Very quickly before the games get underway tonight:Play-In Game:
- I'm picking Mount Saint Mary's to defeat Coppin State in the Play-In game tonight. The University of Dayton has had the privilege of hosting the Play-In game ever since it was introduced in 2001. Every year I get into an argument with someone about whether or not the Play-In game is actually a NCAA Tournament game. OF COURSE IT IS!!! 65 teams make the field, how complicated can this be? The Play-In game is listed on the official bracket. These teams have won their Conference Tournament and therefore have made the NCAA Tournament. There are always "haters" of the Play-In game, and these gripes will probably never go away. I'm not debating the fact that it's a shame that one of these two teams won't be part of the regional festivities on Friday (being interviewed by the national media, rubbing elbows with the famous, getting the opportunity to be blown-out by a #1 seed, etc.). What I am saying is that the Play-In game is completely, definitely, and with out a doubt...part of the NCAA Tournament. Coppin State's run to a conference championship is a fun little story as they are the first 20+ loss team to ever make it in to the NCAA Tournament. I also have history with Coppin State, being present for their historical upset when they defeated #2 South Carolina as a #15 seed in 1997. With all of that being said, I'm going with Mount Saint Mary's here because they are the better team by far and they defeated my Robert Morris squad in the semifinals of the NEC Tournament. I can't have Robert Morris losing to a team that lost to Coppin State. Hail the Play-In game. Thank you good people of Dayton!
NIT:
- I just filled out a NIT bracket and I discovered that there is less rhyme, reason, and logic involved with filling out a NIT bracket than there was filling out a SWAC Tournament bracket. For anyone who cares, this is how I see the NIT playing out:
- Round of 16: #4 California over #1 Ohio State, #3 Dayton over #2 Illinois State, #1 Virginia Tech over #4 VCU, #2 Ole Miss over #6 Charlotte, #1 Arizona State over #4 Southern Illinois, #2 Florida over #3 Creighton, #5 Maryland over #8 Robert Morris, #3 Florida State over #7 Stephen F. Austin
- Round of 8: #3 Dayton over #4 California, #1 Virginia Tech over #2 Ole Miss, #1 Arizona State over #2 Florida, #3 Florida State over #5 Maryland
- Final Four: #1 Virginia Tech over #3 Dayton, #1 Arizona State over #3 Florida State
- NIT Champion: #1 Virginia Tech over #1 Arizona State
CBI (College Basketball Invitational):
- There is yet another postseason tournament in college basketball this year, the CBI. Odds are you haven't heard of this...and even if you have...you probably don't care. And that's a good thing...you shouldn't care. Fans of the colleges and universities that make this tournament shouldn't care. I don't care. But...if there is a bracket involved, I will fill it out. So here are my CBI picks:
- Round of 8: #1 Washington over #3 Nevada, #1 UTEP over #3 Tulsa, #1 Virginia over #4 Rider, #1 Bradly over #3 Ohio
- Final Four: #1 Washington over #1 Virginia, #1 Bradley over #1 UTEP
- CBI Champion: #1 Bradley over #1 Washington
Some more information on the CBI for those who are confused, amazed or interested:
Introducing the CBI:
- What's the CBI? The College Basketball Invitational is a new 16-team tournament that selects teams left over after the NCAA tournament makes its 65 picks and NIT make its 32 picks.
- Who runs it? The Gazelle Group, a company based in Princeton, N.J., that also organizes preseason tournaments.
- What's the reason for the tournament? To give more teams a chance to play in the postseason. The NIT reduced its field from 40 to 32 teams in 2007 and also now must take regular-season conference champs that don't quality for the NCAA tournament. CBI organizers felt that left out some deserving teams who could put on an interesting tournament. They used Washington's situation in 2007 as one of its prime examples, when the Huskies went 19-13 and didn't make the NIT.
- The format? Teams are seeded in groups of four in four geographic regions. Washington is the No. 1 seed in the West Region. Each regional winner advances to the semifinals. There, the teams will be reseeded with the higher seeds hosting. The two semifinal winners will play a best-of-three championship series alternating at home sites, with the higher seed hosting Game 1 and Game 3, if necessary. That means the two finalists could play six games.
- TV coverage: Eleven games will be shown on Fox College Sports.
Two comments:
ReplyDelete1. I know that the opening round game has always been played in Dayton. But this year, it just doesn't make sense. Mt. Saint Mary's from Western Maryland and Coppin from Baltimore, MD are travelling all the way out to Dayton to play each other. Hmm, wouldn't it be just common sense to have the game at the Comcast Center (that's UMD's arena for those not in the know) where you would at least have a crowd of fans from each respective school that could make the game and make it exciting. In this instance, the, NCAA should have just said to Dayton, you're like our red headed step child, sorry, but we're leaving you on the doorstep this year. For a true Marylander, this just does not make any sense, and no "keeping the tradition" arguement can sway me on this one.
2. The CBI is a whole bunch of junk. I bet if you interviewed someone from Virginia and told them they were in the CBI, they would say, "Did you say I'm starring in an episode of CSI?" Not one non-mid major team really cares about the NIT let alone the CBI. It is a mortal lock that neither VTech nor ASU (as good as they were during the regular season) make the NIT final because the players are just deflated for not making the Big Dance, it is always these just missed the Big Dance teams that make an early exit becuase they just don't care. (Check out interviews from UMD players, VT and ASU players, they all sound like they would rather be watching the Big Dance then playing in the little one).
Sorry I think that was 3 comments, but oh well.
Matt...thanks for your contributions to this blog with a strong presence in the comment sections. I will now give my two cents on your comments.
ReplyDelete1)Eventhough the good people of Dayton have done well with supporting the Play-In game since it's inception in 2001, there are a lot of problems with the contest in general. Mt. Saint Mary's did not deserve to play in this game, just like Niagra last year. The Play-In game should feature the two "worst" qualifiers in the NCAA Tournament. (The Play-In game should probably feature the two "worst" at-large teams fighting it out for the right to be a #12 seed, but the major conferences would never let that happen) If the Play-In game is going to exist for awhile (which it is), something should be done to make it sexier or more entertaining. And if that can't be done, I agree with Matt, the schools in the game should be rewarded with some kind of "home" or regional game. I got my Mount Saint Mary's pick correct by the way. Too bad I didn't put two-grand on the game.
2)The CBI is total crap. If I were a coach, I would decline the invitation. I wish more coaches would do this for the NIT, but I'm guessing too much money for the school is involved at this point. The CBI allows the "champion" to boast that they are the 98th best team in college basketball. Woopty-damn-doo. It's all about money. I filled out the CBI bracket because if there's a bracket involved, I'm going to fill it out.
Matt...you're also 100% right about VTech and ASU not having a chance in the NIT. I don't know what the hell I was thinking when I filled my NIT brackt out. The high major teams are never motivated for this thing and always crap out of it. I wish I could go back and change things.