Polls

[i zig a zoomba]

Could you imagine the team winning out the rest of the way, lose in the MAC tourney final, and not make the NCAA's with a 30-2 record. All because Vanderbilt and one of the other teams we beat lost too many games.

I really think this team could be 31-1 heading into the NCAA tournament. I wouldn't be surprised at all if this happened. So long as everyone stays healthy of course.

Getting votes for polls and becoming a nationally ranked team is great. But I don't see it as anything to worry about concerning the progress and records of other teams. The team surely doesn't log on to live stats to see if Vanderbilt is winning. I hope they do win and make us look good. But we are better than them, they are probably hoping we win, to make them look better.

What we do the rest of the season will take care of itself in the end come post season. I hope we get ranked, and go undefeated the rest of the regular season, and think we can... However if I had to choose between that and just winning the conference tournament, it's a no brainer.

[bgsufalcon24]

Could you imagine the team winning out the rest of the way, lose in the MAC tourney final, and not make the NCAA's with a 30-2 record. All because Vanderbilt and one of the other teams we beat lost too many games.

That is impossible. Absolutely fracking impossible. By pulling a stunt like that, the NCAA would essentially be telling every non-BCS school in the nation that it isn't even worth playing the regular season. Generally I don't underestimate the NCAA's ability to muck things up, but as far as I can tell they've never left out a team with 30 wins and/or only 2 defeats.

[gmartin]

A few years ago when BG was 28-3 people were wondering if we would have been an at large team if we hadn't won the MAC Tournament. Not sure who it was at the time, maybe RUIT or Freak, I know it wasn't FalconBoy or Dustin, but someone had figured out back then, a few years ago, that NINETEEN teams, men and women, with a record of 28-3 or better missed out on the NCAA Dance because they lost their conference tournament. So YES anything is possible when it comes to the power conferences squeezing out the smaller schools.

Personally I HATE conference tournaments!!! Despise them. I think a 28 game schedule shows how a team performs much better than getting hot for 3 or 4 games in one week. Heck a team your playing could have a sick player and you win that game. Crooked refs and you may reach the finals, etc. A few years ago a 6 win team made the NCAA dance because they won 3 games in the conference tournament.

Is there a perfect system. No. Are you telling me BG is only 3 teams, out of 330, higher than Miami, Oh??

Like I said anything is possible. Maybe Curt should just play our bench the next 18 games and not play our starters until the MAC tourny. Heck, Gino at UConn could do the same thing.

Wouldn't it be fun if UConn lost all its regular season and conference games, going 0-28, but win 4 straight in the Big East and win 6 more and finish with a National Title but have a record of 10-28.

[Hdog]

I like conference tourneys, especially since the mid-major conferences are limited in their at-large bids to the NCAA tourney. The MAC tourney is an exciting time for the teams and the fans. Teams are playing at a high level because they know what is at stake by winning that weekend. I would hate to see that ever go away.

The NCAA could do more to reward the teams that turned in good/great seasons in mid-major conferences. What about putting some sort of a limit on how many teams get in per conference? Say only the top three or four places in regular season plus the conference tourney winner. This should create some sort of a trickle down to the mid-majors.

I don’t see the logic in having an at-large team who finished say 17-14 in sixth place in the Big Ten more deserving of a first place 28-3 team from a mid-major conference.

[BGFalconfromCincy]

I hate conference tournaments

My reason - 2000 Conference USA tournament, enough said

[gmartin]

HDOG --> I understand your point about how the MAC tourny makes the teams play at a higher level but if you get rid of the tournament it will make the MAC regular reason that more intense.
Want you to think about this, BG goes 26-2 during the regular season. Buffalo goes 6-22. Buffalo wins the first round game, upsets BG in the Quarters and goes on to win the MAC Championship. Buffalo got hot and won 4 games. BG lost to Buffalo because 3 of our starters had food poisoning.

Selection Monday comes. What's this. BG did not make it, however Buffalo does because it won 4 games in. A week. I love the tournaments but If that is the only way for a mid major to go dancing then I think the mid majors should not play conference tournaments. Let the 14, 16 or 18 games during conference play decide who advances.

[gmartin]

BGFalconfromCincy: Are you referring to the UC Mens team losing to Charlotte or the UC Women losing to Tulane? Or maybe both. Lol

[Jacobs4Heisman]

HDOG --> I understand your point about how the MAC tourny makes the teams play at a higher level but if you get rid of the tournament it will make the MAC regular reason that more intense.
Want you to think about this, BG goes 26-2 during the regular season. Buffalo goes 6-22. Buffalo wins the first round game, upsets BG in the Quarters and goes on to win the MAC Championship. Buffalo got hot and won 4 games. BG lost to Buffalo because 3 of our starters had food poisoning.

Selection Monday comes. What's this. BG did not make it, however Buffalo does because it won 4 games in. A week. I love the tournaments but If that is the only way for a mid major to go dancing then I think the mid majors should not play conference tournaments. Let the 14, 16 or 18 games during conference play decide who advances.

I don't think you'd get an argument if you said the smartest dudes in the country run the Ivy league.

I also wouldn't argue with you if you said some pretty mediocre people run the MAC. We don't have the balls to change and do it the more logical way like those smart guys.

[BGFalconfromCincy]

BGFalconfromCincy: Are you referring to the UC Mens team losing to Charlotte or the UC Women losing to Tulane? Or maybe both. Lol

Men's team, and they lost to St. Louis, that was Martin's senior year and they were favored to win the NCAA title until Martin broke his leg vs St. Louis in that tourney game. Still and will probably always be the worst sporting moment of my life.

That happening even relates to the topic at hand, St. Louis was 7-9 in CUSA that year, no way they were making the NCAA tourney unless they got hot those four days, which they did

[Class of 61]

HDOG -->
Selection Monday comes. What's this. BG did not make it, however Buffalo does because it won 4 games in. A week. I love the tournaments but If that is the only way for a mid major to go dancing then I think the mid majors should not play conference tournaments. Let the 14, 16 or 18 games during conference play decide who advances.

I think you've hit upon something that the MAC, and probably some other conferences need to look at. There is NO requirement that the tournament winner be the team to go to the NCAA's...unless the conference itself decides to do it that way... I'd rather see the regular season champ be the "automatic" bid winner, but if another team wins the tournament, they should be given strong consideration ... of course, the BCS schools will fight that aspect of things, which is why we probably do it the way that we do... in THEORY, the regular season champion should receive that strong consideration instead of the other way around.