New postseason tourney on the way

[Dish]

Hopefully Marquette isn't in a position to play in this anytime soon...

From Katz's blog today:

More teams to get postseason play posted: Wednesday, November 14, 2007

If the College Basketball Invitational had existed last March, then Washington may not have been so sullen after watching in disbelief the postseason NIT selection show on ESPNU.

As the Huskies' players sat in their locker room waiting for practice, they were stunned to learn that the NIT had left them out of the 32-team field.

The season was over. So, naturally, there was no reason to practice.

If the same thing happened this March, then Washington would have an alternative.

Earlier Wednesday, the Gazelle Group announced a plan that was hatched last March after seeing the NIT field that omitted Washington, Akron (after the Zips lost to Miami of Ohio in a buzzer beater in the MAC tournament), Connecticut and St. Louis, among many others.

Rick Giles runs the Gazelle Group and organizes tournaments like the 2K Hoops Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer, the CBE Classic and the Legends Classic. He contacted 16 schools that weren't in the NCAA or NIT -- Washington, Hawaii, Houston, Santa Clara, LSU, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kent State, Missouri, St. Louis, Iowa, Northern Iowa, Connecticut, St. Joseph's, Dayton and Akron -- and asked if they would have liked to be in an alternative tournament. He said 15 of the 16 said yes without a discussion. He said Saint Joe's was the only school that wanted to think about the concept.

So, the plan was hatched where an alternative tournament would be produced with each game on a campus site based on seeds, leaning toward geography concerns. The finals would then be a best two-of-three with a home-away-home format.

The College Basketball Invitational will be a direct competitor of the postseason NIT, which is run and operated by the NCAA now, but Giles said he would still take these type of quality teams even if they wanted to wait to see if the NIT selected them first. The NIT final four is in New York. This final would be on a campus and be a unique best-of-three.

"Last year shows there are enough teams," Giles said of increasing the postseason. He said coaches at the Final Four were discussing the need for expanding the postseason.

"The coaches weren't happy when the NIT went from 40 to 32," Giles said. "The lure of hosting a two-out-of-three series might be more alluring than going to New York. Teams 66 through 97 may choose the NIT, and if they do that we're still fine with that. If those [types] of teams are on the list this year, we'd be fine. Look at those matchups [like Missouri vs. St. Louis, Dayton vs. Akron, Connecticut vs. St. Joseph's]. Those would be interesting matchups and would make for good competitive games."

Giles said he's working on securing a television contract, too.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

That's a horrible, horrible idea. The NIT can't draw flies as it is.

[muarmy81]

This sounds stupid,
It's like every firm or company in the US sponsoring their own "bowl" game.  This isn't youth soccer anymore, not everyone gets a trophy or in this case an invitation to play in the post season.

[mu_hilltopper]

Sounds like a TV contract "ESPN8 - THE OCHO" would be interested in.

.. I dunno, which would you rather watch?  A D2/D3 NCAA tourney champ?  Or the EGT (Everybody Gets a Trophy Tournament)?

[Tribby]

Sounds like a TV contract "ESPN8 - THE OCHO" would be interested in.

.. I dunno, which would you rather watch?  A D2/D3 NCAA tourney champ?  Or the EGT (Everybody Gets a Trophy Tournament)?

Would rather watch two teams I've ever heard of.

[🏀]

D3 anyday

[TallTitan34]

Congrats to UWM on their post season appearance!

[77ncaachamps]

My support of MU post-season bkb aspirations (in order):
1) NCAA
2) NIT
3) Other

Unfortunately, this is money driven...and when you compare this to being in two prestigious college bkb tournaments, there's no money that can draw people to this venue.

[MUCrew]

I totally agree with just about everyone in here.  This is a dumb idea.  Hardly anyone watches NIT anyway....but you know, we live in a time where "everyone's a winner."  The way I see it is if you don't play in the NCAA, you're a loser....regardless.  If yo don't make it, then you should have won the games that mattered so that the committee wouldn't question the credentials of that particular school.  Plain and simple.  The NCAA should be a goal for any basketball program. 

[Dish]

To me, the bigger story here is if this lays the foundation for one day, someone with a ton of cash, coming along and saying to the top 16/32/64 teams in the country at the end of March, "hey, want to play in my tournament instead of the NCAA's?". Will it happen? Unlikely, but this would help start a precedent.

[TallTitan34]

I'm excited for the 8 team tournament for the teams that will be crushed by not getting invited to the CIT. 

[muarmy81]

To me, the bigger story here is if this lays the foundation for one day, someone with a ton of cash, coming along and saying to the top 16/32/64 teams in the country at the end of March, "hey, want to play in my tournament instead of the NCAA's?". Will it happen? Unlikely, but this would help start a precedent.

Interesting,
Obviously BCS bowl games give out millions of dollars to play in their respective games and the title game participants get gobs of money as well as all the merchandising dollars associated with the game.  So football programs get to play "for the ring" as well as cash in on being in the title game but I'm curious as to how much money schools get for playing in the final four?  Just making the tourney?  Playing in the NIT?  I would think that if you make it to the Sweet 16 you'll be making some money and if you make it to the final four you'll probably cash in even more but how does it compare to the BCS?  Any takers?

[jmayer1]

To me, the bigger story here is if this lays the foundation for one day, someone with a ton of cash, coming along and saying to the top 16/32/64 teams in the country at the end of March, "hey, want to play in my tournament instead of the NCAA's?". Will it happen? Unlikely, but this would help start a precedent.

I believe under NCAA rules you are not allowed to turn down an invitation to the tournament, ala Al McGuire, anymore.

[CTWarrior]

I think there would be more interest in a Bizarro National Inviational Tournament, where the worst 64 teams are invited, with the team with the better record forced to play on the road and the loser advancing.  I bet if the worst schools were forced to enter that tournament like that they'd play their butts off to avoid advancing.

[Eye]

Two thoughts.

First, if the alternatives are adding this or expanding the NC2As, I'm for this tournament. I don't like either concept, but I'd be more for adding another 16-team event for teams 98-113 than I would be expanding the NC2As past 65 teams. (BTW, get the NC2As back to 64; or if you're going to keep it at 65, have the two worst teams play in the play-in game, not the current politically-correct trend of the worst traditionally black-college conference champion playing the worst champion that's not from one of those conferences. If the two worst teams in the tournament are from two traditionally black-college conferences, win more games next year. If the two worst teams in the tournament aren't from two traditionally black-college conferences, than those two teams should play, too.)

Second, I believe you are correct JMayer in that you can't turn down a bid to the NC2As anymore. But I think you can turn down a bid to the NIT, and would probably be able to turn down a bid to this tourney if it comes about.

[MUCam]

I simply want to say that the "Bizarro National Inviational Tournament" idea cracked me up. Hilarious.

[Pardner]

It would make more sense to start a loser bracket in the NCAA tourney after the first round.  With 100+ tv channels per household, I guess anything is possible. 

[TallTitan34]

Gary Parish rips the CBI in this article

http://www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/10475319

Nov. 15, 2007
By Gary Parrish
CBSSports.com Senior Writer
Tell Gary your opinion!
     
When the press release arrived via e-mail it came with an attached link of a mock bracket. Presumably, it was supposed to show me what I had missed, that had there been a third postseason tournament last March I would've been lucky enough to see Dayton and Akron face off. But honestly, it just made me laugh.

I mean, is this really necessary?

Don't fret, Houston. If you blow it in conference, there's always the new tourney. (US Presswire)   
A third freaking postseason basketball tournament?

Do we need March Badness to match our March Madness?

I suspect we do not. But it's happening, folks, come hell or high loss total.

It'll be called the College Basketball Invitational, and it'll be dismissed to no end just like the National Invitational Tournament is every season. You know how the NIT is often referred to as the Not Interested Tournament? This'll be the Can't Ball Invitational. And for proof, just look at the hypothetical 16-team field that it would've produced last season.

One first-round game: Houston vs. Santa Clara.

Sounds riveting, doesn't it?

Houston went 18-15 last season, including 1-9 against the Top 100 at CollegeRPI.com. The Cougars' best win came against Saint Louis, a team that was so great the school found it necessary to fire its coach. Meanwhile, Santa Clara also felt compelled to change coaches, meaning one first-round matchup in the CBI would've featured a school (Houston) that beat nobody and a another (Santa Clara) that believed things were going so well it needed to force its longtime coach (Dick Davey) into retirement.

Also in last season's proposed field?

LSU, the SEC's biggest disappointment.

And Iowa, the Big Ten's biggest disappointment.

And Washington, the Pac-10's biggest disappointment.

And Connecticut, the Big East's biggest disappointment.

Hell, at this rate the Chicago Bears could probably secure an invitation, just because. David Beckham, too. And perhaps the October version of Alex Rodriguez. And is there any way South Carolina doesn't win this thing every season? Seriously, this is why the CBI won't garner interest from the casual fan or make for good television (unless you're an addicted gambler, in which case this is great news). Basically, the CBI is just another way to reward mediocrity. And though there's probably a dollar to be made, I'd rather the Gazelle Group keep doing what it does well, which is in-season tournaments like the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic taking place Thursday and Friday nights at Madison Square Garden.

Now that's a great event.

I can get excited about that event.

But the College Basketball Invitational is an unnecessary venture because there simply aren't 113 basketball teams worthy of a postseason berth each season any more than there are 64 football teams worthy of a postseason berth each season. For instance, I live just outside a city where there's a football program that has lost at home to the worst team in the SEC, lost to two Sun Belt teams and failed to notch a win over a team in the Top 70 of the CBSSports.com 120. Even so, all said football program has to do in the next two weeks to earn a bowl spot is either beat an opponent with a 1-9 record or an opponent with a 2-8 record. If it happens, there will be celebratory T-shirts and a parade.

Does this make sense to anybody?

Of course it doesn't.

It's comical.

And basketball should be better.

But on the other hand, there is a silver lining, I suppose.

Even if O.J. Mayo keeps missing 15 of 27 shots, he'll now almost certainly have a place to play come March.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

I simply want to say that the "Bizarro National Inviational Tournament" idea cracked me up. Hilarious.

I second the recommendation that the Bizarro tourney be held.

Could also call it The Invitational Tournament.

[Classof2016]

I think there would be more interest in a Bizarro National Inviational Tournament, where the worst 64 teams are invited, with the team with the better record forced to play on the road and the loser advancing.  I bet if the worst schools were forced to enter that tournament like that they'd play their butts off to avoid advancing.

Yes, the final four would become the Fecal Four. The "winner" of the tourney would win an all expenses paid trip to Division 2. I vote Savannah State the innaugural champion.

[mu_hilltopper]

There's the ticket.   The CBI should have the 98-113 teams .. and bring in some of the top d2 teams.  Might be interesting to see who'd win.  D1 losers would have to go down to d2 for the next season!!!