With the arrival of March and Tournaments, a few thoughts on C-USA
For the conference as a whole, ODU is really the only C-USA team that appears to have a decent shot at a seed in the NCAA Tourney that is above 15. Obviously most of the non-power conferences get a raw deal anyway, but C-USA has really been given the shaft the last few years.
If ODU doesn't make the Tourney, it's sad to say that a 14 seed would be optimistic for the C-USA rep. Given the lousy situation and C-USA's recent efforts to help with teams' seeding repping the conference, it is another season when I'm thinking the auto-bid for the conf tourney champ is a bad idea.
I would like to see C-USA display flexibility each season. For instance, if there is a clear outright Regular Season Champion, that team should get the NCAA auto-bid. This season ODU has sole possession of 1st place and the outright regular season championship. No other teams tied them for 1st, it really wasn't even that close. MT did similar last season. Seasons like this and last season should give the auto-bid to the reg season champ. This year, ODU likely has the best shot at getting even a slightly decent seed in the NCAA tourney. The outright reg season champ would just sit out the conf tourney giving the other teams a shot to play for the NIT or other such consolation tournament.
In the seasons that the Regular Season Championship is shared by 2 or more teams, then the conf tourney champ would be for the auto-bid. I would also like to see C-USA give those top teams even one more bye in the conf tourney to give those top regular season champs some really good odds. It rewards the teams for excellent play all season, and it boosts the chances that the tourney winner to get a better NCAA seed due to a good overall regular season record. Let's face it, if 19-15 overall record type team gets the C-USA auto-bid, a 15 or even a 16 seed is probable.
Obviously, I'm not holding my breath for any of the changes. While I'm dreaming, I'd also like to see C-USA go to home courts to the higher seed for the conf tourney. If a neutral site, semis and final at the most.
It's sad that such attempts are necessary for such conferences, but it is the reality for non-power conferences. Sure, Conf Tournaments make sense for the power conferences who get anywhere from 3-6 teams in anyways. Those conferences' top teams aren't going to be sent packing to the NIT for failing to win their well attended big arena nationally broadcast conf tournaments.
For the conference as a whole, ODU is really the only C-USA team that appears to have a decent shot at a seed in the NCAA Tourney that is above 15. Obviously most of the non-power conferences get a raw deal anyway, but C-USA has really been given the shaft the last few years.
If ODU doesn't make the Tourney, it's sad to say that a 14 seed would be optimistic for the C-USA rep. Given the lousy situation and C-USA's recent efforts to help with teams' seeding repping the conference, it is another season when I'm thinking the auto-bid for the conf tourney champ is a bad idea.
I would like to see C-USA display flexibility each season. For instance, if there is a clear outright Regular Season Champion, that team should get the NCAA auto-bid. This season ODU has sole possession of 1st place and the outright regular season championship. No other teams tied them for 1st, it really wasn't even that close. MT did similar last season. Seasons like this and last season should give the auto-bid to the reg season champ. This year, ODU likely has the best shot at getting even a slightly decent seed in the NCAA tourney. The outright reg season champ would just sit out the conf tourney giving the other teams a shot to play for the NIT or other such consolation tournament.
In the seasons that the Regular Season Championship is shared by 2 or more teams, then the conf tourney champ would be for the auto-bid. I would also like to see C-USA give those top teams even one more bye in the conf tourney to give those top regular season champs some really good odds. It rewards the teams for excellent play all season, and it boosts the chances that the tourney winner to get a better NCAA seed due to a good overall regular season record. Let's face it, if 19-15 overall record type team gets the C-USA auto-bid, a 15 or even a 16 seed is probable.
Obviously, I'm not holding my breath for any of the changes. While I'm dreaming, I'd also like to see C-USA go to home courts to the higher seed for the conf tourney. If a neutral site, semis and final at the most.
It's sad that such attempts are necessary for such conferences, but it is the reality for non-power conferences. Sure, Conf Tournaments make sense for the power conferences who get anywhere from 3-6 teams in anyways. Those conferences' top teams aren't going to be sent packing to the NIT for failing to win their well attended big arena nationally broadcast conf tournaments.