Would you prefer

[detltu]

I may be crazy and all by myself on this but here is my question:

Which would you prefer:
One and done in a higher tournament
or
Win a lesser tournament

The obvious rank of the tournaments is
NCAA
NIT
CIT/CBI

So would you rather get whipped int he first round of the NCAA or win the NIT
or get whipped in the first round of the NIT or win the CBI/CIT.

This is purely hypothetical and I am just asking a general question. I have no knowledge of any tournament invites and am not insinuating that we made a deep run in the CIT.

There is a lot of talk about success and failure and obviously we all want to win the NCAA tournament every year. Also obviously you never turn down an invitation to the NCAA tournament. I guess I am asking as a fan. Which would you look at as a greater success: just making a higher tournament or winning a smaller tournament.

I vote winning the smaller tournament and here is why:
1. you get to see Tech play more games and win more games
2. You end the season on a winning note
3. I think many fans would look at you as being => the teams that went one and done in the higher tournament.

I say this regardless of the tournaments if you have a different answer for the high/low pair explain in your post.

[ITdrummer]

It has to do with marketing. Why are products advertised as costing $9.99 when they are essentially $10.00. Because it looks cheaper.
When you are recruiting, would you rather say, "We made it to the first game of the NCAA tournament", or "We are the 2010 NIT champions."

Granted, there is no doubt that the big dance is much more prestigious; but given the options, I would prefer being tournament champions of a lower tournament.

[Cal&Ken]

I would way prefer to play in the better tournament. It kind of makes me sick to be afraid to play. Even if we had won the CIT - you would have to educate everyone that you told it to on what it even was- and no one would care.

[inudesu]

It kind of makes me sick to be afraid to play.

This wasn't part of his question. Obviously, we would all prefer to go to the best tournament on the front end.

His hypothetical (which I haven't answered because I don't have an answer yet) guarantees a loss.

[Cal&Ken]

This wasn't part of his question. Obviously, we would all prefer to go to the best tournament on the front end.

His hypothetical (which I haven't answered because I don't have an answer yet) guarantees a loss.

I did answer the question. You just didn't like my answer. The question was would you rather one and done in a higher tournament or win a lesser one- my answer - and why "I would way prefer to play in the better tournament. It kind of makes me sick to be afraid to play. Even if we had won the CIT - you would have to educate everyone that you told it to on what it even was- and no one would care. " We have gone to the NCAA tournament before to play competition that there was no way we could beat- I certainly didn't want to not go. It is way nicer to talk about how many times that you made it there or that you were there last year rather than saying you weren't even good enough to get there.

[inudesu]

I did answer the question. You just didn't like my answer. The question was would you rather one and done in a higher tournament or win a lesser one- my answer - and why "I would way prefer to play in the better tournament. It kind of makes me sick to be afraid to play. Even if we had won the CIT - you would have to educate everyone that you told it to on what it even was- and no one would care. " We have gone to the NCAA tournament before to play competition that there was no way we could beat- I certainly didn't want to not go. It is way nicer to talk about how many times that you made it there or that you were there last year rather than saying you weren't even good enough to get there.

Your choice of which option you prefer is fine. As I said, I'm kind of torn.

But your reasoning is unrelated to the question he is asking (if I am reading him correctly).

He isn't asking if you would rather try the NIT than try a tough draw in the NCAA. He's asking if your would rather have (in hindsight, maybe) a guaranteed (not probable, not scarily likely) but guaranteed loss in a better tournament or a guaranteed championship in a lesser one.

I can see the case for either side, so I'm not disagreeing with your choice, but I'm pointing out that being scared has nothing to do with it.

The last sentence of your most recent post does support your vote, though.

[kdk008]

Would you rather be the worst of the best or the best of the worst? I love this discussion.

I personally love to win, and would rather end my season as a champion no matter what I am the champion of. It's a long off season when your season ends with a loss. I would rather ride the high of winning and build off of that.

[Cal&Ken]

Your choice of which option you prefer is fine. As I said, I'm kind of torn.

But your reasoning is unrelated to the question he is asking (if I am reading him correctly).

He isn't asking if you would rather try the NIT than try a tough draw in the NCAA. He's asking if your would rather have (in hindsight, maybe) a guaranteed (not probable, not scarily likely) but guaranteed loss in a better tournament or a guaranteed championship in a lesser one.

I can see the case for either side, so I'm not disagreeing with your choice, but I'm pointing out that being scared has nothing to do with it.

The last sentence of your most recent post does support your vote, though.

My entire post does as well - thank you for the review though. Let me spell it all out for you so you can understand a little better since this post is obviously important to you.

IF we qualify for the higher tournament - win or lose I want to go- even knowing we would get our butts kicked. I do not want our team to ever be afraid to play up with better competition. It is sickening to be afraid to play and much more impressive to recruits to say you played at the highest level possible. And yes, if you pick the lower- it is simply because you are afraid.

[inudesu]

And yes, if you pick the lower- it is simply because you afraid.

Or because you like to win.

Or don't like to lose.

Or think that the best preperation for the next season is playing as many games as you can.

Or because you simply want to see more Tech basketball games.

[inudesu]

Would you rather be the worst of the best or the best of the worst? I love this discussion.

I think Nevada is a better basketball team than UAPB.

[Cal&Ken]

Or because you like to win.

Or don't like to lose.

Or think that the best preperation for the next season is playing as many games as you can.

Or because you simply want to see more Tech basketball games.

And yes, you have a right to think all of those things - there are many that do agree with you- I am just not one of them and the question was "would you prefer." When you play all season to go to the dance and get the opportunity you take it. We did not, but got the opportunity for the next best thing.....

[TechAlum05]

IF we qualify for the higher tournament - win or lose I want to go- even knowing we would get our butts kicked. I do not want our team to ever be afraid to play up with better competition. It is sickening to be afraid to play and much more impressive to recruits to say you played at the highest level possible. And yes, if you pick the lower- it is simply because you afraid.

I voted for the one and done in the bigger tournament. In Tech's case, just making it to the NCAA Tournament is a great achievement in itself. It would be the result of a great season or by winning the WAC Tournament. The NCAA Tournament trip would be a fitting reward even if it's a one and done against a powerhouse.

I would also want to see if I could hang with the Big Boys in college basketball in the Big Dance instead of settling for the also-rans and underachievers in the NIT. In college basketball, the only tournament that truly matters is the NCAA Men's Tournament. That's what March Madness is built around, not the NIT, CIT, CBI, FBI, or CIA. When you recruit players across the country, it's usually a better sell if you went to the NCAA tourney than to a lower-rung tournament.

[inudesu]

When you play all season to go to the dance and get the opportunity you take it.

When you play all season long in the real world you don't ever have a guarantee that you will win or lose a game.

This isn't a choice between going to the NCAA tournament or going to the NIT. I think we'd all have the same answer to that question.

[Dwayne From Minden]

Play in the BEST tourney available and let the chips fall where they may competition wise...

That's really the entire goal isn't it?

[inudesu]

Play in the BEST tourney available and let the chips fall where they may competition wise...

That's really the entire goal isn't it?

It certainly is when you don't know where the chips are going to fall.

To be honest I'm leaning towards taking the loss in the better tournament (most years). But I can see a strong case for the other way.