Dick Vitale on the tourney picks...

[shoxtop]

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=3983294

So the others in the video really think the "big teams" will play the "little teams" if they ask?! And they really think 2 for 1s are fair?!

[n8]

Dickey V gets dumped on a lot, but he's got a point here. I liked the bit where Vitale called out Captain Duke Alum himself Bilas, where he promptly stopped arguing.

[jocoshock]

Bilas admitted 2 for 1s are unfair, but stills says that's the way it is...

You can't argue with that.

[Anthroshock]

Top RPIs left out of the NCAA tournament
2009: San Diego State (34), Creighton (40), UAB (46)

2008: Dayton (32), Illinois State (33), UMass (42)

2007: Air Force (30), Missouri State (36), Bradley (38)

2006: Missouri State (21), Hofstra (30), Creighton (39)

2005: Miami-Ohio (39), Wichita State (45), Buffalo (46)

Does anyone see a pattern here? :(

[RoyalShock]

Bilas admitted 2 for 1s are unfair, but stills says that's the way it is...

You can't argue with that.

Of course you can argue it. The issue is whether anything can be done about it. And I don't think it can. The NCAA will simiply never tell the big 6 conferences to schedule games with the good 7-10 conference teams. If they need to bolster their OOC schedule to prove they aren't afraid to play tough teams by choice, they'll just schedule each other so that if they lose it doesn't look bad and it's kept in the "family".

The MVC came the closest to breaking the glass ceiling when Elgin instituted the OOC RPI component. If the success that created could have been sustained another year or two, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation.

[60Shock]

Great point, Royal.

Both as a (ugh) mid-major school and conference, it is crucial to sustain consistency in winning. We can't forever continue to have two or three good years, lose our coach, have two or three bad years and repeat the process over and over again. KC stated in another post that coach longivity is crucial to a school like us and I fully support his view.

Some like to hold up Gonzaga as a role model and that is fine as they are. Just look at their consistency. They have made it to the Dance twelve times and, most important, the last eleven have been consecutive.

Further, based on several commentators comments concerning selection criteria, it appears RPI is not all it has been cracked up to be. A lot of emphasis this year seemed to be given to playing good teams and beating them on the road. Also, how schools finished in their last 10 games. Naturally, there are exceptions as selection personnel look at different things. CU is a prime example of this. They have had decent consistency, but a week non-conference schedule and no significant road wins cost them big time this year.

And who knows, next year it may be based on how short the cheer leaders' skirts or pants are.

[RoyalShock]

Further, based on several commentators comments concerning selection criteria, it appears RPI is not all it has been cracked up to be.

The RPI never was what the talking heads made it up to be.

But those other criteria you are talking about are judged somewhat by RPI. How do you know if a win is a good win? You look at that team's record and validate it's worth by their RPI.

Another thing we need to understand is that the committee isn't usually dominated by officials from BCS conferences. There's a pretty good mix. So if we believe there is some conspiracy against mid-majors among the committee, we have to accept that there are some turncoats or outright corruption.

[SubGod22]

How many reps are from lower level conferences who maybe don't want to piss off the big boys as the only way their schools survive is by taking buy games to make money? Just a thought...

[Anthroshock]

Another thing we need to understand is that the committee isn't usually dominated by officials from BCS conferences. There's a pretty good mix. So if we believe there is some conspiracy against mid-majors among the committee, we have to accept that there are some turncoats or outright corruption.[/quote]

Many of the ADs at "smaller" schools may be looking to move up the food chain and are unlikely to make a stink. I envision a lot of bootlicking and "yes ma'am" "yes sir" quickstepping.

What?!? The NCAA isn't corrupt?

[shoxtop]

Great point, Royal.
Further, based on several commentators comments concerning selection criteria, it appears RPI is not all it has been cracked up to be. A lot of emphasis this year seemed to be given to playing good teams and beating them on the road. Also, how schools finished in their last 10 games. Naturally, there are exceptions as selection personnel look at different things. CU is a prime example of this. They have had decent consistency, but a week non-conference schedule and no significant road wins cost them big time this year.

And who knows, next year it may be based on how short the cheer leaders' skirts or pants are.

Exactly, the way it seems to me is the committee throws out all these different criteria. That way when they see a team they don't want in, they can explain keeping them out by saying that team doesn't have "this". And when they see a team they want in, they can explain including them by saying that team has "that". They are almost as consistent as valley refs!

[WSUwatcher]

Wny?

The RPI adjustment that gives you 1.4 wins for a road win (and only 0.6 loss for a loss), vs. only 0.6 for a home win is some incentive to play road games, but with ticket prices what they are these days, the loss of a home gate apparently offsets it.

With the selectors now finding ways to rationalize including poor-RPI teams like the Maryland Blowhards and the especially the Arizona Wild(ly overrated)cats in place of San Diego State or even our dear friends from Omaha, it appears that the only way some teams are going to play non-league road games is if the NCAA caps the number of home games a team can play, as I believe they did in football. And how likely is that?

[ShockerPrez]

How many reps are from lower level conferences who maybe don't want to piss off the big boys as the only way their schools survive is by taking buy games to make money? Just a thought...

Or have career aspirations of getting jobs at the bigger schools at some point.

[kcshocker11]

Never thought Id agree with Dickie V, look at Digger mock Vitale at the very end disgusting 8)

[Ashockalypse]

Dickie V gains a great deal of new respect from me. Tellin it like it is. Bilas and Digger ( who is the biggest dumb@$$ in the United States, I say are the new Nance and Packer of 2009. It boils down to the only fair way is to force the teams in the conferences in favor to play the conferences out of favor ( I prefer this to Power conferences and Mid Majors) in straight home and homes. Then you have to allow some time to pass so that not only are the teams out of favor beating the teams in favor more often, but, also they are therefor receiving a greater number of bids and a greater number of recruits. This would be fair and this is why it wont ever happen. Bilas basically admitted he didn't care if it was fair. His opinion is that Arizona is better than St. Mary's because they are Arizona and St. Mary''s is St. Mary's (of the Blind).

[notquiteBWing]

i think this year, more than any other year that i've noticed to this point, there is an outrageous amount of emphasis on OOC.

they used to care about how your year had ended. if you were playing well and so on.

this year. they stood firmly on their statement that november and december games were just as important.

Arizona beat Kansas and Gonzaga. in OOC. that meant much more than losing 5 out 6 of the last games.

i think that was pretty consistent with all the other teams in the tourney.
key wins are more important than finishing strong. like maryland.