2018 NCAA Tournament

[Titan Q]

Why don't the Titans get any respect on this site?  They were lampooned in the pre-tournament reviews as well.

Congratulations to Illinois Wesleyan 🏀 

He is talking about UW-Oshkosh.

http://www.d3hoops.com/playoffs/men/2018/tournament-preview

[Pat Coleman]

Is there any leniency on the 500 mile rule? University Heights to Rock Island is 507 on Google maps (I know that's not what the NCAA uses). I just think they'd save a plane full of money by making JCU bus an extra 15 minutes.

No, there isn't. The 500-mile-radius rule is arbitrary -- there's no reason why the NCAA couldn't have set the radius at 510 miles, or 490 miles, when it made the rule -- but there are a lot of rules in life that are arbitrary. The point, however, is to set the marker and keep it there, so that everybody understands it and knows well ahead of time what the rule is. If you make exceptions here and there for the sake of a few miles, then the rule ceases to have any meaning. It stops being a rule altogether, and then you have the anarchy of a team complaining, "Hey, you let Team A fly last year when it was 480 miles from the site ... well, we're only 479 miles from our site, so why do we have to take the bus?"

There's no reason why JCU has to fly. Blue Streaks head coach Pete Moran, or the JCU athletic director, could opt to bus his team to Rock Island instead. It's certainly not unheard-of for teams to take the busing option even when the NCAA offers the team the opportunity to fly on the NCAA's dime. If I remember correctly, Grey Giovanine has elected to have Augustana bus to Salem, for example, for Augie's two Final Four trips over the past three seasons.

However, I don't think the reverse is true. I don't think you're allowed to fly if it's under 500 miles even if you pay for it yourself. I remember Mount getting dinged for that on their first or second Stagg Bowl trip. They flew even thought it was under 500 miles - they chartered a team flight and a fan flight. Of course, maybe the rules changed.

It was 400 miles then. And that was before they had the standard mileage chart that they have now.

[Pat Coleman]

Another issue teams are having - media timeouts

I would assume 95% of leagues in D3 do not have it - I know the WIAC does but have not heard of others.

Might be a good idea to have them in conference tournaments to get a taste of it?

A conference can do whatever it likes. The committee some years ago went to media timeouts throughout the bracket because it was better for teams to make the adjustment then, rather than in the national semifinals.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Why don't the Titans get any respect on this site?  They were lampooned in the pre-tournament reviews as well.

Congratulations to Illinois Wesleyan 🏀 

He is talking about UW-Oshkosh.

http://www.d3hoops.com/playoffs/men/2018/tournament-preview

I guess I'm confused here.  I said that their first round game was good enough to be a sectional final and then said anything other than winning the pod would probably be disappointing (remember, they are a lower-line seed in this thing) - if you're upset I didn't pick them, sorry, but I don't think they were "lampooned," if anything, they got more respect than any other team in their position on the bracket.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

With so much parity, especially in men's basketball, unexpected outcomes where to be ... expected. However, that doesn't prepare anyone for the number of upsets, who was upset, and how.

Sunday night on Hoopsville, Dave tries to breakdown the opening weekend not only looking back at some of the crazier finishes, but also talking to programs who escaped the wrath. Programs who are dancing on to the second weekend and hoping to punch their ticket to a championship weekend.

Hoopsville is presented by D3hoops.com and airs from the WBCANABC Studio. You can watch Sunday episode LIVE starting at 7:00 p.m. ET here: http://bit.ly/2FbY54R.

If you have questions, be sure to email them to hoopsville@d3hoops.com or interact with the show via the social media avenues.

Guests in order of appearance (subject to change):
- Chuck McBreen, Ramapo men's coach
- Jason Zimmerman, No. 6 Emory men's coach
- Larry Anderson, MIT men's coach
- Bill Broderick, No. 18 Christopher Newport women's coach
- Laurie Kelly, Gustavus Adolphus women's coach
- Carla Berube, No. 8 Tufts women's coach

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[AllStar]

Some updated information after the first two rounds:

[Mr. Mo]

 If you really want to have a tournament to decide the best team is, shouldn't each of the games pick two teams on fairly equal footing?   I think the 24 hour turnaround can put one team at a disadvantage over the other two Soli to the competitiveness of the prior around.

Both of the other divisions schedules seem to bear out that the NCAA knowledges this for those teams.

In this case, after sitting through all of the games, I think Nebraska Weslyan was the third best team in that pod, yet they are the one moving on.

P.S.   I really could give a **** less what Augustana in their bracket.  I am happy for them they are moving on.

[Mr. Mo]

 I guess that's why they call it March madness.

[Pat Coleman]

If you really want to have a tournament to decide the best team is, shouldn't each of the games pick two teams on fairly equal footing?   I think the 24 hour turnaround can put one team at a disadvantage over the other two Soli to the competitiveness of the prior around.

Both of the other divisions schedules seem to bear out that the NCAA knowledges this for those teams.

In this case, after sitting through all of the games, I think Nebraska Weslyan was the third best team in that pod, yet they are the one moving on.

P.S.   I really could give a **** less what Augustana in their bracket.  I am happy for them they are moving on.

First of all, you're not correct about the other divisions' schedules. Division II also plays its first two rounds on consecutive days. Then, after one day off, it plays the third round.

Secondly, Division III has a couple of things that are specific to D-III that make it difficult to expand the schedules. First of all, Division III members want their student-athletes to go to class, so moving to Thursday-Saturday regionals would be a hard sell. Secondly, a number of Division III members will not participate in athletic events on Sunday for religious purposes, so Friday-Sunday regionals would be similarly a hard sell.

[txg]

If you really want to have a tournament to decide the best team is, shouldn't each of the games pick two teams on fairly equal footing?   I think the 24 hour turnaround can put one team at a disadvantage over the other two Soli to the competitiveness of the prior around.

Both of the other divisions schedules seem to bear out that the NCAA knowledges this for those teams.

In this case, after sitting through all of the games, I think Nebraska Weslyan was the third best team in that pod, yet they are the one moving on.

I have no allegiance to Nebraska Wesleyan, but the lack of respect is almost comical.  They are 26-3 in a pretty solid league,  they won both tournament games by 20+ points, and they were third best team in their pod?

The other part of it makes me think this is the first basketball tournament you've seen in your life.  (If that is the case, welcome aboard, it really is quite a spectacle.)  Teams are not on even footing.  You are complaining that Neb-Wes had the advantage of being less tired (?), why not rail against the system that has you playing Washington on their own floor?

[noonhooper]

Total side question: Is there any central site to get postgame press conference videos for the tournament? Or are those released by schools independently?

[Pat Coleman]

They are released independently.

[(509)Rat]

The NWC plays Fri-Sat conference games all season long. I don't see what the big deal is with 24 hr rest between games come tournament time...

[Greek Tragedy]

Txg,

You have to take into account that Nebraska Wesleyan may not have even gotten into the tournament had they not won the AQ. There are several leagues that play Friday/Saturday conference games during the regular season.

[Augie6]

Txg,

You have to take into account that Nebraska Wesleyan may not have even gotten into the tournament had they not won the AQ. There are several leagues that play Friday/Saturday conference games during the regular season.

Greek,

Agree with that, but Aurora certainly wouldn't have gotten in either.  Txg was commenting about Mr. Mo's assertion that Nebraska Wesleyan was not as good a team as Aurora or Wash U.  NW beat Aurora by 21 after leading by 29 in the second half.  That, alone, is enough to make Mr. Mo's opinion that Aurora was the better team pretty hard to take seriously.  If you couple that with comparing the schedules, records, etc., (NWU record of 24-3/Aurora at 19-8, Aurora losses to Edgewood,Albion, Millikin, MSOE twice, IIAC is a tougher conference than NACC) then I doubt that you will find many other people who would agree with Mr. Mo's opinion.