fwiw...
excerpt:
...Middle Tennessee State's basketball team is on a remarkable ride. The Blue Raiders have won 15 of their last 16 games. They are 25-4, including victories over Ole Miss and Vanderbilt of the SEC, and have already clinched the Conference USA regular-season title.
But as colleague Ed Miller reported Wednesday morning, C-USA's athletic directors recently made a decision that could devalue what the Blue Raiders have accomplished this season.
The ADs voted to allow the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which is hosting the league tournament, to play in a first-round game next Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. That means if MTSU ends up in the same bracket with the Blazers, the Blue Raiders will play an evening game.
C-USA's old format had the regular-season champion playing in the afternoon. The theory here is that the top seed has earned the right to play at a time that provides more rest than teams that didn't excel during the regular season. It's a theory most conferences adhere to.
If MTSU ends up playing Wednesday night, then the Blue Raiders would play an early semifinal game on Thursday. That's precious little recovery time.
UAB asked the league for permission to pick its game time last season, and league coaches voted no. ODU coach Jeff Jones said the athletic directors "overturned" that decision this year.
I understand why the decision was made. Having UAB play in the evening means there will be more fans in the arena, and thus more revenue for the league.
But it could backfire. Although MTSU is rated 31st in the NCAA's RPI, that doesn't necessarily mean the Blue Raiders would get an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament if they lose an early-round game.
Last year, only nine leagues received at-large bids. C-USA was among the 23 that were one-bid leagues.
ODU and Louisiana Tech have fine basketball teams, but MTSU is by far the league's best hope of making a splash in the NCAA tournament. And every victory in the NCAA tournament means more revenue for the conference.
MTSU deserves what it has earned: the best shot possible at winning the league tournament.....
excerpt:
...Middle Tennessee State's basketball team is on a remarkable ride. The Blue Raiders have won 15 of their last 16 games. They are 25-4, including victories over Ole Miss and Vanderbilt of the SEC, and have already clinched the Conference USA regular-season title.
But as colleague Ed Miller reported Wednesday morning, C-USA's athletic directors recently made a decision that could devalue what the Blue Raiders have accomplished this season.
The ADs voted to allow the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which is hosting the league tournament, to play in a first-round game next Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. That means if MTSU ends up in the same bracket with the Blazers, the Blue Raiders will play an evening game.
C-USA's old format had the regular-season champion playing in the afternoon. The theory here is that the top seed has earned the right to play at a time that provides more rest than teams that didn't excel during the regular season. It's a theory most conferences adhere to.
If MTSU ends up playing Wednesday night, then the Blue Raiders would play an early semifinal game on Thursday. That's precious little recovery time.
UAB asked the league for permission to pick its game time last season, and league coaches voted no. ODU coach Jeff Jones said the athletic directors "overturned" that decision this year.
I understand why the decision was made. Having UAB play in the evening means there will be more fans in the arena, and thus more revenue for the league.
But it could backfire. Although MTSU is rated 31st in the NCAA's RPI, that doesn't necessarily mean the Blue Raiders would get an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament if they lose an early-round game.
Last year, only nine leagues received at-large bids. C-USA was among the 23 that were one-bid leagues.
ODU and Louisiana Tech have fine basketball teams, but MTSU is by far the league's best hope of making a splash in the NCAA tournament. And every victory in the NCAA tournament means more revenue for the conference.
MTSU deserves what it has earned: the best shot possible at winning the league tournament.....
