In 2001 a new basketball conference was created, so instead of 30 conference champions, there are now 31. The BCS conferences refused to give up one of their at 34 at large tournament bids. So the tournament field was expanded to 65 teams. This year in ploy to get more money for the tv networks, the NCAA added 3 more teams. I have several problems with these expansions.
Teams that play in these early games get cheap wins. I am watching UALR play as I write this. I hope that my hometown team can get the win, but a win over 16 seeded UNC Asheville will count the same in the record book as Murray State's victory over the 4 seed Vanderbilt last year. Before that game Murray State had the worst tournament record of any team that had won a game, 1-13. The 16/16 match ups feel like an insult to the teams that suffer close narrow defeats to high seeded teams.
The first round games are played in Dayton OH today and tomorrow. Clemson and UAB play tonight at 8:00. The winner of that game plays Thursday in Tampa FL at 11:00 am. That is a huge advantage West Virginia. I am too lazy to do the research, but it seems like the winner of the early round game usually ends up playing on Thursday. UALR and Clemson (my picks to win) should get Friday second round games to give them a better chance.
Those complaints aside I love the NCAA tournament. I am really happy that all the games will be on television this year, so that CBS can not force me to watch Duke this year. I will wait until Thursday to reveal my picks, so as not to influence anyone else when they fill out their brackets. But now it is time to watch the NIT, Murray State vs Missouri State.
As a lowly 14th seed, Murray State knocked off North Carolina State in the 1988 NCAA Tournament. As a bottom-rung No. 16, the Racers took powerful Michigan State into overtime two years later before falling short.
ReplyDeleteLast year the Racers, seeded 13th, knocked off heavily favored Vanderbilt and nearly toppled eventual runner-up Butler as well.
Such underdog heroics fueled March Madness over the years. Dangerous teams from lesser conferences made the NCAA Tournament compelling to casual fans.
They created must-see TV with their upsets and near upsets. Such Cinderella stories turned office bracket pools into major annual events.
They drew in non-fans that never heard of Wofford College before picking it to win its first-round game. And yet the NCAA works very, very hard to diminish the Underdog Factor in its tournament.
The NCAA selection committee seldom gives an at-large berth to a no-name school. To have any chance of getting that nod, ambitious mid-major programs must schedule powerhouse opponents in their non-conference schedule.
Of course, most big-name opponents generally dodge these upstart schools – fearing the worst – so Division I basketball remains largely segregated.
This is the result: Missouri State, the regular season Missouri Valley Conference champions, and Murray State, which finished atop the Ohio Valley Conference, face each other in the National Invitation Tournament tonight in Springfield.
Although Murray State did not get invited to the Big Dance, GO Racers.
Bill, it is considered plagiarism if you do not give credit to the person who wrote that.
ReplyDeleteI have you know I wrote the last line all by myself.
ReplyDeleteJeff Gordon of St. Louis Today wrote the rest.