This is just embarassing...

[oldschoollefty]

so would it still be embarassing if UNT was in the Play-in game had we not choked and WKU's mini Manute not have a career game?

Embarassed not so much for us (hey, I'm a good homer here). But it would still reflect poorly on the conference as a whole. Do we really want to be lumped in with the Southlands and SWACs of the world?

[DeepGreen]

For the good of the SBC, MUTS needs to beat Marshall in the N.I.T.

[FloMoGrad]

For the good of the SBC, MUTS needs to beat Marshall in the N.I.T.

A Marshall team that beat Southern Miss twice, who's a #9 seed in the tourney. This would be a solid win for the conference, but I'd like to see MUTS make a deep run in the NIT.

[KoldBeer]

I guess I just can't call them "play-ins" after VCU last year.

VCU was an at-large in 12 seed game. It's a little different than the 16 seed head to head game (although not too much - it's last at large teams compared to last auto bid teams).

But I agree with your overall point. I don't like calling Tuesday's games "play-in" games but I still call Thur/Fri games as the first round. Give me another 5 years and I'll get it down.

[greenminer]

For the good of the SBC, MUTS needs to beat Marshall in the N.I.T.

Marshall is very very talented/good. They just got beat by a Memphis team that went on a big roll in their tourney.

[KoldBeer]

BTW - here's an article that was posted on UALR's board the other day that sort of fits in with this discussion.

http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20120311/SPORTS/203110317/SUn-Belt-HOOPS-MIRED-drought

Good story. I didn't realize it had been that long since the Sun Belt was good in basketball.

[CMJ]

I agree Kold Bear, it's weird. I'll just call Tue/Wed the Opening Round and Th/Fr as 1st Round --- sorta keeps the idea that Thursday is the start of the MAIN draw alive.

[greenminer]

BTW - here's an article that was posted on UALR's board the other day that sort of fits in with this discussion.

http://www.theadvert...S-MIRED-drought

Can some kind of correlation be made between the Belt's efforts to boost football and the diminution of bids since 1995?

[untgeorge]

Agree...should UNT have won the tournament, I would all but bet that UNT would, indeed, be playing in a play-in game. What do they call them now? The NCAA doesn't use the term "play-in"...what do they call it now? Whatever they call it, UNT would be in it! Agree with Mo Green here.

They call them "first round" games.

[wardly]

I haven't seen this brought up here before so I'm going to take a shot at it now.

The very fact that WKU is playing in a freaking play in game Tuesday for the "prize" of being a 16 seed in the big dance only to be slapped naked by Kentucky is a huge embarassment to the SBC and its members. Now I understand we had our opportunity to take care of this situation in the conference championship game last week but that rant has come and gone.

To see the Sun Belt tournament champion relegated to a play in game quite frankly sets back even further the hope of "building the 'Belt" and makes this conference even less relevent on the national stage than before if that's possible.

This isn't some sour grapes slam against Western Kentucky, they did what they had to do in Hot Springs. I guess it just further strengthens my resolve to see us out of this mess of a conference soon.

By the way, had we won the tournament last week, where do most of you think we would we have been seeded? I can't see us having to play in a play in game.

we would be in Dayton tonight. we were told this before WK game, and some of us were polled by Cooper and others if we would pay our way and go on the team charter.final national rankings had us about 160th,MTSU 49th, and i think Denver was in the 80's.it may be a mess of a conference, but we have never won a conference regular season championship, and the Western Division only once. this says as much about our program as it does our conference.

[oldschoollefty]

we would be in Dayton tonight. we were told this before WK game, and some of us were polled by Cooper and others if we would pay our way and go on the team charter.final national rankings had us about 160th,MTSU 49th, and i think Denver was in the 80's.it may be a mess of a conference, but we have never won a conference regular season championship, and the Western Division only once. this says as much about our program as it does our conference.

I can't say I have issues with the state of our program with these facts in our corner:

1. Two trips to the NCAA Tournament in the JJ era (three overall)

2. Five consecutive 20 win seasons before 2011-12 and a mildly respectable 18 wins this season despite a late start for T-Mitch and various eligiblity and injury issues.

3. The best recruiting class in program history last season shaking the notion that elite talent won't play at North Texas.

4. A steady increase in home attendence that should continue next season with arguably the best roster in program history.

Yes, we coughed up a hairball last week in Hot Springs last week and maybe we would have been playing in a "first round" game tonight, but I stand by what I said that even if we made the next 10 big dances in a row, we would be hard pressed to rise past a 14 or 15 seed because of the perceived weakness of the SBC. If it looks like I'm drinking the green kool aid, so be it but this is a program on the rise and this conference isn't rising along with it.

[Got5onIt]

Cry all you want, but I'd sure as hell wish NT could be part of the "First Four". Think of the matchup with fairly equal teams, playing well enough to get into the tournament, in front of a nationallly televised audience, and you should expect to see some great basketball.

[cl_1_2008]

What seed did you expect a team with a 15-18 record to get? Only 3 of their wins were against top 150 teams, and those were MTSU, Denver, and Tennessee State. Their resume was awful, but they got hot and won the conference tourney. That being said, I would've traded places with them in a heartbeat, and i'm glad them and Middle won.