It's Official

[bstnsportsfan3]

the one and only thing i like about the #2 is that WKU and ASU are on the other side of the bracket and we wont have to play either untill the championship game...i think we have the "easiest" route to the championship...yet with the way the sunbelt is who knows...

[TheTastyGreek]

tasty....have you questioned the ruling authorities in this matter yet?

it probably will go on deaf ears, but if they hear it, maybe they will fix it.

I really appreciate your faith in my powers of persuasion... But I don't imagine anyone at SBC headquarters plans on reversing this (or any other) decision based on the arguments of some random jackass from a school message board.

It would be an awkward press release for someone to have to write and send out to the relevant beatwriters, to say the least.

And it bears repeating that my polite but impassioned communications with the Sun Belt Conference over matters relating to the basketball tournament generally don't do much good. Probably because I'm an idiot.

I've talked to Commissioner Waters at every tournament I've ever attended for more than a night. The first time, he came and found me. Last year, I caught him walking around the arena and told him how much I loved the neutral site concept and the evolution of the tournament. This year, I'll politely but emphatically tell him that I think this was total crap and he ought to be ashamed. Then I'll tell him that I like bringing all teams to Hot Springs, but that I think they'd sell more tickets if mens and womens games ran simultaneously all day on Saturday and Sunday, rather than having men and women in separate sessions.

I doubt that he'll be strongly affected by the words of that Greek guy who makes dick jokes and used to co-run not one, but TWO crappy websites.

Of course, maybe I'll get lucky, and he'll name me co-commissioner and issue me a tiebreaker-crimefighting costume, like Batman and Robin.

[THOR]

I really appreciate your faith in my powers of persuasion... But I don't imagine anyone at SBC headquarters plans on reversing this (or any other) decision based on the arguments of some random jackass from a school message board.

It would be an awkward press release for someone to have to write and send out to the relevant beatwriters, to say the least.

And it bears repeating that my polite but impassioned communications with the Sun Belt Conference over matters relating to the basketball tournament generally don't do much good. Probably because I'm an idiot.

I've talked to Commissioner Waters at every tournament I've ever attended for more than a night. The first time, he came and found me. Last year, I caught him walking around the arena and told him how much I loved the neutral site concept and the evolution of the tournament. This year, I'll politely but emphatically tell him that I think this was total crap and he ought to be ashamed. Then I'll tell him that I like bringing all teams to Hot Springs, but that I think they'd sell more tickets if mens and womens games ran simultaneously all day on Saturday and Sunday, rather than having men and women in separate sessions.

I doubt that he'll be strongly affected by the words of that Greek guy who makes dick jokes and used to co-run not one, but TWO crappy websites.

Of course, maybe I'll get lucky, and he'll name me co-commissioner and issue me a tiebreaker-crimefighting costume, like Batman and Robin.

i'm sure you're right in everything that you say....but....DICK JOKES FLIPPIN RULE!!!! especially with old people like waters...STAY HARD DUDE!!!

[oldschoollefty]

I really appreciate your faith in my powers of persuasion... But I don't imagine anyone at SBC headquarters plans on reversing this (or any other) decision based on the arguments of some random jackass from a school message board.

It would be an awkward press release for someone to have to write and send out to the relevant beatwriters, to say the least.

And it bears repeating that my polite but impassioned communications with the Sun Belt Conference over matters relating to the basketball tournament generally don't do much good. Probably because I'm an idiot.

I've talked to Commissioner Waters at every tournament I've ever attended for more than a night. The first time, he came and found me. Last year, I caught him walking around the arena and told him how much I loved the neutral site concept and the evolution of the tournament. This year, I'll politely but emphatically tell him that I think this was total crap and he ought to be ashamed. Then I'll tell him that I like bringing all teams to Hot Springs, but that I think they'd sell more tickets if mens and womens games ran simultaneously all day on Saturday and Sunday, rather than having men and women in separate sessions.

I doubt that he'll be strongly affected by the words of that Greek guy who makes dick jokes and used to co-run not one, but TWO crappy websites.

Of course, maybe I'll get lucky, and he'll name me co-commissioner and issue me a tiebreaker-crimefighting costume, like Batman and Robin.

I wonder how much Quoner would like to see you in one of those tight crimefighting spandex suits.

[KRAM1]

Just win, baby, and all this doesn't matter. Just win......

[KRAM1]

I wonder how much Quoner would like to see you in one of those tight crimefighting spandex suits.

I don't know about Quoner, but I'd bet Quoner's wife might like it more!

[eppy4life]

I actually like being seeded #2. Hopefully the desire for postseason play will get us to the real tourney. But I agree, something must be done to fix this. Three of the last four years have ended in a three team tie. This should've been fixed prior to this season.

http://www.sunbeltsports.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4100&ATCLID=919677

[CMJ]

Well, not all of those are true "ties". They list both the East and West Champion there, even if the East Champion was 11-7 and the West was 16-2.

[BleedGreen]

I much prefer being in the bottom half vs mtsu,fiu,denver & the ul's than I would being in the top bracket with fau,usa,troy,wku,asu

I think at the end of the day , I like our position more than I would being the #1 seed

I gagree.

[yyz28]

We had the same record as Troy and we beat them heads up at their house. But they win the tiebreaker? Because of the division runner up somehow factoring into the equation? It's infuriating.

This +1.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

--The tie breaking rules were agreed to BEFORE the season and everyone played by them... I have no problem with the outcome and being considered second. I also agree that this bracket location gives us a decent or best chance to be in the NCAA.

[UNTflyer]

--The tie breaking rules were agreed to BEFORE the season and everyone played by them... I have no problem with the outcome and being considered second. I also agree that this bracket location gives us a decent or best chance to be in the NCAA.

The Sun Belt records don't go back very far, but from what i can see on the site there has never been a 3-way tie for the best record in the conference. To apply the tie-breaker in the way they did makes no sense, since only two teams can even qualify for that #1 seed.

True, it is the current rule, but I don't they ever anticipated this scenario and it needs to be fixed.

[Keith7]

The Sun Belt records don't go back very far, but from what i can see on the site there has never been a 3-way tie for the best record in the conference. To apply the tie-breaker in the way they did makes no sense, since only two teams can even qualify for that #1 seed.

True, it is the current rule, but I don't they ever anticipated this scenario and it needs to be fixed.

Surely its happened before, maybe not for the No. 1 seed but maybe for another seed. Whining about it does nothing but make us a look like a group of sad babies to visitors of the board. These "terrible" rules are used in all the major conferences I could find the tiebreaker rules on so really? Why all the crying? Be happy with the 2 seed and get over it

http://www.big12sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10410&ATCLID=1520897

http://www.bigeast.org/fls/19400/pdfs/mensbball/tiebreaker07.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=19400&KEY=&SPID=11228&SPSID=94715

http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/022607aaa.html

http://www.secsports.com/news/default.aspx?ArticleId=141

[TheTastyGreek]

Surely its happened before, maybe not for the No. 1 seed but maybe for another seed. Whining about it does nothing but make us a look like a group of sad babies to visitors of the board. These "terrible" rules are used in all the major conferences I could find the tiebreaker rules on so really? Why all the crying? Be happy with the 2 seed and get over it

http://www.big12sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10410&ATCLID=1520897

http://www.bigeast.org/fls/19400/pdfs/mensbball/tiebreaker07.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=19400&KEY=&SPID=11228&SPSID=94715

http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/022607aaa.html

http://www.secsports.com/news/default.aspx?ArticleId=141

Keith, with respect... The very first link you provided about how they 'use the same rules everywhere' is actually not only wrong, it's the exact OPPOSITE of right.

(g) If three or more teams are tied, ties among divisional opponents will be broken first by using steps ( through (f) and the head-to-head results will be used to break ties between non-divisional teams.

And again, with respect... I don't think you understand "why all the crying", as evidenced by this post you made that gets the NIT bid completely wrong, too.

The reason this is so upsetting is that this stupid interpretation of the tiebreaker cost us a guaranteed postseason bid.

That may not be a big deal for any of those conferences you mentioned... But we've only had three postseason bids in our entire history. Losing the guarantee could cost us something that's only come around an average of once every 25 years or so. Plus, it costs us money and program prestige. Not playing in the postseason costs us what would otherwise be a recruiting advantage.

I've already repeated all the reasons that this interpretation of the tiebreakers is absurd, and even I'm getting sick of talking about it.

But the fact remains, we got screwed. It cost us something significant and valuable; something worth getting upset over.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

The Sun Belt records don't go back very far, but from what i can see on the site there has never been a 3-way tie for the best record in the conference. To apply the tie-breaker in the way they did makes no sense, since only two teams can even qualify for that #1 seed.

True, it is the current rule, but I don't they ever anticipated this scenario and it needs to be fixed.

That I agree with...

Athletic people just aren't lawyers or math majors that always need to consider all strange possibilities. The very unlikely does happen at times.