CIT FIRST ROUND vs. Purdue Fort Wayne (3/20)

[BillyLP]

It’s about keeping your team together as the portal opens up and trying engage fans who have 10,000 more options a day than they did back in the 1980’s Ball St was relevant.

I was not all that happy about this when I first heard we are playing in this. However this is a great point Guest44, it keeps your team together and occupied right as the transfer portal opens today.

Agreed. I hadn't thought about the portal aspect. Also, why tf would the portal open during the week of the tournament?? So stupid.

Frankly, I hate the CIT and CBI tourneys, but with the way they messed with the NIT this offseason, I get the necessity. Glad Da'Shawn gets another game or two in his college career.

[OSUFALCON]

I wonder what happens if they win? This tournament has a local person on the committee, Jamie KACHMARIK. He’s the current head coach at Toledo St. Francis. I think it’s a good game for the Falcons but I wonder if they justify this tournament another year. Norfolk State is playing TBA. Very bad optics for the tournament.

[BleedOrange]

The structure of all of college basketball is in major flux right now with NIL, conference consolidation, new tramsfer amd eligibility rules.

[BleedOrange]

All three non NCAA tournaments are on shakey ground. There is a growing movement in the P5 to separate from the NCAA. The current spirts streaming industry is in an unsustainable state. And, who knows what other state amd federal legislation will emerge.

[BGSU33]

Since 1975, a stretch of 49 years, BG has one…ONE…measly post-season win. And that was a narrow win over St Francis (PA) in the CIT in 2015 under Chris Jans. No NCAA wins (or appearances for that matter, no NIT wins, no CBI wins, just one lonely win in the CIT against a school many people probably haven’t either heard of or know where it is. BG has a BEYOND PUTRID post season history in the last half century so any win, vs any team, in any tournament could be valuable moving into the next season.

Since 1990, our peers like Kent State has gone to Elite 8; Ohio, Miami, Ball State and EMU have gone to the Sweet 16, and others have gotten to the round of 32 while beating major teams along the way. BG can’t only dream of these feats.

BG is the only school in the MAC to never win the MAC Tournament in its 45 year history. It’s no coincidence that fact exists when you see how pathetic BG’s postseason results are in its history.

This CIT game isn’t going to appear on anyone’s radar. But it’s important to our program. We honestly need to win this game, and a few if possible, to start showing a pulse of any sort in the postseason. In the last half century, BG doesn’t know how to win in the postseason. It’s a proven fact. But this could be a start - even just a tiny one - to begin changing that embarrassing trend in our history.

Are you going to be attendance to witness potential history?

No, but I came back for the CIT game vs Canisius in 2015 (right after the St Francis win) because BG hosted Canisius in the next round at the Stroh Center. Canisius had some Georges Niang-looking forward that lit us up (we had Richaun Holmes on that team) and that was the end of our postseason run. Still the only postseason tournament win in 49 years of BG basketball. It's simply mind blowing....

[BGSU33]

I was a ball boy the season when we lost the title game of the first ever MAC tourney on our home floor to Ohio.

Funny story about that BG-OU game. I was in Norman, Oklahoma a few years ago to see the Kansas at Oklahoma men's basketball game. There was an Outback Steakhouse right by my hotel so I walked over to have dinner and found an open seat at the bar. As I was sitting there I couldn't help but overhear two guys to my right who were talking sports and seemed very knowledgable. When I finally looked over, I realized I was sitting right next to Fran Fraschilla, and Bob Wischusen was to his right. They were in Norman to call the KU/OU game for ESPN the following day. Im struck up a conversation with Fran Fraschilla, and he was an assistant coach on that Ohio team. The kicker to that BG/OU game is - BG had actually swept Ohio in the regular season that year. BG got to host Ohio in Anderson Arena, and in a game vs a team it swept with a chance to win the MAC Tournament and go to the NCAA Tournament, BG lost. I only knew about the game from BG's horrific MAC Tournament history, but Fran was telling me about that game from his perspective on the bench. Needless to say, his take was much better than that of any BG fan. It's (true) stories like this that honestly make me doubt I'll live to see BG win a MAC Tournament and get back the The Dance.

[fanatic13]

Are we still playing this game if the tournament has 9 teams?

Nit taking away auto bids is going to hurt them more than they realize. Eastern Kentucky won the regular season ASUN and lost in their tournament on the 5th. No point of waiting 12 days to see if someone would ask them to play in a random tournament. In years past they would know they can prepare for the NIT. Obviously portal opening and coaches needing to recruit their own teams is a big issue.

Looks like the cbi is all set with 15 teams

[mbenecke]

Coach Loeffler tweeted about the game and said he’s pulling out the cowbell. That’s how you know this stuff still matters in the department.

[Diemilkweed]

BG is the only school in the MAC to never win the MAC Tournament in its 45 year history. It’s no coincidence that fact exists when you see how pathetic BG’s postseason results are in its history.

Sorry to nitpick, but doesn’t making the postseason generally come as a direct result of winning the MAC Tournament? If not it’s certainly a road game in the NIT. How the hell would BGSU have postseason success if they haven’t had conference tournament success? Are you going to tell us next that Bowling Green hasn’t won the Preseason NIT? The CBI and CIT have only been around for what 10-15 years, and most of those years BGSU employed Orr and Huger. I’ll be rooting for the Falcons on Wednesday, but also can’t wait for the overreaction post if they lose. A true win/win.

My argument for these tournaments has nothing to do with 1980’s and 1990’s Tournament runs that nobody gives a s**t about. It’s about keeping your team together as the portal opens up and trying engage fans who have 10,000 more options a day than they did back in the 1980’s Ball St was relevant.

BG's woe's in the postseason have existed longer than the MAC tournament has. And lots of MAC schools get post season tournament experience outside the NCAA every year.

When the MAC tourney was new, they would usually take the regular season champ and the tourney champ if they were not the same team. 3 of the first 4 times they didn't do that, which took close to 20 years to happen - it was us who got snubbed.

[Diemilkweed]

I was a ball boy the season when we lost the title game of the first ever MAC tourney on our home floor to Ohio.

Funny story about that BG-OU game. I was in Norman, Oklahoma a few years ago to see the Kansas at Oklahoma men's basketball game. There was an Outback Steakhouse right by my hotel so I walked over to have dinner and found an open seat at the bar. As I was sitting there I couldn't help but overhear two guys to my right who were talking sports and seemed very knowledgable. When I finally looked over, I realized I was sitting right next to Fran Fraschilla, and Bob Wischusen was to his right. They were in Norman to call the KU/OU game for ESPN the following day. Im struck up a conversation with Fran Fraschilla, and he was an assistant coach on that Ohio team. The kicker to that BG/OU game is - BG had actually swept Ohio in the regular season that year. BG got to host Ohio in Anderson Arena, and in a game vs a team it swept with a chance to win the MAC Tournament and go to the NCAA Tournament, BG lost. I only knew about the game from BG's horrific MAC Tournament history, but Fran was telling me about that game from his perspective on the bench. Needless to say, his take was much better than that of any BG fan. It's (true) stories like this that honestly make me doubt I'll live to see BG win a MAC Tournament and get back the The Dance.

Did he also tell you that, unlike every game at BGSU the 6 years prior (the time period I was attending games) and pretty much every basketball game everywhere, they brought their band?

Unannounced?

And kicked about a third of the student section out to fit in their spots?

I'm still salty about that.

[mbenecke]

Doesn’t seem like it’s going to be a very big crowd, which is disappointing. My guess would be that we wouldn’t pay to host another game if we win tonight, since the community didn’t rally for this anywhere close to the level they did for the women last year.

My guess is that this is the last chance to see this team at the Stroh this season, so let’s make it count!

[hammb]

Doesn’t seem like it’s going to be a very big crowd, which is disappointing. My guess would be that we wouldn’t pay to host another game if we win tonight, since the community didn’t rally for this anywhere close to the level they did for the women last year.

My guess is that this is the last chance to see this team at the Stroh this season, so let’s make it count!

I never expected a big crowd, that's why paying for these tournaments is always a financial loss for the MAC programs. I have no idea what they pay, but they'll never recoup any of it through ticket sales. I get the advantages of playing in something like this; keep the team together, continue building a program, play more games in a win or go home situation, etc. But financially they're always going to be a blood bath for MAC teams.

The women's tournament last year was the NIT ( bigger deal) with a better team, and perhaps most importantly, I think many knew it was going to be the last chance to see a Fralick coached team at BGSU.

Monday's soccer practice was canceled because nobody wants to practice in sleet and 35*. Today's weather forecast isn't much better, so I'm hoping it gets canceled as well and we can be there.

[guest44]

Don't let Fran Fraschilla know they might not have a packed house at the Stroh tonight. This dictates the next 60 years of postseason success win or lose tonight.

[Redwingtom]

Doesn’t seem like it’s going to be a very big crowd, which is disappointing. My guess would be that we wouldn’t pay to host another game if we win tonight, since the community didn’t rally for this anywhere close to the level they did for the women last year.

My guess is that this is the last chance to see this team at the Stroh this season, so let’s make it count!

I never expected a big crowd, that's why paying for these tournaments is always a financial loss for the MAC programs. I have no idea what they pay, but they'll never recoup any of it through ticket sales. I get the advantages of playing in something like this; keep the team together, continue building a program, play more games in a win or go home situation, etc. But financially they're always going to be a blood bath for MAC teams.

The women's tournament last year was the NIT ( bigger deal) with a better team, and perhaps most importantly, I think many knew it was going to be the last chance to see a Fralick coached team at BGSU.

Monday's soccer practice was canceled because nobody wants to practice in sleet and 35*. Today's weather forecast isn't much better, so I'm hoping it gets canceled as well and we can be there.

A guy on the MACbbs board posted the following. No clue how accurate it is...

IIRC, hosts of the four, four-team classics pay into the CIT ... like $30,000, for visitor travel subsidy, etc. ... it's up to them to earn the money back from ticket sales if they can. The winner of each classic gets a trophy, and goes into the CIT final four.

The CBI has all schools pay $27,500 entry fee, and plays at a single site, with NIL payouts to winner, runner-up and semi-final runners up ... the grand prize is $25,000, so I guess people can do the math there.

[mbenecke]

Good thing we got $2.6M for playing Michigan and Georgia Tech in football this year! Sheesh.