Corcoran: May the best team play on

**Lzen** · 03-03-2007, 09:48 PM

The Topeka Capital-Journal CJOnline
Saturday, March 3, 2007

Author
Tully Corcoran
I don’t want to say that mid-major teams ruin the NCAA Tournament, but mid-major teams ruin the NCAA Tournament.

This season, there is a strong possibility that either Kansas State or Texas Tech will not be invited to the dance. This is not because K-State and Tech are not among the 65 best teams but because somewhere some mediocre team is going to come from nowhere to win the tournament in its bad conference and get an automatic bid. This happens a few times every year. It is where compelling NCAA drama begins.

So now Western Mediocre State is, say, a 13 seed playing, say, North Carolina. Everybody in the world knows that Western Mediocre State has no business being on the same floor with North Carolina, including WMS and North Carolina.

So WMS starts launching 3-pointers from the start and hits like 12 of them until, after cruising for 35 minutes, North Carolina goes, “Holy crap, we could actually lose this game.” Only by then it’s too late. Western Mediocre State advances and loses by 25 in the second round.

This happens every year, right? Granted, 90 percent of the time it involves Kansas, Cincinnati or North Carolina, but still.

I realize everybody loves upsets. They produce quaint feature stories about happy-go-lucky coaches who just can’t believe they’re in the Sweet 16 and sappy CBS pieces about written-off D-I athletes who don’t eat cheese cut into the shape of their mascot and go to school for an education or something.

What these don’t give us — at least in this scenario — is an honest tournament field or legitimate matchups.

Wouldn’t it be a better tournament if teams like Texas Tech and Kansas State — teams with actual size and talent — pulled off those early upsets? You’d still get your upsets, only now you’d at least have some reasonable expectation that the underdogs could duplicate the feat without hoping for another miracle shooting night.

Plus, it would substantially cut down on favored teams not taking their early round opponents seriously, which has to account for 50-60 percent of the major upsets over the past five years.

Maybe it’s just me, but I favor whatever system provides the best chance of seeing the best teams and the best players face each other. I want to see Greg Oden vs. Kevin Durant. I want Mike Conley Jr. vs. Sherron Collins. I want Joakim Noah vs. Tyler Hansbrough.

And if I can’t have that, I want Jarrius Jackson vs. Conley and Cartier Martin vs. (why not?) Brandon Rush.

What I have no interest in is a bunch of pre-med students jacking up 3s for 40 minutes, trying to knock off a top seed with a junk offense.

Tully Corcoran, who for the record doesn’t think Michael Beasley looks like a criminal, can be reached at (785) 766-5652 or tully.corcoran@cjonline.com.

Valiant · 03-03-2007, 10:26 PM

What a piece of shit article... Who cares if those teams are not in the elite conferences looks like Kansas should learn not to take anything for granted...

DJay23 · 03-03-2007, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lzen

What I have no interest in is a bunch of pre-med students jacking up 3s for 40 minutes, trying to knock off a top seed with a junk offense.

As a fan of basketball (and KU) I agree with this statement. However it's not always the case. Princeton upset defending national champ UCLA in 96 with a legitimate offense that couldn't be stopped.

kcchiefs12983 · 03-03-2007, 11:40 PM

here's a thought, dont take your first round opponent lightly whoever they are!!!!!!

StcChief · 03-04-2007, 12:00 AM

Waiting for KU to get Bucknelled again.

ChiefsCountry · 03-04-2007, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StcChief

Waiting for KU to get Bucknelled again.

Belmont Bruins

mikey23545 · 03-04-2007, 01:06 AM

That may be the stupidest article in the history of college basketball.

Maybe the top 135 teams should all make the tourney...That will eliminate the nasty problem of underachieving teams not doing well enought to not make the top 64.....

Ultra Peanut · 03-04-2007, 01:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Belmont Bruins

Bingo.

**Lzen** · 03-05-2007, 12:12 PM

I think the article makes a good point. Sure, there are some small conferences that are legit. But often times some of those piss ant schools don't really deserve to be there over teams in the power conferences. Sure, there are upsets - I think the article covered that. And no, I'm not talking about the MVC. The MVC is a good conference. But what happens when some small school with a mediocre record (or even a losing one) gets on a roll and wins their conference tourney? I know the NCAA is trying to be fair by including all the conferences. Just don't think those automatic bids really deserve to be there a lot of times. Oh well. What are you gonna do? It sells tickets and produces TV revenue. Everyone wants to see the underdog do well.

**Saulbadguy** · 03-05-2007, 12:16 PM

The first thing that needs done next year is to extend the 3 point line.

**HemiEd** · 03-05-2007, 12:23 PM

I think they have carried the "Automatic Bid" too far. Who has ever heard of some of these conferences? They have exploited the system by banding together and creating new conferences.

Reerun_KC · 03-05-2007, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StcChief

Waiting for KU to get Bucknelled again.

I am waiting for MU to make the tourney agian...

Would be nice if they could actually represent the conference at some point...

**Lzen** · 03-05-2007, 12:31 PM

The "B" thing is getting really old. You guys will be singing a new tune after this year's tournament.

Hopefully.

CoMoChief · 03-05-2007, 12:37 PM

I will always think that the best 64 teams should get in.

I understand the argument of letting the smaller D1 schools have a chance to win their own conference and have an automatic bid. I get that, I understand that.

But the issue is that these automatic bids dont make up the best 64 teams in the country. Do you think teams like Oklahoma, TTech, KSU, Illinois, GTech aren't as good as teams as Belmont, Davidson, or Eastern Tennessee and Winthrop? Give me a break. I can assure you that any of those Bigger schools would win those smaller conferences outright year after year.

I wouldnt be opposed to having a class Tournament like D1AA National Championship. Kind of like High School were some sports are 6A and some other sports they offer are only 4 or 5A.

The one major fact out of all of this is that the 64 best teams don't play in this tournament. Having that said the upsets we see every postseason make it exciting. Whether your team has been a victim of it the last couple seasons.

Reerun_KC · 03-05-2007, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lzen

The "B" thing is getting really old. You guys will be singing a new tune after this year's tournament.

Hopefully.

You nervous about it as I?

If it wasnt for the previous 4 NC's, 12 Final Fours and 50 Conference titles, the rest of the Big 8+4 wouldnt say much..

But when your programs suck that bad, well like MU fan, they have to purchase other schools shirts to feel good about themselves..

It is sad in a very special kind of way.

03-03-2007, 09:48 PM
Lzen Supporter Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Jan Quadrant Vincent 16 Casino cash: $2140692	Corcoran: May the best team play on The Topeka Capital-Journal CJOnline Saturday, March 3, 2007 Author Tully Corcoran I don’t want to say that mid-major teams ruin the NCAA Tournament, but mid-major teams ruin the NCAA Tournament. This season, there is a strong possibility that either Kansas State or Texas Tech will not be invited to the dance. This is not because K-State and Tech are not among the 65 best teams but because somewhere some mediocre team is going to come from nowhere to win the tournament in its bad conference and get an automatic bid. This happens a few times every year. It is where compelling NCAA drama begins. So now Western Mediocre State is, say, a 13 seed playing, say, North Carolina. Everybody in the world knows that Western Mediocre State has no business being on the same floor with North Carolina, including WMS and North Carolina. So WMS starts launching 3-pointers from the start and hits like 12 of them until, after cruising for 35 minutes, North Carolina goes, “Holy crap, we could actually lose this game.” Only by then it’s too late. Western Mediocre State advances and loses by 25 in the second round. This happens every year, right? Granted, 90 percent of the time it involves Kansas, Cincinnati or North Carolina, but still. I realize everybody loves upsets. They produce quaint feature stories about happy-go-lucky coaches who just can’t believe they’re in the Sweet 16 and sappy CBS pieces about written-off D-I athletes who don’t eat cheese cut into the shape of their mascot and go to school for an education or something. What these don’t give us — at least in this scenario — is an honest tournament field or legitimate matchups. Wouldn’t it be a better tournament if teams like Texas Tech and Kansas State — teams with actual size and talent — pulled off those early upsets? You’d still get your upsets, only now you’d at least have some reasonable expectation that the underdogs could duplicate the feat without hoping for another miracle shooting night. Plus, it would substantially cut down on favored teams not taking their early round opponents seriously, which has to account for 50-60 percent of the major upsets over the past five years. Maybe it’s just me, but I favor whatever system provides the best chance of seeing the best teams and the best players face each other. I want to see Greg Oden vs. Kevin Durant. I want Mike Conley Jr. vs. Sherron Collins. I want Joakim Noah vs. Tyler Hansbrough. And if I can’t have that, I want Jarrius Jackson vs. Conley and Cartier Martin vs. (why not?) Brandon Rush. What I have no interest in is a bunch of pre-med students jacking up 3s for 40 minutes, trying to knock off a top seed with a junk offense. Tully Corcoran, who for the record doesn’t think Michael Beasley looks like a criminal, can be reached at (785) 766-5652 or tully.corcoran@cjonline.com.
Posts: 41,384

03-03-2007, 10:26 PM	#2
Valiant Valiant 'The Thread Killer' Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $6332380	What a piece of shit article... Who cares if those teams are not in the elite conferences looks like Kansas should learn not to take anything for granted...
Posts: 18,362

03-03-2007, 11:40 PM	#4
kcchiefs12983 Starter Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Colwich,KS Casino cash: $10004925	here's a thought, dont take your first round opponent lightly whoever they are!!!!!!
Posts: 49

03-04-2007, 12:00 AM	#5
StcChief Playing for #1 Draft Pick Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Just West of Lambs land Casino cash: $10004900	Waiting for KU to get Bucknelled again.
Posts: 25,901

03-04-2007, 01:06 AM	#7
mikey23545 MVP Join Date: Aug 2000 Casino cash: $10015321	That may be the stupidest article in the history of college basketball. Maybe the top 135 teams should all make the tourney...That will eliminate the nasty problem of underachieving teams not doing well enought to not make the top 64.....
Posts: 12,314

03-05-2007, 12:12 PM	#9
Lzen Supporter Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Jan Quadrant Vincent 16 Casino cash: $2140692	I think the article makes a good point. Sure, there are some small conferences that are legit. But often times some of those piss ant schools don't really deserve to be there over teams in the power conferences. Sure, there are upsets - I think the article covered that. And no, I'm not talking about the MVC. The MVC is a good conference. But what happens when some small school with a mediocre record (or even a losing one) gets on a roll and wins their conference tourney? I know the NCAA is trying to be fair by including all the conferences. Just don't think those automatic bids really deserve to be there a lot of times. Oh well. What are you gonna do? It sells tickets and produces TV revenue. Everyone wants to see the underdog do well. __________________ If at first you don't succeed ...skydiving is not for you.
Posts: 41,384

03-05-2007, 12:16 PM	#10
Saulbadguy When a nightmare becomes real Join Date: Nov 2003 Casino cash: $2526966	The first thing that needs done next year is to extend the 3 point line. __________________ http://www.goemaw.com
Posts: 46,969

03-05-2007, 12:23 PM	#11
HemiEd Supporter Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ozarks Casino cash: $3170564	I think they have carried the "Automatic Bid" too far. Who has ever heard of some of these conferences? They have exploited the system by banding together and creating new conferences.
Posts: 33,452

03-05-2007, 12:31 PM	#13
Lzen Supporter Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Jan Quadrant Vincent 16 Casino cash: $2140692	The "B" thing is getting really old. You guys will be singing a new tune after this year's tournament. Hopefully. __________________ If at first you don't succeed ...skydiving is not for you.
Posts: 41,384

03-05-2007, 12:37 PM	#14
CoMoChief Mahomes Dynasty Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Parts Unknown Casino cash: $8042254	I will always think that the best 64 teams should get in. I understand the argument of letting the smaller D1 schools have a chance to win their own conference and have an automatic bid. I get that, I understand that. But the issue is that these automatic bids dont make up the best 64 teams in the country. Do you think teams like Oklahoma, TTech, KSU, Illinois, GTech aren't as good as teams as Belmont, Davidson, or Eastern Tennessee and Winthrop? Give me a break. I can assure you that any of those Bigger schools would win those smaller conferences outright year after year. I wouldnt be opposed to having a class Tournament like D1AA National Championship. Kind of like High School were some sports are 6A and some other sports they offer are only 4 or 5A. The one major fact out of all of this is that the 64 best teams don't play in this tournament. Having that said the upsets we see every postseason make it exciting. Whether your team has been a victim of it the last couple seasons.
Posts: 39,163