Florida Atlantic got their biggest win the last week of the season as well.
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I bet if the bracket looked like this, UAB would not have lost their last two games.
Attachment 12542
I'm sorry, I didn't intend to make it personal--never called you a "pinko commie". But, in nearly every sport, whether it's high school, college, or pro, the lower tier teams are basically eliminated from post season potential about halfway or two-thirds through the season. That's just the nature or sports--win or go home.
I hear ya. We can check the weekly threads and see, but I would imagine that everyone would have 6 weeks to stay in the hunt, and the last 2 weeks to get on a run. The same thing happens in football. Once a team has 6 losses, there's "nothing" for us fans to show up for. That's the nature of competitive athletic events.
It just so happens that this year, the only 6 teams that were above .500 IN CONFERENCE were the top 6 seeds and all of us won a game or more. I don't have a problem with UAB beating us this year and getting to represent the conference. Appleby having an off night, the lopsided foul discrepancy, and nobody hitting any 3's did us in, but it will be a SHAME (in my mind) the day that a team goes 5-13, 6-12 in conference play, gets the last spot and gets on a run, or has refs with green and white striped shirts in their hometown and they get to go to the big dance. That's embarrassing and we would get Sun Belch like treatment from the National media for having one of our worst teams in the dance.
What I proposed makes the regular season emphasized (i.e. NFL) and would prevent teams from coasting in preparation for the post-season, making what happens in the regular season obsolete (i.e. the Spurs resting Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili because they know that they're in and just have to play 1 good month of BB). Correct me if I'm wrong, but in the NBA, 8 out of 14 conference teams make each division of the playoffs. More than 50%!! That's nuts to me. Just my opinion, so I love the conversation Boyd.
As a general rule, I dont like conference tournaments, precisely because they devalue the regular season. But the flipside of that also happens to be their one redeeming quality -- a heretofore pitiful team can suddenly get hot and go on a cinderella-type run. It's simaltaneously their greatest strength and their greatest weakness.
But holding a conference tournament for only the top 6 teams, to me, is the worst of both worlds. The regular season is still just an appetizer, AND you lose the inspiring underdog storylines.
Poor teams already win multiple conference tournaments every year. The whole point of the conference tournament is to get more teams in the dance and to make money for the conference. Yes, you generally don't have 10 win teams getting into the NCAA tourny via conference tournaments due to the fact that the crappier conferences usually only have one or two dominant teams who wreck all the other teams. Good conferences usually have 3-6 teams who can make a legitimate run at a tournament title and then there is still room for a couple at large bids. IE. Schedule better so you're not worried about being one of 14 teams to win a tournament. Let your team's resume speak for itself.
CUSA has a lot bigger problems than worrying about the tournament. There needs to be rules implemented on OOC SOS and there needs to be a way to have your best teams play each other multiple times every year. CUSA can become a 2 or 3 bid conference with the right rules implemented.
Since the first year of C-USA basketball in 1995-1996, C-USA has ALWAYS scheduled tournaments in the home cities, even in the arenas, of member institutions. It shouldn't surprise anyone that UAB was selected for this year's site. The other options, based on highest $$$ bid, were probably UTEP and ODU. Obviously, UAB was a choice that allowed the greatest number of Tech fans to attend. Our attendance in Birmingham was probably our highest ever for a conference tournament outside Louisiana. I will not gripe about the selection of Birmingham.
However, I have griped and will continue to gripe about the inefficiency of tournament officials and the lack of friendliness by most UAB locals. That's something that should be considered in the selection of a tournament site. If Bossier City ever gets the bid, remember to be friendly and helpful to visitors.
To illustrate C-USA's history of site selection, here's the champion and sites of the 10 C-USA tournaments prior to Birmingham:
Year Champion Site 2005 Louisville FedExForum; Memphis, Tennessee 2006 Memphis FedExForum; Memphis, Tennessee 2007 Memphis FedExForum; Memphis, Tennessee 2008 Memphis FedExForum; Memphis, Tennessee 2009 Memphis FedExForum; Memphis, Tennessee 2010 Houston BOK Center; Tulsa, Oklahoma 2011 Memphis Don Haskins Center; El Paso, Texas 2012 Memphis FedExForum; Memphis, Tennessee 2013 Memphis BOK Center; Tulsa, Oklahoma 2014 Tulsa Don Haskins Center; El Paso, Texas
We made the decision to get into C-USA knowing that tournaments had always been scheduled in the cities of member schools. With C-USA, it's never been the idea of creating fairness in competition. It's all about the Benjamins.
I've been to neutral sites and home arenas for tournaments, and to the arenas of higher seeded opponents for NIT games. I support a change to either of the following options that generates the most net income:Either option could reward higher seeded teams with byes or double byes depending on the number of eligible teams.
- A tournament site in a neutral city - this would create a better chance for Cinderella to win the tournament. The tournament winner gets the auto-bid. 14 of the top 20 conferences do this, or
- The higher seed will host the lower seed through the championship game. This gives a reward for doing well in the regular season. 2 of the top 20 conferences use this method of determining the auto-bid.
I prefer a neutral tournament site where all teams gather and play to determine the winner. This generally creates a friendly banter between fans of each school when it comes to basketball, bands, cheerleaders, mascots, and dance groups. Remember, we are not always the #1 seed yet we still want a shot at the championship.
Having games in the cities/venues of member schools always bothered me about C-USA, long before we experienced the "pleasures" of playing in Birmingham. It's time for a change.
Thanks HoDo. I'd like to see a study done that shows cost/revenue/NCAA units received among all non-P5 conferences. I'd guess there is a disproportionate number of those conferences getting one bid. I want to see how it is a money maker (other than what TV demands) for those conferences repeatedly getting one bid to even have a tournament.
IMO, the money received from TV for the tournament tie-in to the season package should be adjusted. I don't believe our commish get's that.