Syracuse Snub

[Eagle1855]

I think Syracuse was probably the team that most deserved to get a bid and instead got snubbed. There were other notables, like K-State and Drexel that I thought had a legitimate argument, and it's still up for debate whether Tech deserved the seeding they received (cal you say HOF coach?), but going 10-6 in the Big East isn't easy.

With the ridiculous size of the Big East, do you think things like this serve as catalysts for a conference shakeup? From what I have read, I understand there are already concerns with the size of the conference, schools being basketball-only programs, etc...

Thought it was interesting the 'cuse coach made a comment something to the effect of "if 10-6 in the Big East doesnt get you into the tournament, we shouldn't be in the Big East".

[Green Mean]

That would be interesting....But where would Syracuse go? In basketball they are a big dog in the conference and its only the last few years they havent been very good in football. Going to the ACC would be bad because that conference is so elite in so many levels. The only other options I see that Syracuse has is perhaps going to the Big Ten or being part of a conference startup. Other than that I dont see very many options for Syracuse.

Edited March 12, 2007 by Green Mean

[Eagle1855]

That would be interesting....But where would Syracuse go? In basketball they are a big dog in the conference and its only the last few years they havent been very good in football. Going to the ACC would be bad because that conference is so elite in so many levels. The only other options I see that Syracuse has is perhaps going to the Big Ten or being part of a conference startup. Other than that I dont see very many options for Syracuse.

I'm not suggesting Syracuse would "go it alone" or anything like that, just wondering if the size of the Big East will eventually cause more problems like this for their other teams.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

---Which is exactly what I have stated.... The Big-East is way too large (16) and a lot of those teams are accustomed to success. That and the issue of some playing football and some don't and don't have the same priorities. If it breaks up some then expect fallout to hit the CUSA and maybe to the Sunbelt and likely LaTech also.

--Syracuse (unhappy) is a Big East team and placed above Villanova in regular season but did not do so well in their tournament., Villa. did. Cinn finished dead last in that 16 team league at 11-19. Had they stayed in CUSA they might be in considering the opposition.

[NT80]

That would be interesting....But where would Syracuse go? In basketball they are a big dog in the conference and its only the last few years they havent been very good in football. Going to the ACC would be bad because that conference is so elite in so many levels. The only other options I see that Syracuse has is perhaps going to the Big Ten or being part of a conference startup. Other than that I dont see very many options for Syracuse.

I can see the 1-A football schools trying to kick out the basketball-only schools to make a smaller Big East. SBC may be in the same situation someday; it's easier to get a bid from 9 teams than from 12 or 16.

Edited March 12, 2007 by NT80

[untbowler]

I am a huge Cuse fan but they played a very weak OOC schedule and paid for it this year. They are a frustratin team to root for since they always seem to find a way to lose to a big underdog. i.e. Vermont as a #4 and Richmond as a #2.

I would not be overly shocked if they lost to USA in the NIT, I am just hoping that they can get their Football team back up to snuff.

[SUMG]

Another New York team who got the shaft: Niagara.

They have a better RPI than 5-6 other teams, but are forced to play in the play-in game. Their RPI is slightly higher than ours (136 to 137), so we could have just as easily been in the play-in game. I sort of assumed the two lowest RPI teams would be in the play-in game. Not so.

Also, Niagara is 10-0 in their last 10 games, so no one can say they aren't hot.

Anyway, I have zero connection to that school....just feeling for them, having to play in the play-in game, when others were more "deserving."

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

----There are always teams that think they were "overlooked" and they always can make a pretty good case... I never feel sorry for the North-East teams, there have been many years that I (and lot of other people) think they got a lot more than their share, probably due to the fact that the media centers are located there and get more publicity that they deserve. . The NIT has been even worse... It once was referred to as the "Eastern Invitational Tournament". Poor Syracuse... ask Blakely (NT coach in the 70's) about them... probably the worse officiated game ever that he was involved in was on their court. That was the only time I remember him complaining about being "homered" by the refs. He was livid...

---We were overlooked 3 times during the 70's and had the best total 3 year regular season record of all NCAA D-I teams. Conference tournaments were rare then... and ESPN was a few years away. In fact we had the longest consecutive winning streak one of those years.

---If Niagra is all that good then they will get an easy first win.... we won't and if fact our first game will extremely difficult going against the longest winning streak in NCAA D-I,.... Memphis that has made the tournament 20 times mostly if not all in the last 35 years.

Edited March 12, 2007 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66

[GoMeanGreen1999]

Another New York team who got the shaft: Niagara.

They have a better RPI than 5-6 other teams, but are forced to play in the play-in game. Their RPI is slightly higher than ours (136 to 137), so we could have just as easily been in the play-in game. I sort of assumed the two lowest RPI teams would be in the play-in game. Not so.

Also, Niagara is 10-0 in their last 10 games, so no one can say they aren't hot.

Anyway, I have zero connection to that school....just feeling for them, having to play in the play-in game, when others were more "deserving."

Just blame my Hogs for them not getting in. On a side note, that Durrant kid at UT is fun to watch.

[Eagle1855]

Just blame my Hogs for them not getting in.

you can say that again, Arkansas has no business with an at large over some of the teams that got left out.

I also found in laughable that Texas Tech got a 10 seed.