Which of the four tournaments would be best?

[BroadwayVik]

Men's College Basketball

Four Tournaments:

1. March Madness, the "Big Dance"

If PSU were to win the big sky tournament, the Vikings would get to face a likely #1 or #2 Seed and would most probably lose. So, the reward is winning the conference tournament and getting to play against a great team and see how you measure up these days.

2. NIT: National Invitation Tournament

Viks would not qualify this year, certainly. But if your record is solid but not quite good enough to go to the Big Dance, this is the great consolation tournament played with a home and visitor method, the Final Four getting the benefit of going to New York City to play in Madison Square Garden

3: CBI: College Basketball Tournament

This appears to be the tournament for the next tier below the NIT consisting of teams with a winning record but who may not have had the appeal for major media. Their records tend to be closer to .500 and the advantage is developmental basketball tournament experience, hopefully with the intent of getting better for subsequent seasons.

4: CTI: College Invitational Tournament

This tournament appears to play the role of providing a tournament to most all other teams that achieved a record in excess of .500. Again, the point being that real tournament experience is provided, a trophy awarded with the hope the teams will aspire to higher heights and greater tier tournaments in the future.

 

[martymoose]

Goal: NCAA Tournament
Fallback: NIT
CBI / CTI: Go home and practice

 

[bigskyconf]

Generally, if you win your regular season conference title, you are guaranteed to go to the NIT if you get ousted in the conference tournament and cannot garner an at-large into the Big Dance. The CBI is the next level, open by invitation. The CTI is basically open to anyone who is willing to pay to play in it, with the championship determined in a best 2 out of 3 game format. If I remember correctly, the Beavers won the inaugural tournament, just getting to .500 by winning the championship, so you don't even have to have a winning record, just a willingness to pay an entrance fee.

 

[BroadwayVik]

I ... I did not know that. That's some wild, whacky stuff.

You've got to pay to play in the CIT? Hoo boy, I don't know if that would be worth the price of admission. Plus you have all that travel expense.

I like that winning the conference gets you into at least the NIT, but It is amazing to consider that any team in this conference can potentially go to the big dance regardless of its season record. Something not quite right about that equation.

Go Viks! If not, hopefully, we can have a new coach next season. Geving just doesn't have the juice to be a head coach, good recruiter though he may well be.

Time for you to leave, Coach Geving.