Posts Tagged ‘Southwestern Athletic’

NCAA: Why Holding Postseason Conference Tournaments Hurts Mid-Majors

March 8th, 2010

The madness has got to stop.

No more conference tournaments.

The NCAA Tournament that starts in March actually is fulfilling. However, the conference tournaments that prelude the pageantry of the Final Four are not.

At least not for many small college basketball programs the last few years.

The best teams from the mid-majors are usually left sitting in their dorms studying for mid-terms, while underachievers move on to the annual first-round drubbing at the hands of one of the No. 1 seeds.

Jackson State's stellar 17-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference record and 19-11 overall record will mean nothing once the SWAC Tournament starts (March 10-13 in Shreveport, L.A.).

The Tigers would be one loss away from heading home for the rest of the season if they falter in the conference tournament.

From 2004-2007, Delaware State University posted one of the greatest stretches of regular season dominance in modern Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference history. The Hornets were a combined 46-8 and went into the MEAC Basketball Tournament as the top seed each year.

The 2004 season would be the only year that the Hornets would win the MEAC championship and receive an automatic bid to the NCAA national tournament, eventually losing to number one seed Duke University by only 11 points.

In a rare twist, 20-loss Coppin State won the MEAC Tournament. That's right, 20.

No 20-loss team deserves to be in the same postseason bracket as high school programs, let alone the best 64 college basketball programs in the country.

Oakland University, who finished the 2005 regular season with a 7-9 record in Mid-Continent play, won the conference tourney and gained an NCAA birth.

Many believe that the chances of a small college program upsetting a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament are slim to none, so it might not matter anyway, right?

Mid-majors get an automatic bid to the NIT. That is only accomplished by winning the regular season title.

Considering that those being part of a league that feature a poor RPI weigh heavily against those that don't participate in major conferences, it is time for the powers that be to think about scrapping the season-ending dog-and-pony shows and let the regular season champ represent the conference in the largest amateur basketball party in the world.

Continuing this practice only makes the regular season meaningless. Many college coaches believe the regular season schedule accurately reflects who the best teams are versus a four-day conference tournament.

If Syracuse—the Big East regular season champion—can afford to lose in their conference tournament and still make the field of 65, then a mid-major regular season champ should be afforded that same luxury.

Duke lost to 5-11 NC State (conference record), Ohio State lost to 7-10 Michigan  (conference record), and Kentucky lost to 6-10 South Carolina (conference record).

Should those elite teams not make the NCAA Tournament if they don't win the ACC, Big Ten, or SEC conference tournaments?

Of course they are going to the Big Dance. But my point in bringing those programs up is because they all had off nights against inferior opponents.

The Tar Heels lost in the ACC Tournament just a season ago to Florida State, but went on to win the national title.

So to say a mid-major regular season champion shouldn't get a mulligan after potentially losing in the conference tournament is shortsighted at best.

Take this into consideration as well: If the conference tournament matters so much, you can't have the average teams in the league participating in them.

It makes no sense in terms of competitive structure. In essence, what these leagues are saying is that their mediocre programs should have the same right to advance to the NCAA tournament as the regular season conference champion such as the Big East has done in inviting all 16 schools. So that means one-win DePaul will get another shot at playing for a national title. 

But because having another revenue source available for leagues by holding a conference tournament is too good to pass up, the postseason practice will not depart any time soon. Currently, the Ivy League is the only conference which does not have a postseason tournament. 

Mid-major front runners beware.

 

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Posted in College Basketball, NCAA, Opinion, ncaa tournament

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Missouri Tigers News and Notes: Spring Practices Rapidly Approaching

February 13th, 2010

Don't know about you, but I'm getting a little sick of battling the shakes as part of my war with college football withdrawal.

Alas, relief is on the horizon, as only three and half weeks separate us from the beginning of the Missouri Tigers' spring practices, which commence on Mar. 9th.

Here's a few links to chew on regarding the MU football program and other happenings around the athletics department:

  • In the first of what figures to be a number of incidences of attrition within the program, No. 4 running back Gilbert Moye decided this week to leave the team and will reportedly transfer after the end of the current semester.

A redshirt sophomore, Moye began his career at safety but was converted to running back prior to the 2009 season. In very limited duty, he rushed for 35 yards on six carries, all of which came against Furman on Sept. 19th. He reportedly hopes to play his old high school position of quarterback at his new destination, likely a school from either the Southland Conference or Southwestern Athletic Conference, both FCS members.

With Moye's defection, assuming that each of the 23 newcomers who signed earlier this month qualify academically, MU now has 89 players on its roster. Per NCAA rules, 85 scholarships are allowed to be given out each season, which means the Tigers overshot their recruiting numbers purposely, perhaps under the assumption that Moye would be but one of a small handful of players who will either decide to transfer or have their scholarship stripped.

  • Gabe DeArmond of Power Mizzou gets an early jump on spring ball by breaking down what stories will dominate the Tigers' early-season practice period. Among them is whether either of the two newly-minted quarterbacks — freshmen Tyler Gabbert and James Franklin (above) — will be able to land the backup role.
  • DeArmond's father, Kansas City Star writer Mike DeArmond, spoke with MU head coach Gary Pinkel at a recent area function. When asked about the state of his team's defense, particularly the maligned secondary, Pinkel responded: "Coverage-wise, we’re looking at a couple of different options now. We’re talking to some people. We’ve got to get it fixed.”
  • Missouri joining the Big Ten makes sense. Colorado defecting to the Pac-10 probably even more so. Texas to either of those conferences? Forget about it.
  • In an attempt to zap even more emotion and enthusiasm from the game of college football, the NCAA is proposing a rule that would flag a player for taunting on his way to the end zone and assess the penalty at the spot of the foul, therefore negating the touchdown. If the incident occurs in the end zone, officials will apply the current rule, which imposes a 15-yard penalty on the ensuing kickoff.

If the NCAA were smart, it would not tinker with the ways things are now, which happen to be outrageously subjective to begin with, all because no official seems to have a clear grasp as to what actually constitutes taunting or unsportsmanlike conduct? Now they want to potentially rob a team of a game-winning score because of what one player may or may not have done?

  • Onto college basketball, where the notion of increasing the NCAA Tournament field to include 96 teams has been meant with fervor, with much of the opposition residing within the media. Meanwhile, coaches don't seem to mind the idea, while one writer in particular interjects with a dose of reason.
  • ESPN.com columnist Pat Forde recently polled writers from each of the six major conferences on the best and worst towns within their respective leagues, as well as which town was the best for basketball. Suffice it to say, I wasn't all that shocked that Columbia wasn't mentioned ahead of a place like Lawrence, albeit a hoops synagogue that resides in the "vast nothingness that is the middle of Kansas."
  • In the same article, Forde — an MU alum — lists Kansas' Mar. 6 date with the Tigers in Columbia as the Jayhawks' "scariest" game from here on out.
  • Believe it or not, the Missouri baseball team begins its season next week. The Tigers, which feature only three seniors, will play in the Collegiate Cactus Classic in Tuscon, Ariz., beginning on Feb. 17.
  • One final note, and it has to do with a bit of shameless self-promotion. Be sure to read my article, "Five New Ways To Watch The Olympics," which was recently posted at Askmen.com.

Photo credit: HSgametime.com

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Posted in College Football, Gary Pinkel, Missouri Tigers Football, NCAA, Rankings/List

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RB Gilbert Moye Leaves Team, Will to Transfer From Missouri

February 9th, 2010

The crowd that is Missouri's offensive backfield has become a little less dense.

Running back Gilbert Moye has left the team and will transfer from the university upon completion of the current semester, school officials confirmed to the Columbia Daily Tribune on Monday.

According to MU beat writer Dave Matter, a source close to Moye confirmed the news, as did team spokesman Chad Moeller, who told the paper Monday evening that the running back has, indeed, parted ways with the team.

Matter reported that Moye intends to transfer to a program from either the Southwestern Athletic Conference or Southland Conference—both of which are part of college football's Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA—where he hopes to play his old high school position of quarterback.

Missouri will now enter next month's spring practices with three scholarship running backs on its roster, but that number may very well double entering preseason workouts. The trio of senior Derrick Washington, junior De'Vion Moore, and sophomore Kendial Lawrence will be joined in the fall by freshmen Marcus Murphy (DeSoto, Tx.), Henry Josey (Angleton, Tx.), and Greg White (DeQueen, Ark.), all of whom were part of MU's recent recruiting class.

Considering Moye's past in the MU program—which was laden with variety but light on production—his decision to leave should not be altogether surprising.

A former standout quarterback from Diboll High School in Texas, Moye was quickly converted to the safety position upon his arrival in Columbia in 2007 as one of the country's top-rated "athletes." After a redshirt season, he played in 11 games in 2008, with a significant portion of his time spent on MU's kickoff return unit. All the while, Moye was receiving plenty of reps in practice while learning from one of the best safeties in MU history—current Atlanta Falcon William Moore.

But along with the 2009 season came yet another position switch. In an attempt to utilize Moye's coveted blend of size, speed, and athleticism, the Missouri staff moved him to running back, where the 6'2", 220-pound native of Jasper, Texas, figured to challenge for a backup role.

However, with Washington and Moore entrenched as the team's top two backs, Moye struggled at times with inconsistency and fumbles during preseason workouts in August, resulting in him losing his No. 3 role to Lawrence.

Buried on the depth chart as MU's fourth option at running back, Moye was nearly invisible this past season, rushing for only 35 yards on six carries, all of which came versus Furman on Sept. 19.

 

Photo courtesy of Columbia Daily Tribune.

You can find this article and more at my page at Examiner.com.

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Posted in Breaking News, College Football, Missouri Tigers Football, NCAA

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