Teams that don't deserve an invite....

[Dave Stalwart]

Normally I agree that the committee screws mid-majors, but anyone who doesn't make the field this year has only themselves to blame. This is an atrocious bubble group.

I can't think of one single non-BCS team that is unfairly set up to be screwed out of a bid at the moment. Indiana State is still in everyone's Last 4 Out at the moment and they have crumbled more than a NuWay Burger.

No kidding. Our NIT teams the last few years would probably be in this year.

[XManCometh]

It doesn't make sense to me that a team that has played .500 in the conference and many times has lost to the teams above it one or two times or in some cases three times, should even have an opportunity to become national champion. To me, it makes more sense to give other teams outside the conference with better records the opportunity to see if they can beat one of the teams that finished higher in the league standings. I guess my preference is to have a champion based on the season-long body of work and not a hot streak or a luck-of-the-draw comparatively easy road to the title.

I agree with this partially, but in many years a .500 team in a stacked league is better than a team with a .750-.800 winning % in an awful conference. For example: 2011 UCONN was .500 in the Big East. I'm positive they were better than Florida Atlantic from the Sun Belt who was 21-10 and 13-3 in conference.

[Veritas]

True, but teams in the BCS get enough of a bump simply belonging to a BCS league.
Any team, regardless of the conference they belong, should not get an invite if they have a less than .500 conference W/L record. Unless of course they win their conference tournament.

[WstateU]

Normally I agree that the committee screws mid-majors, but anyone who doesn't make the field this year has only themselves to blame. This is an atrocious bubble group.

I can't think of one single non-BCS team that is unfairly set up to be screwed out of a bid at the moment. Indiana State is still in everyone's Last 4 Out at the moment and they have crumbled more than a NuWay Burger.

Damn, that makes me hungry!

[Kung Wu]

True, but teams in the BCS get enough of a bump simply belonging to a BCS league.
Any team, regardless of the conference they belong, should not get an invite if they have a less than .500 conference W/L record. Unless of course they win their conference tournament.

Which reminds me. Why does a team with a 3 game hot streak get an automatic invitation to the biggest stage in college basketball ... but a team that has grinded out the best record over the past 30ish games often gets left out? (and sometimes that better record is WAY better)

Isn't that backwards? I mean if you want to run a lottery, just start up a lottery and leave college basketball alone. But if you want the best teams in the dance, how is a 3 game streak so much more compelling than a season's body of work?

There is an argument to be made that the team on the hot streak is playing better than the rest right up before the tournament. But overall I think that the top 4 finishers of any _good_ conference tournament are probably playing mostly on par with each other and one has had a slight edge. But this only tests intra-conference abilities, and doesn't reflect the overall abillity for the "hot" team to adapt to playing against the many different styles and systems of teams they are likely to come up against in the tournament.

/end rant

[kcshocker11]

I'll tell you what bugs me. I had to watch ESPN run story after story on Kentucky vs Missouri on Sportscenter, Highlight express etc. Only mention of Shocks at 2 am on ESPNU. Kentucky on the bubble and MU a 9 seed at the time deserves all this press?

[SubGod22]

Which reminds me. Why does a team with a 3 game hot streak get an automatic invitation to the biggest stage in college basketball ... but a team that has grinded out the best record over the past 30ish games often gets left out? (and sometimes that better record is WAY better)

Isn't that backwards? I mean if you want to run a lottery, just start up a lottery and leave college basketball alone. But if you want the best teams in the dance, how is a 3 game streak so much more compelling than a season's body of work?

There is an argument to be made that the team on the hot streak is playing better than the rest right up before the tournament. But overall I think that the top 4 finishers of any _good_ conference tournament are probably playing mostly on par with each other and one has had a slight edge. But this only tests intra-conference abilities, and doesn't reflect the overall abillity for the "hot" team to adapt to playing against the many different styles and systems of teams they are likely to come up against in the tournament.

/end rant

Because conference tournaments make so much money.

[ShockTalk]

Because conference tournaments make so much money.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkRIbUT6u7Q

[KC Shox]

Iowa State got jobbed last night, they really needed that win. Alas, they didn't get it and they should be out for now. A non-con SOS of 174 doesn't help them, and a top 100 record of 5 and 7 is not mind blowing. 4 - 8 on the road is unimpressive either.

[wsushox1]

Iowa State got jobbed last night, they really needed that win. Alas, they didn't get it and they should be out for now. A non-con SOS of 174 doesn't help them, and a top 100 record of 5 and 7 is not mind blowing. 4 - 8 on the road is unimpressive either.

I wouldn't say they get jobbed. The officials could just have easily of called a hip check/push in the back (which they had been calling all night) on the Iowa State player that pushed Johnson into Niang.

[pinstripers]

jobbed

[shocka khan]

Don't look now, but Minehaha is leading IU by 6 with a minute to go.

Makes the guy who thought Minehaha would have a shot at ensuring their tourney bid down the stretch looking prescient right now.........

[shocka khan]

And Minehaha beats the hossierdaddies 77-74......I think Minehaha stamped their ticket tonight. I did not know this until I saw it during the game, but Minehaha's SOS is #1.

[pogo]

Kung Wu, you got mail.

[rrshock]

Minnesota most likely got a lock spot tonight.