MBB: Landmark Conference

[Wolfpac]

National Diversity makes sense since it is a national championship tournament.  The exposure to teams from different regions is a major variable not to be taken lightly.  I see where some folks disagree with the "on paper" selections, Cabrini got fed to the wolves last year, and RMC never gets to play at home in the tourney if you look at the neutral sites and road games they play.  

Many times a final four team hardly gets to be at home......LOL....Only my opinion but I like the fact that you do not get stuck playing in the region in the first round it makes for more interesting "nationalized" selections creating more of a credible,  balanced championship, not so lopsided as the conferences tend to be like the level of play in the ODAC vs CSAC if a team can win and overcome they deserve to be there, but why complain its all about fun ! !   Be happy you are in the dance, never know where you could end up.

[D.B. Cooper]

Wolfpack: Easy to be full of glee when you had to go all the way to Reading for a spanking last year that put the CSAC in a proper light as to their alleged strength. What now, you & bro Gynnedd get home cooking in a small gym & short trip to Ramapo, drinks all the way around I guess. See how you feel the next time if you end up with a 1st round matchup in the gym of Wisc. Whatever, then we can talk.

[Wolfpac]

Wolfpack: Easy to be full of glee when you had to go all the way to Reading for a spanking last year that put the CSAC in a proper light as to their alleged strength. What now, you & bro Gynnedd get home cooking in a small gym & short trip to Ramapo, drinks all the way around I guess. See how you feel the next time if you end up with a 1st round matchup in the gym of Wisc. Whatever, then we can talk.

Wisc. is more than 500 miles for us we could not end up there D. B.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

As far as your comment Dave that Scranton has a chance to "prove" they belong...perhaps I'm missing something but I thought when you win your league's automatic qualifier that would take care of that concern by the powers that be.
Bottom line, a team with 10 losses less than 2 hours from one of the top teams in the country should have their butts sent in that direction. Beyond that, F&M deserves to be playing closer to home & GM should be booking a tour of Colonial Williamsburg.
I really could care less what first round match ups look like on paper, the NCAA should also try & consider if it makes any sense to be sending teams 4 & 5 hours away when there are excellent fits within a few hours.

Um... so a team that makes an improbable run in a conference tournament (see John Jay two years ago) and enters say just above .500 has proven through the year they deserve to be in the tournament? Not close. You won your conference to make sure there were no questions about whether you were in the tournament or not. Think about this... Scranton would NOT be in this tournament had they lost to CUA. F&M could very well not be in this tournament had they not won the CC tournament. So why in the world do you deserve to host only because you won your conference tournament to get in?

And the same people complaining about not having their teams two-hours from them are the same ones that then complain that the teams they have to face are too tough and the national committee didn't do a good enough job breaking up conference opponents and being creative with the bracket.

saratoga - you have been around D3 long enough to see how these tournaments have improved from what used to be a joke of a bracket to at least something that respects the entire season by teams and giving fans and other teams chances to see other schools and teams. Take the attitude of Del Valley who are thrilled to be in the tournament and could care less where they play - even excited to play somewhere not close to them so they can see these other opponents and places they normally don't see. They are embarrassing the tournament - you guys are not.

[Wolfpac]

REGIONAL RANKINGS... you can not complain that Scranton should be hosting when last week they were NOT in the regional rankings... and in the final rankings they sit 9th.

By the numbers:
Team               In-Region            OWP             OOWP            SOS         Reg. Ranked
Scranton        19-5 (.792)           .452               .450              .451           2-1 (.667)
Cabrini           22-5 (.815)           .510               .493              .504           5-0 (1.000)
F&M               20-5 (.800)            .468              .452              .463            0-2 (.000)

Tell me again why Scranton or F&M should be hosting and Cabrini shouldn't?!

Again... Scranton and F&M don't have the numbers to host... Scranton is #9 in the final Regional Rankings... F&M is 5... Cabrini is 3rd.

And the NCAA committees have been trying hard to use the 500 mile rules and whatever flights are allowed to get creative on these brackets to give them more of a national feel and diversify the teams in different pods. Scranton has a chance to play different teams to prove they deserve to keep playing in the tournament. When you are that low on the rankings - you are going to be shipped to a different part of the country in this new-style of creating more balanced brackets.

This is why Cabrini is hosting.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Got to love being smited because I won't drink the cool-aid!

[augie]

Dave i think they have some great points!Just think it could be worse if you are on the womens side Rochester hosting for the fourth year in a row is that because the coach has some insight.just wondering

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Rochester is hosting on the women's side because they earned it.

[ronk]

Take the attitude of Del Valley who are thrilled to be in the tournament and could care less where they play - even excited to play somewhere not close to them so they can see these other opponents and places they normally don't see.

Dmac,
Let's ask them how they feel after they been stuck in that hour long traffic backup at the Hampton Roads Bridge-tunnel on Friday afternoon.

[LustyLarryintheToilet]

Wolfy, my point is there no nationalization going on in these brackets.  the west is together, the midwest is together in two pods with a west and a mid atl thrown in, then theres a hodge podge.  the 500 mile rule is a guideline to protect the best teams, like 2 years ago when Gettysburg was sent out to central ohio to at least break a weak Mid atl region down somewhat.  It should not be meant to expand first round pods diluting fan involvement. 

[augie]

Dave- Williams women had a better SOS then Rochester and this is the odd years where the women host how come they are not hosting if it goes by SOS Williams women 638 Rochester 544.So then that would put Williams men on the road right.Just a point of thought

[LustyLarryintheToilet]

Dave.  A team with seniors that wins 7 tournament games in two years isnt just "happy" to be in the tourney.  A team like Scranton with their history isnt just "happy" to be in the tourney.  Simply, you want the draw you earn.  

i dont want to talk much about F&M here, but the reason they would host is because, Dave, your site has had F&M in the top 20 for much of the year.  Has cabrini even received votes?  if this was a true "national tournament" you should be championing F&M's cause since they might be in the top 1/4 of teams in the tourney.  as for scranton vs cabrini, i'll let head to head settle that.

[mailsy]

D-mac,
Not to be a smart azz.  But did you mean "embrace" the tournament?  Just asking.

[Matt Letourneau]

Got to love being smited because I won't drink the cool-aid!

As an impartial observer, I think you might be getting smited because you keep arguing this hosting strawman.  Nobody but you is talking about anything other than the draw, my friend!

I'm not sure who is right, personally...I will say that based purely on logic..which admittedly this process is not..it does not seem to make much sense to travel F&M into that particular bracket.  Scranton's situation seems less egregious.

[Pat Coleman]

Dave.  A team with seniors that wins 7 tournament games in two years isnt just "happy" to be in the tourney.  A team like Scranton with their history isnt just "happy" to be in the tourney.  Simply, you want the draw you earn.  

You got the draw you earned, I'm sorry. It might have been enough to hunker down in your own gym in the '80s and '90s but it's not anymore.