UtahPirate
Active member
Problem: When the PAC sucks (and they have for several years now) the whole West suffers.
Three bids this year for the PAC so rather than respect other conferences in the West and spread the joy, every Western conference gets the knife. Here's this year's Western conference reps at the Big Dance:
Nevada (MWC); UCLA (PAC); CSU Fullerton (BIG WEST); Montana (BIG SKY); Gonzaga (WCC); San Diego State (MWC); New Mexico State (WAC); ASU (PAC).
That's 8 teams out of 68 (and ASU is the committee's worst pick by far -- leaving out St. Mary's is almost criminal) and two of those teams get "First 4" games. The Eastern bias this year is stupefying. And every Western conference suffers from the Committee's collective belief that "if the PAC ain't good, no one in the West is good."
Since the Western snubs are again legion, it makes the NIT (and boy do we scoff at it) much more regionally balanced:
Oregon (PAC); USC (PAC); Stanford (PAC); BYU (WCC); St Mary’s (WCC); Boise State (MWC); Utah (PAC);
UC Davis (Big West).
Please note that in 100 "Top" teams the Sky's lone representative is Montana (go Grizz!) (PAC 7; WCC 3; MWC 3; Big West 2; Sky 1; WAC 1). Scheduling plays a big role no doubt. But part of that scheduling role is the refusal of the PAC to travel in the preseason, or to let good teams come play them at their homes -- and the weight given to the appalling dumb RPI stat, which over-ranks PAC teams annually (scheduling is not isolated to Weber -- though ours needs some serious work -- it's a big Western problem because the Queen "P" is so effing corrupt).
We sneer at the CBI and CIT. But the CIT refuses to invite power conference leftovers making it a pure mid-major tournament: San Diego (WCC); Northern Colorado (Big Sky); and Portland State (Big Sky). And the CBI may be the Pluto of post season tournaments (furthest from the center) but at least they invite some teams from the West: Eastern Washington (Big Sky); Utah Valley (WAC); San Francisco (WCC); Grand Canyon (WAC); Seattle (WAC).
Point. It may be Big Dance or Bust to start the year, but the superior attitude about the smaller tourneys is seriously misplaced until the whole West gets getter (not just the Sky), or the PAC fixes their scheduling so others can share in the RPI wealth (see Coach Kry's refusal to play at the Dee!). Playing after the conference season has been fun in the past -- and face it, we should probably be more respectful as it's the neighborhood we live in.
Three bids this year for the PAC so rather than respect other conferences in the West and spread the joy, every Western conference gets the knife. Here's this year's Western conference reps at the Big Dance:
Nevada (MWC); UCLA (PAC); CSU Fullerton (BIG WEST); Montana (BIG SKY); Gonzaga (WCC); San Diego State (MWC); New Mexico State (WAC); ASU (PAC).
That's 8 teams out of 68 (and ASU is the committee's worst pick by far -- leaving out St. Mary's is almost criminal) and two of those teams get "First 4" games. The Eastern bias this year is stupefying. And every Western conference suffers from the Committee's collective belief that "if the PAC ain't good, no one in the West is good."
Since the Western snubs are again legion, it makes the NIT (and boy do we scoff at it) much more regionally balanced:
Oregon (PAC); USC (PAC); Stanford (PAC); BYU (WCC); St Mary’s (WCC); Boise State (MWC); Utah (PAC);
UC Davis (Big West).
Please note that in 100 "Top" teams the Sky's lone representative is Montana (go Grizz!) (PAC 7; WCC 3; MWC 3; Big West 2; Sky 1; WAC 1). Scheduling plays a big role no doubt. But part of that scheduling role is the refusal of the PAC to travel in the preseason, or to let good teams come play them at their homes -- and the weight given to the appalling dumb RPI stat, which over-ranks PAC teams annually (scheduling is not isolated to Weber -- though ours needs some serious work -- it's a big Western problem because the Queen "P" is so effing corrupt).
We sneer at the CBI and CIT. But the CIT refuses to invite power conference leftovers making it a pure mid-major tournament: San Diego (WCC); Northern Colorado (Big Sky); and Portland State (Big Sky). And the CBI may be the Pluto of post season tournaments (furthest from the center) but at least they invite some teams from the West: Eastern Washington (Big Sky); Utah Valley (WAC); San Francisco (WCC); Grand Canyon (WAC); Seattle (WAC).
Point. It may be Big Dance or Bust to start the year, but the superior attitude about the smaller tourneys is seriously misplaced until the whole West gets getter (not just the Sky), or the PAC fixes their scheduling so others can share in the RPI wealth (see Coach Kry's refusal to play at the Dee!). Playing after the conference season has been fun in the past -- and face it, we should probably be more respectful as it's the neighborhood we live in.
