NIT

[agibson]

[tweet]709183056612032512[/tweet]

[tweet]709183228167524353[/tweet]

To me, a Monday 2nd round game seems a likely scenario. As #1 seed, we'd host the 3rd round too, so the short turn around is maybe not too big of a deal.

Still need to worry about practice time: for us for four days, and probably an official session for the visitors, but it seems like that should probably be manageable.

[WiscoCrusader]

Frankly, I don't want to hear another word about a middle school tournament.  We are a division one basketball program, number one seed in the NIT, which we have never done before.

The tournament can move, cancel, cry.  I don't give a damn.  Time to grow up and stop being so small time.

[agibson]

Can anybody post the full NIT bracket?

Not the best, but here's one version

[tweet]709182382839037952[/tweet]

Or
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_National_Invitation_Tournament

Hosting the ACC would be fun, but Davidson has some nice mid-major story lines, and hosting a PFL team would be amusing.

Follow it with the SEC, I suppose. Or Belmont a third time would be a little bizarre. Good mid-major story lines again with St. Mary's, and Aussie connections.

[oklahomamick]

NIT is allowing 6 fouls per player before being DQ'd.  Vashil is smiling right now.

[agibson]

Here's a somewhat better, still embeddable, bracket

[tweet]709182529425817600[/tweet]

or
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CdeFwKiWEAAXEGZ.jpg:large

Certainly a tournament we could win. Obviously it would be a pretty sweet run to manage it, five games and all. But, we're a completely legitimate #1 seed. St. Mary's and Monmouth surely both feel like they should win it too, but this could be a good competition. If we can get up for it.

[valpotx]

I have said it in the past, but a big danger to losing Bryce has happened.  TCU has fired Trent Johnson.  A faith-based school in a Power 5, in talent rich DFW and a load of cash to spend/invest with great facilities.  It will be an interesting offseason, but I look forward to winning the NIT!

[valpopal]

Oren expresses what many of us are feeling: "What is the point?"


http://www.nwitimes.com/blogs/sports/inside-vu-sports/valpo-basketball-what-is-the-point/article_6cb44156-e9a3-11e5-b221-a3559337dfe2.html

[a3uge]

Another good article:

https://thecauldron.si.com/nevermonmouth-6d2e8a71ea27#.uo7cjckjq

Talks about the fallacy of bad losses, how majors game RPI and then the committee ignores RPI anyways when convenient.

[wh]

I have said it in the past, but a big danger to losing Bryce has happened.  TCU has fired Trent Johnson.  A faith-based school in a Power 5, in talent rich DFW and a load of cash to spend/invest with great facilities.  It will be an interesting offseason, but I look forward to winning the NIT!

This is a scary proposition. A power-5 job where Bryce can continue to "openly" live his Christian faith in a major metropolitan area only 87 miles from Baylor. Moreover, he could literally take the entire treasure chest with him, including AP, KC?, and Shane (all eligible to play immediately) and anyone/everyone from the coaching staff. Bryce's stock has continued to rise. He actively pursued the Iowa State job a year ago and nearly got it. This could be his time.

Where that would leave Valpo men's basketball is anyone's guess. At a minimum we would probably still have Derrik, Tevonn, David, Max and Lexus to build around.

[oklahomamick]

I have said it in the past, but a big danger to losing Bryce has happened.  TCU has fired Trent Johnson.  A faith-based school in a Power 5, in talent rich DFW and a load of cash to spend/invest with great facilities.  It will be an interesting offseason, but I look forward to winning the NIT!

I saw that and thought the same thing...But would he like playing his brother two times year and recruiting against him?

[VULB#62]

I have said it in the past, but a big danger to losing Bryce has happened.  TCU has fired Trent Johnson.  A faith-based school in a Power 5, in talent rich DFW and a load of cash to spend/invest with great facilities.  It will be an interesting offseason, but I look forward to winning the NIT!

This is a scary proposition. A power-5 job where Bryce can continue to "openly" live his Christian faith in a major metropolitan area only 87 miles from Baylor. Moreover, he could literally take the entire treasure chest with him, including AP, KC?, and Shane (all eligible to play immediately) and anyone/everyone from the coaching staff. Bryce's stock has continued to rise. He actively pursued the Iowa State job a year ago and nearly got it. This could be his time.

Where that would leave Valpo men's basketball is anyone's guess. At a minimum we would probably still have Derrik, Tevonn, David, Max and Lexus to build around.

And what's to keep any of  these guys from following Bryce by transferring and sitting out a year?

[valpotx]

I would hope that Bryce wouldn't give Valpo a death knell, by taking our best players away (unless they really want to leave Valpo).  Hopefully, he would be ok with starting fresh with TX recruits.  If I left my alma mater, I wouldn't feel good unless I was leaving behind a solid team for one of my assistants to continue.

[covufan]

I have said it in the past, but a big danger to losing Bryce has happened.  TCU has fired Trent Johnson.  A faith-based school in a Power 5, in talent rich DFW and a load of cash to spend/invest with great facilities.  It will be an interesting offseason, but I look forward to winning the NIT!

I don't quite see it the same way.  The Drews have been on record saying that they don't like the prospect of playing each other.  I doubt he seriously looks at TCU, as that would mean playing Scott 2 or 3 times a year.

[talksalot]

Games we'll be watching (and providing scores) on Tuesday night...

TUESDAY
March 15, 2016   6 p.m.   ESPNU   No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 8 High Point
March 15, 2016   6 p.m.   ESPN    No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 6 Akron
March 15, 2016   6 p.m.   ESPN2   No. 4 Florida State vs. No. 5 Davidson
March 15, 2016   8 p.m.   ESPN   No. 4 Creighton vs. No. 5 Alabama
March 15, 2016   8 p.m.   ESPNU   No. 2 Florida vs. No. 7 North Florida
March 15, 2016   8 p.m.   ESPN2   No. 3 Washington vs. No. 6 Long Beach State
March 15, 2016   8:15 p.m.   ESPN3   No. 1 Valparaiso vs. No. 8 Texas Southern
March 15, 2016   9 p.m.   ESPN3   No. 2 San Diego State vs. No. 7 IPFW
March 15, 2016   10 p.m.   ESPN2   No. 2 St. Mary's (CA) vs. No. 7 New Mexico State

NCAA ROUND 1
March 15, 2016        5:40p.m.  CBS-GROUP    No.16 FGCU (20-13) vs No.16 Fairleigh Dickinson (18-14)
March 15, 2016        8:10p.m.  CBS-GROUP    No.11 Vanderbilt (19-13) vs. No. 11 Whchita State (24-8)


WEDNESDAY
March 16, 2016   6 p.m.   ESPN3   No. 1 St. Bonaventure vs. No. 8 Wagner
March 16, 2016   6 p.m.   ESPN2   No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Belmont
March 16, 2016   6:30 p.m.   ESPN3   No. 1 Monmouth vs. No. 8 Bucknell
March 16, 2016   7 p.m.   ESPNU   No. 3 Virginia Tech vs. No. 6 Princeton
March 16, 2016   7 p.m.   ESPN3   No. 4 George Washington vs. No. 5 Hofstra
March 16, 2016   8 p.m.   ESPN2   No. 4 Georgia Tech vs. No. 5 Houston
March 16, 2016   9 p.m.   ESPNU   No. 2 BYU vs. No. 7 UAB

NCAA Round 1
March 16, 2016        5:40pm   CBS Group   No.16 Holy Cross (14-19) vs. No. 16 Southern (22-12)
March 16, 2016        8:10pm   CBS Group   No.11 Michigan (22-12)  vs No.11 Tulsa (20-11)

[atkins]

The columns cited above by valpopal and a3uge are very insightful. 

With the relative historical parity in today's D-1 college basketball, is there such a creature as a 'bad loss"? 

It is the US News effect:  Name recognition and reputation (no matter how outdated) supercedes all else. 

[agibson]

Oren expresses what many of us are feeling: "What is the point?"

http://www.nwitimes.com/blogs/sports/inside-vu-sports/valpo-basketball-what-is-the-point/article_6cb44156-e9a3-11e5-b221-a3559337dfe2.html

This was a solid piece. More than a little gut-wrenching by the end.

[VULB#62]

Paul also wrote another piece on the snub and #1 NIT seed. In it he brought up the LBAA conflict. I hope this is resolved by game time tomorrow so that people at the game and those of us watching on ESPN3 will be informed about the next game.

[wh]

Frankly, I don't want to hear another word about a middle school tournament.  We are a division one basketball program, number one seed in the NIT, which we have never done before.

The tournament can move, cancel, cry.  I don't give a damn.  Time to grow up and stop being so small time.

I share this opinion - every word of it.

[agibson]

Paul also wrote another piece on the snub and #1 NIT seed. In it he brought up the LBAA conflict. I hope this is resolved by game time tomorrow so that people at the game and those of us watching on ESPN3 will be informed about the next game.

I [!] don't have much history with following the second rounds of these things. Is it possible that the schedule would need to be discussed first with the second round opponent? So, even if Valpo was ready to host, it might first have to be confirmed.

[valpotx]

I have said it in the past, but a big danger to losing Bryce has happened.  TCU has fired Trent Johnson.  A faith-based school in a Power 5, in talent rich DFW and a load of cash to spend/invest with great facilities.  It will be an interesting offseason, but I look forward to winning the NIT!

I don't quite see it the same way.  The Drews have been on record saying that they don't like the prospect of playing each other.  I doubt he seriously looks at TCU, as that would mean playing Scott 2 or 3 times a year.

Bryce interviewed for the Iowa State job, correct?

[valpotx]

Good to see that at least one major publication tied to a coaching opening, does not see Bryce as a possibility.  It seems like Bryce is usually on everyone's list, but the press down here seems to think that TX ties is more important than anything that Bryce could offer.

http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/college/big-12/texas-christian-university/article65924937.html

[bbtds]

LBAA Tournament brackets and game times

https://lbaatournament.org/brackets/?tourn_id=7

https://lbaatournament.org/brackets/?tourn_id=8

[bbtds]

Frankly, I don't want to hear another word about a middle school tournament.  We are a division one basketball program, number one seed in the NIT, which we have never done before.

The tournament can move, cancel, cry.  I don't give a damn.  Time to grow up and stop being so small time.

I really hope you don't have to explain it to the boys at St Paul's in Fort Wayne, like FWAlum might be forced to do, when they move their tournament away from Valpo.

Members of the St Paul Ft Wayne basketball team

Marks, Isaac
Pancake, Will
Goodwin, Caleb
Evan, Johnston
Baker, Lennox
Gutman, Joe
Sims, Drew
Walker, Rod
Quintana, Chayanne
Craig, Cleevas

Coach Jerry Ratzburg

Look them in the eye and tell them you decided to move their tournament. It's not these boys' fault.

[humbleopinion]

AML talked about the second round game being on the 17th or the 21st.  Those dates would not conflict with the tournament.

[NativeCheesehead]

I got this.

Dear boys of St. Paul,

You're about to live in a country run by someone named either Donald, Ted, Hillary, or Bernie. Whatever the outcome, you should probably get used to disappointment. Also, Christmas is canceled this year.

Thanks!
Vu