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The AP has

"Former NCAA tournament darlings Northern Iowa and Valparaiso highlight the 24 teams selected to play in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament on Sunday."

as their first sentence.  Not bad!

In last week's Mid-Major Top 25 Iona entered the poll at #21.  To Valpo's #24.

Pomeroy has the Gaels at #60 overall, to Valpo's #105.  He has the next game in his computer already, picking Iona to win 74-73, winning with 56% probability.  Should be a good one!

I wonder when they'll announce the CIT seeds?  Before or after the first game?  (Which is tonight.)

Maybe not until after the first round?

Valpo-Iona should certainly be one of the most competitive games, so much for seeding!

It sounds like we did put up a financial guarantee to host.  I wonder what the details were. 
Good of the university to support the team like this.  Hopefully the fans will do their part,
and come out for the game! 

One link for streaming, from the CIT web page, is
http://www.b2livetv.com/partner_members.asp?id=379
which actually has the Valpo game listed at 9 PM EDT.

Looks like it'll be free live?  Not sure if there will be an archive, but that might be for a fee?

Twitter also says:
@JasonBelzer:
Remember, all the games of the @CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) will be broadcast for free on Fox Sports broadband this year!

No post-season for the Baylor Bears!

Shall we assumed that they turned down a CBI bid?

One projection I saw had them a few rungs higher up than Valpo on the "almost in the NIT" ladder.

If we get an NIT, CBI, or CIT spot, we'll know Sunday evening into early Monday morning about what will happen.

Does the NIT host a selection show?  I have a dim recollection that they usually have their act together (easiest for the established 2nd choice, certainly) and announce their field fairly promptly.

I remember best the inaugural CBI, when it took a good long while for the chips to fall.

An interesting idea!  Get 'em hooked early.

Nice!  I love the tease!  The announcement's probably Sunday or Monday... or is it?

And I totally missed the "potential home game" reference - delicious!

personally, i'd prefer the nit over the cbi/cit (but who wouldn't?)

Yeah, I guess that's right.  I have in mind the conversation we had a while back about whether we'd prefer to play in the NCAA tournament vs. another tournament.  One thread is that it would be nice to have a reasonable prospect of winning a game or three!

But, I suspect that we do have a reasonable chance of competing at the NIT level this year.  It'd be even more true if the games were on neutral courts.

The AD tweeted last night
http://twitter.com/#!/ValpoAD/status/45287057437896704

Post season play coming for Men's Basketball. More opportunities to see Cory, Howard & Mike in a Valpo uniform. Watch for the announcement

I suppose this is likely just confidence?  That there will be post-season play somewhere?

Or... can something have already been decided?  In the past the CBI and CIT have talked about competing with the other tournaments for teams.  Is it possible that one of them has already made Valpo such an attractive offer that they agreed to sign in advance, and pass on any NIT possibilities?  Seems unlikely, but the wording of the tweet makes me wonder.

In any case, nice to hear from the top that there is a plan!

If any of you are flying United or Continental this month, check out the "We All Shine On" piece in the in-flight Hemispheres magazine.
It's also up at http://www.hemispheresmagazine.com/2011/03/01/we-all-shine-on/

Sort of a "where are they now" of past NCAA greats including Bryce, Christian Laettner, etc.  It includes a photo of Bryce in a Hornets uniform.

Here's the Bryce-specific bit,

BRYCE DREW

SHINING MOMENT: Every college basketball fan has a special place in his heart for Cinderellas, those plucky teams that make improbably deep runs into the tournament. In 1998, Valparaiso was the lucky lady, thanks in large part to head coach Homer Drew's son Bryce and the three- pointer he nailed to lift his 13th-seeded Crusaders over the fourth-seeded University of Mississippi Rebels in the first round. Drew's shot, which some Indiana natives claim is the real "The Shot," combined the two things college basketball fans love most—buzzer- beaters and underdogs—in one of the tournament's shiniest moments ever.

WHERE HE IS NOW: After teaching the country that Valpo is a college in Indiana and not a brand of dog food, Drew became the school's first-ever first-round pick in the NBA draft. During his six years in the NBA, he jumped between the Rockets, Bulls and Hornets, filling the three-point- specialist role for each. In 2004 his NBA career came to an end, and, like any good coach's son, he jumped into coaching himself. Six years later, Drew is still at Valpo, where he's been honored as one of the 150 Most Influential Persons in the university's history. That's the power of a "shot."

I suppose Bryce still comes up all over the place in March.  But, it was a pleasant surprise to see it in an unexpected context!

From valpo04 on the old board:

This board will continue to operate normally untl Selection Sunday (this Sunday). At that time, we will close it down to NEW TOPICS. All existing threads will remain open for discussion until May 1, but any and all new discussions will take place on the new board. This will allow all conference and pre-NCAA tournament talk to continue here, while helping everyone transition to our new home.

Hopefully this will help folks who have been checking each board for new topics.

Well, OK, so much for "voting with [their] feet"

Hi Mark - I got your back!

apgibson42 on twitter.  Just three more to go before you hit 100!

I suppose the community will vote with its feet, but I'm sort of inclined to keep 2010-2011 material on the old board.
It's important that this board get established before the season ends, but it does feel artificial to switch "mid"-season.

If this site allows more ownership of our material, or more flexibility, I'm all for it.

I will miss the old banner, perhaps it could be archived somewhere on the site?  (The new one's nice too.)

Do we have a thread somewhere for general chatter about the new board?
If not, I guess this could be it.

Here I am.