I don't if there's been an official announcement, but it sounds like Milwaukee (the AD?) pulled the cord on any post-season possibilities. One of their players posted a long thread on twitter about it.
The Oakland AD's announced "Vegas or bust", apparently turning down other offers. They'd earlier been linked (nothing definitive) to the Vegas tournament in at least one news article.
The Oakland AD
http://www.goldengrizzlies.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/031116aad.html (http://www.goldengrizzlies.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/031116aad.html)
Nothing about Wright State yet, ... ya wonder if a 16-15 UDM team would even be considered?
The Milwaukee newspaper picks up the post-season story
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/panthers/uwm-will-pass-on-postseason-basketball-tournaments-b99685711z1-371817131.html (http://www.jsonline.com/sports/panthers/uwm-will-pass-on-postseason-basketball-tournaments-b99685711z1-371817131.html)
John Templon has Detroit on the "has expressed interest" list
http://www.nycbuckets.com/cbicit-tracking/ (http://www.nycbuckets.com/cbicit-tracking/)
we'll see... A winning record only if you include the non-D1's.
I mentioned this in another thread, but UWM fans seem pretty complacent with mediocrity, given where the program was at 10 years ago. It's amazing how big the meltdown is over a team that finished 5th in the weakest the Horizon League has ever been. This has been their 10th consecutive season where they weren't in the top 100 RPI.
I think Milwaukee should play in the CBI, but I don't think the meltdown is warranted. I think Milwaukee had a disappointing season and played short of their potential.
Quote from: a3uge on March 11, 2016, 04:47:19 PM
I mentioned this in another thread, but UWM fans seem pretty complacent with mediocrity, given where the program was at 10 years ago. It's amazing how big the meltdown is over a team that finished 5th in the weakest the Horizon League has ever been. This has been their 10th consecutive season where they weren't in the top 100 RPI.
I think Milwaukee should play in the CBI, but I don't think the meltdown is warranted. I think Milwaukee had a disappointing season and played short of their potential.
I think you should venture over to the Freak board or onto Twitter to see how complacent they are with this decision to turn down the postseason.
Fans have been calling for Jeter's head for 9 years. There's a bunch of us who don't call for his head because we know what's been getting in his way forever. Donors, especially the big ones, know a lot more than us, and they're steadfast in support for him.
In any case, I think the Jeter era ends in 2016-17, since he's only under contract through June of next year. After all that came out today, I'm just hoping someone else hires his replacement.
From her response on your site:
http://pantheru.com/2016/03/amanda-braun-is-essentially-rachel-phelps-from-major-league/
Quote
Parents,
I appreciate you reaching out and advocating for Player 1, Player 2 and their teammates and understand that you are disappointed with the way the men's basketball season ended and with my decision about postseason participation. I take very seriously my decisions that impact the lives of our student-athletes and want to share with you how I came to the decision to not enter the CBI or CIT men's basketball events.
First, it is important to share with you that all of the decisions regarding our sport programs are driven by our program goals and how we define success. Decisions are also heavily influenced by financial considerations and the responsible use of our resources. And finally, the experience of our student-athletes is always a top priority in every decision we make.
For our men's basketball program, our goal every year is to be a top 100 NCAA Division I program. Specific to our conference, our goal is to win the Horizon League and our expectation is to finish among the top three in the Horizon League on an annual basis. These are very realistic goals and expectations because we financially support the program at the top of league.
As you know, this year men's basketball did not achieve the competitive goals or expectations for the program. The team will not be selected for the NCAA or NIT tournaments and our option with a fifth-place finish is to participate in events that are not aspirational for our program. Because of this, it is difficult to justify participation in the CBI and CIT events and the financial commitment required for them.
As I weighed the program goals and the use of our resources, I also considered our student-athletes' experience. More impactful experiences for the team are events such as a summer foreign tour and exempt tournaments during the regular season similar to those we have participated in recently (Cable Car Classic, Gulf Coast Showcase, MGM Grand Main Event). We will continue to direct our resources to these more positively impactful events as we elevate our men's basketball program and work to achieve our goals.
Even though we did not attain our competitive goals this year, we are extremely proud of the accomplishments of our men's basketball student-athletes. The work the team has done in the classroom this year, compiling a program-best 3.104 grade-point average in the Fall 2015 term, along with the work they have done in the community, is truly commendable.
I understand if this news is difficult for you to accept and hope that the information I have shared is at least somewhat helpful to you. Thank you again for taking the time to reach out.
Sincerely,
Amanda
Go Panthers!
Amanda Braun
Director of Athletics
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Yeah, I sort of agree with her that the team was well short of their goal. I'm really okay with not rewarding an underachieving team, and I'm guessing it's a bit of a play on Jeter.
I think the CBI and CIT tournaments are pretty pointless. Playing other mediocre mid majors and maybe a 5 conference win power 5 team... Meh. I doubt it really affects recruiting - maybe the trip to Vegas would be a good draw, but playing Siena on a Monday night in March? Just hard to get worked up over.
At least, comments like these seem like gross overreactions:
Quote
Just sad. The day basketball died at Milwaukee.
I will continue to wear my Milwaukee basketball shirts under my work clothes. Sometimes it's just the little things.
It's hard to watch March Madness knowing we are on the opposite end of the spectrum.
Quote
And after 25 years as a season-ticket holder and supporting this program through thick and thin, I'm out as soon as this group of players and coaches are done.
I love the many friends I've made through these years and I'll cherish them forever, but I just can't put myself through this any more.
This school doesn't behave like it even wants to have scholarship basketball, let alone a high-level program, so I'm done.
So long, old friends. I love you guys!
Oh I definitely agree that we didn't meet expectations. But when they invite us to play, and we want to play - we being the coaches, players, donors, fans, everyone other than the athletic director - we should play.
You guys are coming at this from a different angle than us. You've been in a couple of these tournaments. We only had the one in 2012, and we never expected to do well that year. This team was the 22nd-unluckiest team (KenPom) in the country - they deserve to keep playing.
http://m.jsonline.com/sports/panthers/no-postseason-for-uwm-mens-basketball-team-hints-at-bigger-story-b99686477z1-371896421.html
Better explanation by Braun - definitely a power play against Jeter.
Green Bay gets the 14. Better than many expected.
Against Texas A&M, maybe the last of the 3 seeds? #12 KenPom defense (almost as good as Valpo), #36 offense, #17 overall.
Compare Green Bay 168/96/117 overall.
Did this guy picking the winers even mention Green Bay? Went straight to the Texas - Texas A&M game in the round of 32. OK, there he did finally briefly mention Green Bay.
I notice that Green Bay's only a dog by 12.5 or 13 points.
Quote from: agibson on March 13, 2016, 05:17:51 PMGreen Bay gets the 14. Better than many expected.
#55 on the S curve. So, best of the 14 seeds.
I've not heard about any post-season for the rest of the conference... Two bids would be the lowest in recent memory for the Horizon League.
They only got a 14 because so many upsets occurred in conference tournaments. They would have been a 15/16 if most #1 seeds had won
Rumor on Twitter os that the CIT is mysteriously missing three teams, and that the Vegas tournament may fold. It was somewhat more expensive than the others, a two-week delayed start, and no chance to make up some of the cost with home games.
Now I hear rumors of a modified format, and an 11 CDT announcement.
Oakland fans must be sweating.
Wikipedia update has two teams listed for the Vegas 16: Boise State, Oakland
This is a change from a few hours ago...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Vegas_16_Tournament
Quote from: talksalot on March 14, 2016, 10:33:56 AM
Wikipedia update has two teams listed for the Vegas 16: Boise State, Oakland
This is a change from a few hours ago...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Vegas_16_Tournament
Weird. Just kind of dropped in there in plain text.
The plot continues to thicken on twitter
[tweet]709417082493005824[/tweet]
but no announcement yet.
How did it shake out for the first CBI?
I seem to remember that Valpo had its place figured out by 2 AM or so; I don't remember if that became public then, or was only known the next morning. I don't even remember for _sure_ that the bracket was out Monday morning, but it seems likely.
[tweet]709494787796238336[/tweet]
Their social media person is a pro. Hitting just the right tone, IMO, for an upstart tournament in Vegas. Check them out.
Similar to a lot of things the NCAA does involving numbers, the Vegas 16 only has 8 teams. Big 10 has 14 teams, Big 12 has 10 teams... Next up the Sweet 16 will actually have 32 teams.
Quote from: Kyle321n on March 15, 2016, 08:51:34 AMNext up the Sweet 16 will actually have 32 teams.
The selection committee's obvious bias and elevated criticism from the media, this year in particular, could be an impetus for expansion. So you might have something there... ;D
Quote from: FWalum on March 15, 2016, 09:05:40 AMThe selection committee's obvious bias and elevated criticism from the media, this year in particular, could be an impetus for expansion. So you might have something there...
If Kampe gets his way and the tournament goes to 96 (with a bunch of play-in games on the Dayton schedule, maybe not a bad idea if you can guarantee some respect for mids) it could probably happen... The whole first round/second round confusion could become more legit.
A little well-deserved nostalgia. USAToday ran this perennial story: !5 Greatest Buzzer-Beaters in NCAA History. Of course VU's is one of them, but the great thing with this article is that the featured headline picture is not Christian Laettner, or any of the Power 5s, it's VALPO!
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/03/the-15-greatest-buzzer-beaters-in-ncaa-tournament-history-christian-laettner-duke-bryce-drew (http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/03/the-15-greatest-buzzer-beaters-in-ncaa-tournament-history-christian-laettner-duke-bryce-drew)
Quote from: VULB#62 on March 15, 2016, 01:43:46 PM
A little well-deserved nostalgia. USAToday ran this perennial story: !5 Greatest Buzzer-Beaters in NCAA History. Of course VU's is one of them, but the great thing with this article is that the featured headline picture is not Christian Laettner, or any of the Power 5s, it's VALPO!
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/03/the-15-greatest-buzzer-beaters-in-ncaa-tournament-history-christian-laettner-duke-bryce-drew (http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/03/the-15-greatest-buzzer-beaters-in-ncaa-tournament-history-christian-laettner-duke-bryce-drew)
So the NCAA tournament is way more interesting when the little guy has a chance - and then they make a ton of money and generate a bunch of publicity using media of these upsets.
Then they turn around and screw the little guy so mediocre teams littered with cheating violations can play each other in games that nobody will remember or care about.
Makes sense.
They certainly hope Yale or Iona can do something big... Not a lot of room otherwise!
With the Vegas 16 schedule, it's going to be unreasonably difficult to be the last Horizon League team playing this season.
Win tonight and we have a chance. But, we need to get into the NIT Final to guarantee it.
The Vegas tourney will be like a pre-season scheduled trip to Canada or wherever...who knows and who cares
VEGAS8 tournament bracket
ALL PACIFIC TIME ZONE TIMES
Quarterfinals – Monday, March 28
1 Noon Tennessee Tech vs. Old Dominion CBSSN
2 2:30 pm UC Santa Barbara vs. Northern Illinois
3 6:00 pm Oakland vs. Towson
4 8:30 pm Louisiana Tech vs. East Tennessee State
Semifinals – Tuesday, March 29
5 6:00 pm Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner CBSSN
6 8:30 pm Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner
Championship – Wednesday, March 30
7 7:00 pm Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner CBSSN
I'm sure they will pack them in at Vegas! NOT!
So what is the relative strength of this field and what are Oakland's chances of walking away with a trophy?
1 Noon Tennessee Tech (RPI 134, 17-11. 11-5 OVC) vs. Old Dominion (RPI 141, 22-13, 12-6 CUSA)
2 2:30 pm UC Santa Barbara (RPI 101, 17-13, 11-5 Big West) vs. Northern Illinois (RPI 139, 17-12, 9-9 MAC)
3 6:00 pm Oakland (RPI 116, 21-11, 13-5 HL) vs. Towson (RPI 153, 18-12, 11-7 Colonial)
4 8:30 pm Louisiana Tech (RPI 121, 21-9, 12-6 CUSA) vs. East Tennessee State (RPI 84, 21-11, 14-4 Southern)
Hard to tell how it's seeded other than keeping the two CUSA teams away from each other...and it looks like King Kampe did get the best first round matchup...Towson averages 71 ppg; played two power 5 teams in the Charleston, SC tournament... lost to OK State by 17 and Ole Miss by 16... then beat Bradley by 2...
OH, Ticket prices range from $15 to $299 for the Monday night session.
Oakland's chances are as good as their chances in the HL tournament IN DETROIT. I guess their chances aren't that great. ;D
Kampe wanted to play games in a larger venue with few fans in the stands to emulate the Motor City Madness stage. This will better help them for next year.
I hope they win.
Quote from: oklahomamick on March 27, 2016, 08:05:18 AMplay games in a larger venue with few fans in the stands to emulate the Motor City Madness stage.
I was surprised to see that Mandalay Bay Events Center holds 12,000... slightly less than the last 5 home games for Towson... Combined! They played @ Fairleigh Dickinson with a reported crowd of 547....I'm guessing the attendance at this "tournament" will not be reported in the box score...
The more I read about these other post season tournaments, and then compare them to the NIT with its preliminary rounds at campus sites and remembering how (way back when) the prelims in the HL were at campus sites, the more I think that the HL format SHOULD BE all but the semi final and final at campus sites and (IF AND ONLY IF the HL really wants a "neutral" site in the first place) the semis and final should be. At that neutral site. However I still would like to see it back at the #1 seed site.
It's _very_ quite in the gym at the Oakland game in Vegas. Maybe the quietest basketball I've seen on TV. St. Mary's last home game (spring break, but probably otherwise a decent crowd, maybe not too far off their 3,500 capacity) was quiet. But this is another level.
Fans... in their dozens? The fans probably outnumber the teams. It's not completely obvious that they outnumber "teams+coaches+refs+press", but probably there are some sitting out of view of the camera...
Under 12 media timeout in the first half. Oakland down 13-12. Felder does have two threes. Only one miss, couple of defensive boards. Just committed a foul.
Update: they just interviewed Kay _during_ the under eight media timeout! Now 7 min to play, Kay 13 of Oakland's 25, Oakland up six. Kay 5/7, 3/5 from three. I think he even came out of the game at one point.
SVP opened the 11PM CT SportsCenter talking about Oakland and their participation in this tournament. One of the great lines he had went something like "This game is part of the Vegas 16 Tournament, with the 16 representing how many teams were supposed to play in it, but they could only find 8. Instead the 16 has become representative of the number of fans in attendance. Why go see Carrot Top in Vegas when you can watch Oakland-Towson" :lol:
Oakland wins 90-72. If their participation helps develop the team for next years non conference season then I don't care if any fans are in attendance. They need some post season success to set their stage for 2016-17.
If everything falls their direction (many uncertainties) we could be chasing them for the HL regular season title.
Quote from: agibson on March 28, 2016, 08:22:31 PMUpdate: they just interviewed Kay _during_ the under eight media timeout!
That means Kampe actually gave Felder a rest? I thought he was a 40 minute player :lol:
Quote from: oklahomamick on March 29, 2016, 06:17:03 AM
Quote from: agibson on March 28, 2016, 08:22:31 PMUpdate: they just interviewed Kay _during_ the under eight media timeout!
That means Kampe actually gave Felder a rest? I thought he was a 40 minute player :lol:
Right. They usually keep him on that stationary bike during timeouts, but they let him off for the interview.
In truth, he's "only" listed for 36 minutes. Fairly good stat line for him, if "only" seven assists.
The box score... seems not to list attendance.
Quote from: agibson on March 29, 2016, 11:22:58 AM
Quote from: oklahomamick on March 29, 2016, 06:17:03 AM
Quote from: agibson on March 28, 2016, 08:22:31 PMUpdate: they just interviewed Kay _during_ the under eight media timeout!
That means Kampe actually gave Felder a rest? I thought he was a 40 minute player :lol:
Right. They usually keep him on that stationary bike during timeouts, but they let him off for the interview.
In truth, he's "only" listed for 36 minutes. Fairly good stat line for him, if "only" seven assists.
The box score... seems not to list attendance.
[/b]
That's because it was a complete embarrassment. I watched the game and if there were 200 there I would be surprised.
But in the end and a few years from now the winning team's banner will not have attendance figures and the team will claim it won a post season tournament. :-X
go 3-0 against some low majors on neutral court and the banner is yours.
Hey, listening to the announcers I don't understand why Felder wouldn't just go pro immediately as he is the second coming personified! I mean seriously who cares that he is playing in a virtually empty arena against a team that nobody cares about. If you believe the announcers the NBA desperately needs him. Please Kay go pro. America and the NBA can't survive without you. Really coming back to play in the Horizon league would be like Steph or Lebron playing against grammar school teams. Please don't lower yourself. Go pro or at least transfer to a power five team where you can show your superiority against the top competition next year.
I'm more puzzled that Max Hooper is not participating in the 3 point contest.
Quote from: oklahomamick on March 30, 2016, 06:33:31 AM
I'm more puzzled that Max Hooper is not participating in the 3 point contest.
I heard Kampe told him to work on his 2 point shots.
And Max replied, what's that?
In a radio interview this morning, King Kampe discussed their win last night in Vegas. Felder had a triple double, something like 34 pts. and over 10 assists and rebounds. I believe K said that was the 17th time this season that KF has had a double double or better. Hooper had 9 3's scoring 28. He still has not taken a 2 pt shot this season and K pretty much said he wont take one in their championship game either. No one has ever gone the entire season without taking at least 1 two-pointer with a minimum of 30 shots total in a season, per the King. In his normal fashion, he said the tourney at L V has been a success ever though very few attend the games however claims that CBS is pleased with their viewer numbers. Really???
Here's the official release:
LAS VEGAS - One of the more popular television commercials during March Madness has viewers singing along with the catchy jingle "Meet the Hoopers."
Tuesday night in the second semifinal of the Vegas 16 Tournament, enthusiastic fans inside Mandalay Bay Events Center got a chance to meet Oakland's Max Hooper.
And they loved him.
Hooper, the Horizon League's Sixth Man of the Year who averaged 10.3 points per game during the regular season, scored 28 points and became an instant crowd favorite as Oakland defeated East Tennessee State 104-81 to advance to Wednesday's inaugural championship game, where they'll face Old Dominion for the title.
It seemed fitting Hooper shined in the moment, helping the Grizzlies advance, after he gained notoriety earlier this month, when his father died at the age of 53 after battling cancer.
"Max was awesome, and his whole family is here," Oakland coach Greg Kampe said. "I saw on the scoreboard he put a picture of his dad up, so I'm so happy for him because he now he can end his career like this after having the devastation of having your father pass away the night before the conference tournament."
Meanwhile, Kay Felder, the Horizon League's Player of the Year who celebrated his 21st birthday Tuesday night, registered a triple-double and led all scorers with 29 points, while grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing 10 assists. Also scoring in double figures for the Grizzlies were Percy Gibson (15) and Martez Walker (10).
"We came here and said we were going to win the whole thing, that's been our goal since we found out we were coming here," said Felder, who attempted to become the first player in NCAA history to lead the nation in both points per game and assists per game. "We're going to keep believing in ourselves and keep having confidence and try and go and get a win tomorrow."
Felder, who scored 27 points in Monday's quarterfinal win over Towson, is looking to become the first player since Stephen Curry to average more than 34 points-and-assists per game.
The birthday boy had a rough time getting going in the first half, though, as he connected on just 3 of 11 from the floor while scoring just 11 points.
But after a close first half that saw the Grizzlies take a 39-37 lead into the locker room at halftime, Oakland flexed its offensive muscle over the final 20 minutes, during which it hit 15 of 32 from the field, a 46.9 percent clip, including a scorching 53.3 percent (8 of 15) from 3-point range..
"I told them (at haltime) we need to be smart because we weren't being smart," Kampe said. "I heard someone up in the stands yell 'I got next' and that's not what we're about, we're about execution and running our offense. We led the nation in scoring because we execute and I thought we really executed the second half."
After East Tennessee State took a 53-52 lead with 14:19 left in the game, Oakland took over, bolting out on a 20-7 run to pull ahead 72-60 with 8:47 left in the contest, then closed the game by outscoring the Bucs 32-21 to provide the final margin.
The Grizzlies took advantage of 17 turnovers by East Tennessee State, as they outscored the Buccaneers 20-5 with points off turnovers.
Tip off for Wednesday championship game is scheduled for 7 p.m.
We all need to be Oakland fans tonight. Every postseason win is important to the league, regardless of the stage or opponent. Lastly, I'm probably as critical of Kampe as anybody, but I don't get the negativity toward Felder. The kid just had a triple-double for heaven's sakes. You know how hard that is to do in college basketball (or anywhere else for that matter)? Let's be honest, he were a Crusader, we'd be worshiping him. Go Grizzlies - finish this thing with a win!
Oakland loses. There goes two top 100 RPI wins! Wait, forgot that's irrelevant.
Too bad, as I also hoped Oakland would win. I don't get the Felder hate either. He played like crap against us, but seems to be a legitimate NBA-caliber player when he plays against other teams. It isn't like he is someone like a....Petros, who of course, sucks :).
Would have been cool if Oakland won the first and probably last Vegas 16 or 8.
Let's hope Felder goes to the NBA.
Felder will never be as hot as he is right now. He should declare but not hire an agent given the new rules (Peters should as well).
I was wondering if Bryce used Oakland as an incentive in his last timeout on Tuesday night... We wanted to be the last HL team standing...Glad we are !
Quote from: IndyValpo on March 31, 2016, 08:14:09 AM
Felder will never be as hot as he is right now. He should declare but not hire an agent given the new rules (Peters should as well).
As much as I would like to see Peters back in a Valpo uniform, I'd say that he and his family should be looking at this option.