on a tour of the Missions in El Paso and call it a "cultural experience" to lure the bigger schools. El Paso has some of the oldest churches in the country I believe.

I'd rather see UTEP travel and play big name opponents rather than have the tournament. It helps having home games but until UTEP gets out of CUSA, playing a UNC Wilmington does not help. On the flip side, if UNCW wins the tourney it will help them tremendously come March. P5 do not want to come to UTEP, period. Arizona came because of Foster. Western Refining is a U of A basketball sponsor. (See their logo on jumbo scoreboard)

mckalecenterpano.jpg
 
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neither. UNC-W was good last year. Last year they may have been worth watching.

Also last year, the tournament drew 12,000 people...for 4 games...total. Is that the best we can do? http://www.sunbowl.org/system/documents/documents/6/original/Basketball_All-Time Results & All-Tournament Teams.pdf

Looking at the document you linked it looks like attendance has been better but also worse. The attendance is listed per session, or night. 2 games each night with 6k gives you 12k total so you don't divide by 4. If they emptied the arena after each game and sold tickets separately for each of the 4 games, then 12k for 4 games would be legit.


If UTEP has a good season going then attendance will be better. Adding a big name would also help but if they won't come, what can you do?
 
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Also last year, the tournament drew 12,000 people...for 4 games...total. Is that the best we can do?
UTEP was also playing their worst ball of the season at that time. They hadn't started their turnaround and most of us were wondering if UTEP would even qualify for the CUSA Tourney (much less earn a bye). A good UTEP team will draw better, regardless of the opponent.
 
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It's not as if this is some big surprise. In the last 11 tournaments only one P5 team has made an appearance. In 2012 when Nebraska and Doc Sadler visited. One would think that Nebraska and Sadler returning after the way he left would draw a good crowd but only around 7500 bought tickets to that game. The last time two P5 teams participated in the tournament was 1994 with Texas and Washington St. In the 1991-1992 season Clemson and Texas played here. The championship game involved UTEP vs Texas but only 8200 showed up. That was the same season UTEP won it's last NCAA tournament games so we had a very good team. It's complicated to predict the turnout regardless of the teams involved and the condition of the UTEP team.
 
It's not as if this is some big surprise. In the last 11 tournaments only one P5 team has made an appearance. In 2012 when Nebraska and Doc Sadler visited. One would think that Nebraska and Sadler returning after the way he left would draw a good crowd but only around 7500 bought tickets to that game. The last time two P5 teams participated in the tournament was 1994 with Texas and Washington St. In the 1991-1992 season Clemson and Texas played here. The championship game involved UTEP vs Texas but only 8200 showed up. That was the same season UTEP won it's last NCAA tournament games so we had a very good team. It's complicated to predict the turnout regardless of the teams involved and the condition of the UTEP team.

But I want to blame Stull and Floyd!
 
The last time two P5 teams participated in the tournament was 1994 with Texas and Washington St. In the 1991-1992 season Clemson and Texas played here.
2003 had Northwestern (Big Ten) and Rutgers (Big East at the time, now Big Ten). That Rutgers team (which UTEP STOMPED) made the NIT finals in Madison Square Garden.
 
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2003 had Northwestern (Big Ten) and Rutgers (Big East at the time, now Big Ten). That Rutgers team (which UTEP STOMPED) made the NIT finals in Madison Square Garden.
Oops I missed that one. I didn't know northwestern competed in the big 10. Their name sounds like one of those directional schools we lost to last year.
 
It's not as if this is some big surprise. In the last 11 tournaments only one P5 team has made an appearance. In 2012 when Nebraska and Doc Sadler visited. One would think that Nebraska and Sadler returning after the way he left would draw a good crowd but only around 7500 bought tickets to that game. The last time two P5 teams participated in the tournament was 1994 with Texas and Washington St. In the 1991-1992 season Clemson and Texas played here. The championship game involved UTEP vs Texas but only 8200 showed up. That was the same season UTEP won it's last NCAA tournament games so we had a very good team. It's complicated to predict the turnout regardless of the teams involved and the condition of the UTEP team.

Doc was not the coach of that Nebraska team (Tim Miles)
 
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