NIT Selections, how they were made

[Quality Is Job 1]

looking good after 7 posts! keep it up! Go bills!

Uh huh.

[billiken_roy]

thicks, here is the big east bracket. now pretend this is the east regional. in between the 1,2,3,4 seed games (third round) insert the 5,6,7, and 8 seed games. the first play in round would be 8 of the 32 teams that are now basically the nit teams. so those teams would feed to the the second round which would be the existing 13,14,15 and 16 seeds from the east regional. the winner of those games would play the top four seeds of the regional.

now if you did this in each regional you have the 96 team format.

http://scarletknights.com/basketball-men/n..._be_bracket.pdf

btw, i bet there is a reason the big east went to this format. dont be surprised if this was a "test case" to see how a similar scenario would typically play out just on a smaller case for the benefit of the ncaa.

[Bay Area Billiken]

NIT Breakdown...

Big East- 5 (So that means 13 out of 16 Big East teams made either the NCAA or NIT Tournament....what a joke!!!)

ACC- 3 (9 out of 12 ACC schools made the NCAA or NIT...also a joke considering it's a 'weak' year for the ACC)

C-USA- 3

B-10- 2

SEC- 2

CAA- 2

MVC- 2

A-10- 2

Ree-frickin-diculous! 5 Big East Schools??!! 3 ACC schools??!! 25% of the NIT field= Joke

That NIT College of Retired Coaches should have picked DePaul (8-23, 1-18, RPI 212) over Northwestern to better deliver the Chicago market.

Rutgers (14-17, 5-14, RPI 161) was snubbed too. Rutgers could have brought the Jersey Shore, as well as parts of the New York market.

The NIT Committee evidently just didn't do its homework.

[moytoy12]

I just don't like it. I want them to leave the format as it is: a true, six-round tournament. I really don't like the "opening round" game which allows one undeserving team to claim it won an NCAA Tournament game. Having two "play-in" rounds allows a team to win three "Tournament" games and not reach the Sweet Sixteen.

Can the newspaper print a bracket for what is being suggested?

Seriously Thicks? You're worried about whether the newspaper can print out a 96 team bracket?

I think folks will figure out a way to make this work. 96 teams makes one of the biggest gambling events even bigger. I'm sure they'll figure out how to make things work.

[Bay Area Billiken]

It is true that no team has home court advantage all the way through unless they play their home games at the Garden . But the higher seed does get all home games until the semi's. U of I will play all other games at home b/c there are no conflicts. Lots of people on the U of I board are asking the same question about playing at Huff or even a nearby arena rather than Rocky River or what ever team the Illini play.

Go Bills!!!

Huff Gym would be a perfect venue for the NIT.

One wonders if any of the College of Retired Coaches ever coached or played at Huff Gym.

Huff Gym for years was the home of the Basketball Fighting Illini and was the site of the original March Madness, the IHSA State Tournament. Granted, this is before my time, but I grew up in Quincy and used to hear about those days when the Sweet 16 all made it to Champaign in the then one class system. Even my alma mater, the Quincy Notre Dame Raiders played in Huff Gym in 1957.

Huff Gym was also the site of Illinois' version of "Hoosiers," when tiny Hebron beat mighty Quincy High in the 1952 State Championship game, a game still talked about in Quincy.

Someone really blew this one. As a native son of Illinois, this is very hard to believe.

[SaintLouBlue]

Huff Gym would be a perfect venue for the NIT.

Seeing as I go between boards, I think I read something on the Illini board that Huff doesn't have lines for a basketball court set up as it is used primarily for V-ball now. Could be wrong and not sure how difficult that is to set up, but it is at least a rumor. Another question is why couldn't they just give the Illini 1/4 of the bracket the Tuesday games? It is what it is. And apparently the Stony Brook gym they are playing in hasn't been used in 2 years because they can't even fill their "small" gym. SB is however giving away free tickets to all their students and it is their first post season game ever. Knowing the Illini I've watched all year, it'll be closer than everyone expects unless BW can actually light a fire under them. They don't show up for the easy games.

[thatskablamo]

Seeing as I go between boards, I think I read something on the Illini board that Huff doesn't have lines for a basketball court set up as it is used primarily for V-ball now. Could be wrong and not sure how difficult that is to set up, but it is at least a rumor. Another question is why couldn't they just give the Illini 1/4 of the bracket the Tuesday games? It is what it is. And apparently the Stony Brook gym they are playing in hasn't been used in 2 years because they can't even fill their "small" gym. SB is however giving away free tickets to all their students and it is their first post season game ever. Knowing the Illini I've watched all year, it'll be closer than everyone expects unless BW can actually light a fire under them. They don't show up for the easy games.

Why don't they play at a NEUTRAL SITE? Like we had to do in 2004 against ND?

Illini home away from home has always been the UC in Chicago. Why not play there or UIC pavillion. More UI grads in Chicago than students in Cham-Urb.

[Bay Area Billiken]

Why don't they play at a NEUTRAL SITE? Like we had to do in 2004 against ND?

Illini home away from home has always been the UC in Chicago. Why not play there or UIC pavillion. More UI grads in Chicago than students in Cham-Urb.

And there's a whole host of places in Central Illinois, Prairie Capital Convention Center and UIS in Springfield, Carver Arena (where Bradley plays) in Peoria, a new arena in Bloomington, Redbird Arena or even old Horton Fieldhouse in Normal.

Basketball floors are portable. I know the one at Assembly Hall is portable because at least when I was there way back when, the base of the permanent floor was concrete. Why couldn't they just move the Assembly Hall hardwood floor down the street to Huff Gym?

Someone at the big U of I must not have thinking. Maybe there are fiefdom issues with wrestling, volleyball, who knows?

If Gov. Blago was still in Springfield (or Chicago), he would have stepped in and solved the problem (even if he is a Pepperdine and Northwestern man). To be bi-partisan, it would be ditto for Big Jim Thompson

As for Stony Brook, this will be its biggest athletic event ever. Can you just imagine this? It is unbelievable, but true.

[Quality Is Job 1]

thicks, here is the big east bracket. now pretend this is the east regional. in between the 1,2,3,4 seed games (third round) insert the 5,6,7, and 8 seed games. the first play in round would be 8 of the 32 teams that are now basically the nit teams. so those teams would feed to the the second round which would be the existing 13,14,15 and 16 seeds from the east regional. the winner of those games would play the top four seeds of the regional.

now if you did this in each regional you have the 96 team format.

http://scarletknights.com/basketball-men/n..._be_bracket.pdf

btw, i bet there is a reason the big east went to this format. dont be surprised if this was a "test case" to see how a similar scenario would typically play out just on a smaller case for the benefit of the ncaa.

Seriously Thicks? You're worried about whether the newspaper can print out a 96 team bracket?

I think folks will figure out a way to make this work. 96 teams makes one of the biggest gambling events even bigger. I'm sure they'll figure out how to make things work.

Roy, I don't want to download the Big East tourney bracket. I understand HOW it works, but I don't like it. Moytoy, you seem to love to disagree with me in a disagreeable manner.

The bottom line is that I think it would be a mistake to change the NCAA Tournament. I'm not the only one who feels that way.

[moytoy12]

Moytoy, you seem to love to disagree with me in a disagreeable manner.

Huh? Part of your concern about a 96 team tourney seemed to be about the bracket logistics. I was asking if you were serious. Sorry I wasn't more agreeable when I disagreed with you.

[Quality Is Job 1]

Huh? Part of your concern about a 96 team tourney seemed to be about the bracket logistics. I was asking if you were serious. Sorry I wasn't more agreeable when I disagreed with you.

Yes, I'm serious. The Tournament's current format has a certain infectious charm that would (in my opinion) be ruined by changing it, and that includes the symmetry of the brackets, bracketology, and workplace pools. As for the agreeableness, it wasn't just this post, but over the years you've had a pattern of belittling and disrespecting my opinions, going back to a discussion of what "colorful" words are offensive to whom.

[moytoy12]

Yes, I'm serious. The Tournament's current format has a certain infectious charm that would (in my opinion) be ruined by changing it, and that includes the symmetry of the brackets, bracketology, and workplace pools.

I think this is a silly concern and folks will figure out the logistics.

As for the agreeableness, it wasn't just this post, but over the years you've had a pattern of belittling and disrespecting my opinions, going back to a discussion of what "colorful" words are offensive to whom.

Wow, been holding this in for a while, eh? I think you are too thin-skinned. I don't shout at you or call you names (that i can remember). If I find your concerns/arguments silly (e.g. shouldn't expand to 96 team tourney because it would mess up the brackets), I'm going to let you know.

While we're drudging up past items, I find your penchant for always correcting people annoying.

[Quality Is Job 1]

I think this is a silly concern and folks will figure out the logistics.

Wow, been holding this in for a while, eh? I think you are too thin-skinned. I don't shout at you or call you names (that i can remember). If I find your concerns/arguments silly (e.g. shouldn't expand to 96 team tourney because it would mess up the brackets), I'm going to let you know.

While we're drudging up past items, I find your penchant for always correcting people annoying.

Sigh. Maybe I'll just put you on my ignore list. It's not worth getting my blood pressure up. "Silly," to me, is a disrespectful word. It says, "Your opinion is worthless because it doesn't measure up to mine. Did you even get past the sixth grade?" "Naive" is another such word. It would be better to say, "I don't agree, and here's why..." And saying that someone is thin-skinned is just a cloak for a refusal to respect that person's thoughts. Bigotry, basically.

I rarely correct people — but, yes, I've done it, as have others — so I don't see how I have a penchant for doing it. I guess I'm not the only one who holds things in.

[moytoy12]

Sigh. Maybe I'll just put you on my ignore list. It's not worth getting my blood pressure up. "Silly," to me, is a disrespectful word. It says, "Your opinion is worthless because it doesn't measure up to mine. Did you even get past the sixth grade?" "Naive" is another such word. It would be better to say, "I don't agree, and here's why..."

If it would make your life easier, then you should probably ignore me.

Just because you infer a certain message from my words doesn't mean I intended them to be used as such. That's a you issue. Fyi, just because you think there is a better way to respond to someone, doesn't necessarily make it so.

And saying that someone is thin-skinned is just a cloak for a refusal to respect that person's thoughts. Bigotry, basically.

I have no clue what this means. Are you saying I'm basically a bigot because I called you thin-skinned? I called you thin-skinned because you became easily irritated when I questioned you (in a fashion you perceived as disagreeable).

I rarely correct people — but, yes, I've done it, as have others — so I don't see how I have a penchant for doing it.

You do it often.

I guess I'm not the only one who holds things in.

fair point