The pace of this IU Maryland game is awesome

The pace of this IU Maryland game is awesome

Real happy with how we finished the regular season, especially with Johnson out the past few games. Hope he's back for the BTT.

Indiana passes the eye test with me right now. Balanced. Anything short of an Elite 8 should be a disappointment. That said, watch them lose in the first round cuz I jinxed them.

As much fun as the conference tourneys can be, I really think they should start giving the auto bid to the regular season champion. You dominate the league for 3 months, then it's all for nothing. Plus, that will increase the odds of a 16 seed finally beating a 1. The more upsets that happen in these tourneys, it weakens all of the teams in the main bracket.

As much fun as the conference tourneys can be, I really think they should start giving the auto bid to the regular season champion. You dominate the league for 3 months, then it's all for nothing. Plus, that will increase the odds of a 16 seed finally beating a 1. The more upsets that happen in these tourneys, it weakens all of the teams in the main bracket.

 

It will also greatly reduce the importance of the conference tournaments, and it will take away at large bids.

It will also greatly reduce the importance of the conference tournaments, and it will take away at large bids.

 

As it should, the regular season should be more important than the conference tournaments. At least some conferences give the top teams home court now so they have some kind of advantage.

 

The at-large bids wouldn't change, there would be the same amount. It would just make the pool of auto bid teams stronger, especially the ones at the bottom of the bracket.

The small conferences need conference tournaments to generate revenue. Nobody will go or watch on TV if an autobid isn't on the line, so that is never going to change.

 

 

The small conferences need conference tournaments to generate revenue. Nobody will go or watch on TV if an autobid isn't on the line, so that is never going to change.

 

But I thought college sports were about the student athletes, not the money?

 

With unbalanced conference scheduled, I'd rather the tourneys decide.

I guess it was Northwestern holding Bill Carmody back from the NCAA tournament, not the other way around. Yes, that just adds to my point about conference tourneys but they get props for winning 4 straight road games.

As much fun as the conference tourneys can be, I really think they should start giving the auto bid to the regular season champion. You dominate the league for 3 months, then it's all for nothing. Plus, that will increase the odds of a 16 seed finally beating a 1. The more upsets that happen in these tourneys, it weakens all of the teams in the main bracket.

They're part of the fun of March though. We could just eliminate automatic conference bids all together and just let a committee decide the top 64 teams if we want to go that route or just get rid of the one and done tournament and make it a series of games.

They're part of the fun of March though. We could just eliminate automatic conference bids all together and just let a committee decide the top 64 teams if we want to go that route or just get rid of the one and done tournament and make it a series of games.

 

The funnest part of March is when mid major double digit seeds beat BCS teams in the first round. This would be a great year for it to happen, but all of the top mid-major teams are getting knocked out of their tourneys.

 

It wouldn't be as exciting, but the conference tourney winner could earn a NIT bid instead.

They're part of the fun of March though. We could just eliminate automatic conference bids all together and just let a committee decide the top 64 teams if we want to go that route or just get rid of the one and done tournament and make it a series of games.

 

I was surprised how my attitude changed when my university UT-RGV went from independent to the Western Athletic Conference with an auto bid. I didn't think getting in a conference would really change anything for me. I still enjoyed going to the games, who cares if it was a conference or non conference game? Now I actually pay attention to more games. The women's team has been strong and could gain a spot this season. Something just a little extra to cheer for. In the major conferences it really doesn't matter. The top four or five teams get in.

But I thought college sports were about the student athletes, not the money?

 

Without the money there are no student athletes.

Without the money there are no student athletes.

Without the student athletes, there is no money.

Save the cheerleader, save the world.

The Ivy League finally joining the dark side, will have a conference tournament beginning next season.

The Ivy League finally joining the dark side, will have a conference tournament beginning next season.

Only going to be 4 teams though.

Game of the year on ESPN2. UCONN half courter to send it to 4th OT

Cinci-UConn might be the craziest game of all time.

Jaylon Tate arrested for domestic abuse. Sheesh. Can Whitman still put confidence in Groce?

Jaylon Tate arrested for domestic abuse. Sheesh. Can Whitman still put confidence in Groce?

 

Fulmer Cup Champs!

Groce had better pull in a historic 2017 class.

Groce had better pull in a historic 2017 class.

There's no way he should be around now.

There's no way he should be around now.

 

The only reason he's around is that Whitman correctly understands that 2017 is a huge opportunity and Groce, unfortunately, is the only one building those relationships. If you get rid of him now you miss out and the program goes deeper in the hole. The hope around the department is that he pulls in a good class and then Illinois can still get rid of him if he sucks next year. I don't think this incident - which is on the player, not the coach - changes those plans in anyway.