NCAA Field

[johnbj14]

Butler making this field is a joke. Bona, as well as others should be in over them. Rewarding a team who schedules weak OOC and then finished only 10-8 in a top heavy conference is absurd. Tulsa is another one. Absolutely ridiculous how this field and seeding was done.

[billiken class of 15]

The selection show in itself was a complete joke. I'm glad someone leaked the bracket. That's what they get for turning something that could take 20 minutes into a two hour commercial fest.

[Basketbill]

The selection show in itself was a complete joke. I'm glad someone leaked the bracket. That's what they get for turning something that could take 20 minutes into a two hour commercial fest.

Damn wish I had known the bracket was leaked, would not have waisted an Hour and a half......never again!!!

[thetorch]

Please explain further. Money is certainly at stake to the teams and conferences which make the Tourney v. those that don't. By money, do you mean the advertisers and TV get what they want by having "big" names in the Tourney? Increased ratings b/c Michigan has more viewers/fans than St. Bona does? More butts in the seats b/c of Michigan as opposed to St. Bona?

I believe it is similar to Football. The power conferences want all the revenue to go to their schools, so they deem only their schools are selected for the tournament.

[Bay Area Billiken]

Please explain further. Money is certainly at stake to the teams and conferences which make the Tourney v. those that don't. By money, do you mean the advertisers and TV get what they want by having "big" names in the Tourney? Increased ratings b/c Michigan has more viewers/fans than St. Bona does? More butts in the seats b/c of Michigan as opposed to St. Bona?

TV Ratings, also at least in theory, more fans in the seats, and then the $$$ value of the NCAA Units for each NCAA game played.

I would like to believe that if St. Louis U had the exact same resume as St. Bonaventure, that St. Louis U would have received an NCAA At Large bid. But what happened to St. Bona today, and also to St. Mary's (which is no stranger to this) should concern SLU fans.

[Billiken Law]

Agreed. St. John's was absolutely terrible this year.

The only thing I can think of for thee committee's rationale for Syracuse is the time without Boeheim, when the lost to St. John's. But, that still does not justify Cuse getting in over Bona, let alone being a 10 seed.

The message is clear: mid majors are screwed. Just another message being sent to push us out.

[Billiken Law]

I believe it is similar to Football. The power conferences want all the revenue to go to their schools, so they deem only their schools are selected for the tournament.

The worst thing to ever happen to mid majors was George Mason's final four run. After that mid majors started being paired upmagainstvobe another, then Butler and VCU and WSU made it so now we're just left out all together.

Just getting into the tournament is worth around $1.6 million then teams and conferences get that for each win. As legislation continues to get passed by the Power 5 that gives them the ability to flex their financial muscles keeping less money out of the hands of the mid majors helps widen the gap and gradually push the non Power 5 schools out.

[Bay Area Billiken]

The only thing I can think of for thee committee's rationale for Syracuse is the time without Boeheim, when the lost to St. John's. But, that still does not justify Cuse getting in over Bona, let alone being a 10 seed.

The message is clear: mid majors are screwed. Just another message being sent to push us out.

And why was Boeheim absent? He was suspended by the NCAA!

Really, the inclusion of Syracuse in this field is patently absurd, on all levels.

This is the NCAA talking out of both sides of its mouth. It lets a Syracuse in, and it snubs a St. Mary's, the WCC Regular Season Conference Champion, which is also on NCAA probation. It's evidently a lot easier for the NCAA to pick on the little guy.

Tulsa (Haith) has no business being in this field either. And neither does Butler.

What happened to St. Bona is the worst of all, perhaps without hyperbole, the worst NCAA snub of all time, including the old Missouri State (SMS) snubs. St. Bona tied for the A10 Regular Season conference championship, with an RPI of 30.

[Bay Area Billiken]

Ever since the NCAA bought the NIT, there has been thought here that exactly what happened today was going to happen.

[Bay Area Billiken]

St. Bona gets a #1 seed in the NIT, George Washington an NIT 4 Seed, and Davidson an NIT 5 seed.

I hope St. Bona wins the whole thing, runs the table in the NIT all the way to Madison Square Garden.

[jimbofive]

St. Bona gets a #1 seed in the NIT, George Washington an NIT 4 Seed, and Davidson an NIT 5 seed.

I hope St. Bona wins the whole thing, runs the table in the NIT all the way to Madison Square Garden.

st. bonnie really might need to not play. just F you, we're taking our ball and going home. you have to send a message against fuoking tyranny like that. rape job. i guess if their seniors take a vote and want to play, that's fine, but otherwise screw that. sorry, bonnies.

[Bay Area Billiken]

The Bonnies are going to play in the NIT.

St. Bona is in Western NY State (Olean), has a significant alumni base in New York City, site of the NIT semi-finals and finals, and has a long history in the NIT.

This snub has to be very difficult for the Bonnies (it would be for anyone), but even more so given that Syracuse, also from Upstate New York, was gifted that NCAA bid. Also, Buffalo, 70 miles up the road, is in the NCAA with the MAC's automatic bid.

[brownwolves]

I want to thank all of the Billiken fans for your support. I knew that, when the Bonnies lost to Davidson, it was the straw that broke the camels back.

No excuses but, something happened to our guard Jaylen Adams - he is the key that starts the engine - as of yet, it has been hushed up.

BUT,,,

The lost Davidson may have been divine intervention for Coach Schmidt. Because of loss he was able to attend the New York State Class B Championship game in which Olean ( 27-0 ) played and both of his sons play for OHS.

Not only did Olean win the game but, Coach Schmidt's son was name MVP.

Deep down in my heart I wanted the Bonnies to win the A-10 but, for a man to be there and watch his boys like that I'll make the trade off!

NOW, its up to the Bonnies to win it all and become the 2016 NIT Champs.

PS just to make matters worst, the President of St Bonaventure, Sr. Margret has be diagnosed with Blood cancer and is resigning.

May the Peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of us.

[Clock_Tower]

Good natured rivalry aside, St. Bona got royally screwed by the NCAA. This is a disgrace not only to St. Bona and its loyal fans (Brown Indian is nothing but class) but also to the A10 and to all non-power 5 schools. Watching another big name lay an egg is a pure money grab.

I will bet that Syracuse wants no part of playing St. Bona in Olean anymore than Mizzou or the Illini want to play us at Chaifetz.

[bonwich]

Time for some antitrust review...

[Billiken Law]

And why was Boeheim absent? He was suspended by the NCAA!

Tulsa (Haith) has no business being in this field either. And neither does Butler.

What happened to St. Bona is the worst of all, perhaps without hyperbole, the worst NCAA snub of all time, including the old Missouri State (SMS) snubs. St. Bona tied for the A10 Regular Season conference championship, with an RPI of 30.

I'm fine with Butler. 6 top 100 wins, 8 of their losses to top 40 teams (5 to top 10).

Tulsa, Syracuse, Michigan, Vandy, those are a joke.

And here's something to chew on: Every eligible Power 5 school with a top-54 RPI made the NCAA Tournament. But eight non-Power 5 schools with top-54 RPIs did not.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Butler making this field is a joke. Bona, as well as others should be in over them. Rewarding a team who schedules weak OOC and then finished only 10-8 in a top heavy conference is absurd. Tulsa is another one. Absolutely ridiculous how this field and seeding was done.

Butler won @UC and beat Purdue on neutral court. That is 2 better wins away from home than probably half the field. What are you talking about?

[The Wiz]

The decisions are inexplicable.

St. Bona (RPI 30), which tied for the A10 Regular Season Championship, with a 14-4 A10 record, was snubbed.

No less than 17 teams with RPI's worse than St. Bona's received NCAA At Large Bids.

Incredible gifts were given to the American: 48 Cincinnati, 58 Tulsa, 60 Temple.

The American, the 8th ranked conference, has 4 NCAA teams, whereas the A10, the 7th ranked conference has only 3. The Big East managed to sneak 5 teams in, thanks to the gift bid to Butler (RPI 57).

Syracuse (RPI 72) got in as a 10 seed.

Other interesting at large picks were 56 Michigan, 57 Butler, and 63 Vanderbilt.

Regular season conference champs with NCAA worthy RPI's who were snubbed were 34 Akron, 38 St. Mary's (the new poster team for NCAA snubs), 41 San Diego State, 49 Valparaiso, and 52 Monmouth.

I will give you my 2 cents on the teams you mentioned.....

First, I will be in the minority here but I had St. B as an NIT team ...not only today but a few weeks ago ...in fact at the beginning of conferemce play. I took some heat for that recently but ...oh well.

As for the other teams you mention , I pretty much agree with the NCAA picks...not because I am smarter but have tried to align my system with theirs ...it is not perfect (there will alway be subjectivity involved on their end) but I am pleased with the resultts.

So here is where I agree (and disagree ) with the committee based on the teams you mentioned....

Teams that made it.....

Cinn...A....Agree

Tulsa...B+...Disagree

Temple...B....Disagree...as much as I disagree with the Tulsa pick ...I think this was worse

Butler....A....Agree

Syr........A-....Agree

Mich.....A-.....Agree

Vandy...A....Agree

Teams that missed....

Akron.....B....Agree

St. Mary...A...Disagree....Major miss for the committee

SD St.......B+....Agree

Valpo.......A-....Disagree

Monmouth...B...Agree

[D-West & PO-Z]

I'm fine with Butler. 6 top 100 wins, 8 of their losses to top 40 teams (5 to top 10).

Tulsa, Syracuse, Michigan, Vandy, those are a joke.

And here's something to chew on: Every eligible Power 5 school with a top-54 RPI made the NCAA Tournament. But eight non-Power 5 schools with top-54 RPIs did not.

Yeah Butler is way down the list when talking about questionable teams, if on it at all.

[Bay Area Billiken]

Butler won @UC and beat Purdue on neutral court. That is 2 better wins away from home than probably half the field. What are you talking about?

Butler played all of 1 road game in the non-conference season- one (1).

Butler played Purdue on a "neutral" court in Indianapolis. Butler is located in Indianapolis.

Butler had an RPI of 57 and has no business being in the NCAA Tournament ahead of St. Bonaventure (RPI 30 and Co-A10 Regular Season Champion), St. Mary's (RPI 38 and the WCC Regular Season Champion, who played Cal on the road in Berkeley. Haas Pavilion on the Cal Campus in Berkeley is not a "neutral" site), and Monmouth (RPI 52 and the MAAC Regular Season Champion, who won on the road at UCLA and Georgetown and defeated Notre Dame on a neutral floor).

As much as Butler should not be in the NCAA field, 58 Tulsa, 60 Temple, and 63 Vanderbilt should not be in the NCAA either, especially Tulsa (Haith).

Syracuse's RPI of 72 made its inclusion in this NCAA field an utter abomination, a travesty.

[SLU_Nick]

I am in the small minority when it comes to St Bs. They didnt pass my eye test at all. I have no problem with them being left out. If they would have had a hard OOC then I would reconsider. You cant play cupcakes and then go 14-4 in conference and expect to get an at large out of the A-10. Dayton, VCU, and St Joes played people in the OOC and they were safe.

When it comes to Syracuse being in the tourney, they clearly are one of the best CURRENT 68 teams in the country as evidenced by them being a 1 point favorite in vegas over our conference darling Dayton.

If all the hand-wringers on here want to claim that the Orange are frauds, go put your life savings on Dayton and then retire in the bahamas. I wouldnt feel too comfortable relying on Dayton to beat the 2-3.

[Bay Area Billiken]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/14966925/ncaa-tournament-tulsa-golden-hurricane-last-team-field-thanks-uconn-huskies-win

The alleged criteria move like the shifting sands of the Sahara. One of the media pundits should ask Castiglione how much influence he personally had over the selections as the NCAA Committee Chair, and in particular the inclusion of Tulsa, located in the State of Oklahoma, given his status as Athletic Director at Oklahoma.

Otherwise, note the A10 Commissioner has issued a statement re the snub of St. Bonaventure.

As for Syracuse, Vegas odds are irrelevant. That the masses might pick Syracuse to beat Dayton is not the point. This is supposed to be based on another stated former "criterion," "the entire body of work." But what composes the "body" seems to shift to fit the needs of the BCS, to get an also ran like Syracuse in the NCAA field to the exclusion of a more worthy team. Syracuse had an RPI of 72, and lost 5 of its last 6. The Syracuse didn't have its coach excuse for its first 9 games is a chutzpah argument given the reason it didn't have its coach was he was serving an NCAA suspension rendered by the NCAA Committee on Infractions.

As for this year's stated point of disposition, this basically boils down to Power 5, BCS +2 (Big East and evidently American) getting their way by forcing schools below (even above in the case of the A10 vs. the American) to go on the road to play them, without return visits, of course. See Castiglione's admission re same re Monmouth. Ah, but the Committee found below 200 losses to hold against Monmouth, while Syracuse losing to a horrible St. John's team (7-24, RPI 246) was evidently ignored.

In aggravation, Syracuse did beat St. Bona, but that game was on Syracuse's home court.

Out here, there is talk on the St. Mary's board that Randy Bennett at St. Mary's (snubbed again) will have to rethink his policy of only playing home and homes, no buy games on the road against BCS schools. Plus, St. Mary's does not have the option of playing in exempt tournaments, where it would see Power 5's, as it is banned from playing in exempt tournaments due to NCAA sanctions.

A single NCAA Tournament unit is worth a lot of money, $1.65 million, paid over 6 years.

Ah, there's the real underlying basis for these decisions ...

[TheA_Bomb]

I am in the small minority when it comes to St Bs. They didnt pass my eye test at all. I have no problem with them being left out. If they would have had a hard OOC then I would reconsider. You cant play cupcakes and then go 14-4 in conference and expect to get an at large out of the A-10. Dayton, VCU, and St Joes played people in the OOC and they were safe.

When it comes to Syracuse being in the tourney, they clearly are one of the best CURRENT 68 teams in the country as evidenced by them being a 1 point favorite in vegas over our conference darling Dayton.

If all the hand-wringers on here want to claim that the Orange are frauds, go put your life savings on Dayton and then retire in the bahamas. I wouldnt feel too comfortable relying on Dayton to beat the 2-3.

There's so much wrong about your statement. The "eye ball" test? Come on, there should be a criteria that is known. It shifted this year and made more mistakes than any tournament in recent memory. What team is willing to play at St. Bonaventure OOC? No one wants to go up there, we have a hard enough time attracting quality non-conference opponents to St. Louis and we have running water. Just because you like Syracuse doesn't mean they belong in the tournament. Other teams were more deserving whether they would've fared better or not. They play 30+ games for a reason.

[Cowboy]

-the committee seems to find a category or two to include a team and then different criteria to keep others out

-what's most important? road wins? top 50 record? top 100 record?

-I was shocked last night to hear Bilas say Monmouth should be in, he even said something like he has not historically advocated for the little guy, but then this morning he says Michigan would power through the Horizon or other such leagues as Michigan is better than Valpo, I'm not so sure

[ACE]

I enjoy seeing Tulsa get in... look at the way it sets off the SPUMAC loyalists. Faith in Haith! Haha. But this is one of the worst jobs the Committee has done in years - Vandy and Syracuse, absolutely dreadful choices. Syracuse could beat SVU, but that doesn't mean they deserved to get in based on this past season. There are a lot of teams NOT in the field capable of beating SVU or a lot of other teams in a single game.

I don't agree with Calipari on much, but he is right that the Committee should follow a pretty clear measure (whether it is rpi or some other formula) and take so much of the subjective stuff out of it. And then all this other criteria they use selectively to justify choices (what a team did in the last 10 games, did a team face injuries, etc.) is a joke. Too much "eye ball" test nonsense is working its way in.