Did the BE suck?

[4everwarriors]

More interested in Saturn and Mars, hey?

[TallTitan34]

Expand the tournament slightly and kill off the NIT.

Do not expand the tournament.

But I'd be fine killing off the NIT.

[muwarrior69]

Suck? Maybe a strong word.

Was extremely top heavy with a bunch of meh in middle? Absolutely

Agree, but X and PC had injured players. PC really missed Bryce.

[Uncle Rico]

So, this happens from time-to-time with conferences.  They can be top heavy with a lot of meh after that.

The league ended the regular season 2nd in KenPom conference rankings despite really being dragged down by the bottom 2. That's impressive! DePaul had an AdjustedEM of -12.  Even last place Michigan was +3.77 for the Big 14. Part of why they just edged past the Big East.

Butler finished tied for 8th and was +11.48. Providence is a tourney team if they're healthy all year.  Xavier might be, too.  Seton Hall was a fraud, Nova schizophrenic and St. John's a late bloomer.

We're not having this discussion if not for bid thieves in the ACC, A-10, AAC, PAC-12 and apparently the Mountain West if we believe the committee chair. 

Finally, I don't put any stock in NIT results more than bowl games.  Xavier, Butler and Villanova losing didn't surprise me.  Providence without Carter probably doesn't surprise me but if you complain about the selection committee, I'd probably go out and play to win some games in the NIT.

[HowardsWorld]

I said all along this was a 3 bid league. I'm not one that cheers for the rest of the conference to do well like most of this board. So for me there were no homer glasses on. The only team that I believe deserved a bid that got snubbed was St. Johns. I actually said in a the conference season thread that there loss to Uconn back in January or December (Cant remember when Uconns center was out) would cost them their bid and it ultimately did. St John's imo could have done damage because of there offense. Given how bad the bubble was this year I thought before Sunday they could squeak into the first four or grab the final 11 seed. If that happened I also believed they could at minimum win the game vs the 6 seed.

To my next point its hard to put much stock into how Butler, Nova, Providence (Missing Carter) and Xavier played in the NIT. When you miss out on your ultimate goal of making the ncaa tournament, its not hard to see players wanting to pack it in.  You are playing in alternate home arenas, you are playing with half the normal amount of fans if that. Players aren't going to risk injury when they have stock in the NBA.

[StillAWarrior]

Check out this NIT excitement:

https://x.com/tommygodinjr/status/1770614431111655874?s=46&t=jxqs74xjrj0YOEifH9UtCw

I'm not suggesting that there was a good crowd there, but the tweet is BS. "Moment's after the National Anthem was played." Not true. This is 10+ minutes before tip off. Look at the clock. And look at the benches.

I'm sure the crowd probably sucked. Why exaggerate?

[Hards Alumni]

I'm not suggesting that there was a good crowd there, but the tweet is BS. "Moment's after the National Anthem was played." Not true. This is 10+ minutes before tip off. Look at the clock. And look at the benches.

I'm sure the crowd probably sucked. Why exaggerate?

Clicks and engagement.  The poster of the tweet's agenda is to get Kyle Neptune fired, so that's what he's going to do.  Almost 50k views on that tweet. 

[The Equalizer]

I'm not suggesting that there was a good crowd there, but the tweet is BS. "Moment's after the National Anthem was played." Not true. This is 10+ minutes before tip off. Look at the clock. And look at the benches.

I'm sure the crowd probably sucked. Why exaggerate?

I think this thread shows tremendous credit to the support shown by MU's fans, who sold out the Al last time we were in the NIT (with ample additional demand from those who would have loved to attend but couldn't get a ticket).  And it was a season when our fans were significantly more disillusioned with our coach than Villanova's fans are with Neptune.

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

I think this thread shows tremendous credit to the support shown by MU's fans, who sold out the Al last time we were in the NIT (with ample additional demand from those who would have loved to attend but couldn't get a ticket).  And it was a season when our fans were significantly more disillusioned with our coach than Villanova's fans are with Neptune.

I love our fanbase, but the world has also changed dramatically since 2018.

[Viper]

I can't believe he'll be back.   Who do they go after?

Gard. Gard knows ball.

[#UnleashSean]

Don't allow P6 teams in the NIT. None of them care.  Make it the tournament for smaller conferences.

Marquette's nit was pretty popping honestly. It became hard to get tickets.

[MUfan12]

Marquette's nit was pretty popping honestly. It became hard to get tickets.

It helped there were some brand name schools too. But they probably could have sold 5,000 tickets.

[tower912]

The last MU NIT was a young team looking to get as many practices and game reps as possible to build for the next season.  Not a veteran team cobbled together with one year transfers who thought they had been screwed out of a tournament bid.

[Biggie Clausen]

The last MU NIT was a young team looking to get as many practices and game reps as possible to build for the next season.  Not a veteran team cobbled together with one year transfers who thought they had been screwed out of a tournament bid.

That "young" MU team's three top players were senior Andrew Rowsey and sophomores Markus Howard and Sam Hauser.  Markus and Sam were as experienced as any sophomores in the country, having logged heavy minutes the season before.  All three had experience playing in the real tournament.  Sacar Anim, who started 30 games, was a third year junior.  That's not exactly what I would call a young team.

[Shooter McGavin]

I remember thinking after those games that Jamal was going to be very good.  Tantalizing athleticism with a pure shot from three. 

[Galway Eagle]

That "young" MU team's three top players were senior Andrew Rowsey and sophomores Markus Howard and Sam Hauser.  Markus and Sam were as experienced as any sophomores in the country, having logged heavy minutes the season before.  All three had experience playing in the real tournament.  Sacar Anim, who started 30 games, was a third year junior.  That's not exactly what I would call a young team.

So two of the stars were under classmen who were returning, a fourth starter was in his first year of legit minutes and the entire bench was young. Outside of Rowsey and Heldt it was a younger team and made sense to do the NiT. If Hauser and Howard were sure fire NBA guys after that season it would've made sense not to play in it or just let the bench play.

[tower912]

Yes.  Sophomores are young and need reps.  And yes, Jamal did show flashes.

[Biggie Clausen]

Yes.  Sophomores are young and need reps.  And yes, Jamal did show flashes.

Beating up on an apathetic Oregon team that looked like it did its pregame shoot around at Major Goolsby's isn't what I would consider good reps, but to each their own.

[tower912]

The Harvard game was fun.   But to each their own.

[FairWeatherEagle]

To address the question of the thread, the answer is Yes, if any of the 3 lose in round 1.
If any don't make the S-16, it's a question. If more that one makes the E8, the BE is good.
Anything in between doesn't decide anything. Having UC repeat as Chap similar to Nova is great for the conference but someone else has to show up.

[Litehouse]

The NIT home game in 2005 against Western Michigan was probably the most depressing crowd I've ever seen.

[HowardsWorld]

The NIT home game in 2005 against Western Michigan was probably the most depressing crowd I've ever seen.

i was there. i had upper level tickets and they actually forced you into the lower bowl because the game was on espn.

[tower912]

That would have been an entertaining game chat.

[Pakuni]

https://x.com/_robanderson/status/1771286392716263816?s=20

[GB Warrior]

That "young" MU team's three top players were senior Andrew Rowsey and sophomores Markus Howard and Sam Hauser.  Markus and Sam were as experienced as any sophomores in the country, having logged heavy minutes the season before.  All three had experience playing in the real tournament.  Sacar Anim, who started 30 games, was a third year junior.  That's not exactly what I would call a young team.

Howard was only 15