Post season

[a3uge]

Do you think they will change the current format since Butler is gone?  Butler was a big player in changing the format and wanted to give a significate advantage the best team so that our best resprestative was in the NCAA instead of a "Southern Utah" who upset the #1.

Protecting the top two seeds are even more essential now that Butler is gone. Butler was able to be an at-large team, so there was little need to protect them during their prime.

You want to avoid having a 15-16 seed in the tourney, because success rate is as follows...
16: 0%
15: 3.8%
14: 15%
13: 21.1%
12: 33.6%

So for the Horizon League to get more money, they need to have a team do well in the tournament. Guiding your top teams (double byes, making their opponents play back-to-back days) helps ensure the best teams get in, and helps avoid the Horizon League sending a 15-16 seed to the tourney each year. Valpo, having their best RPI ever last year, had two home games, which definitely helped them win the championship. Imagine a neutral court setup where it was Green Bay vs Wright State in the championship game. Can you say 15-16 seed? Valpo was by far the best team in the conference and had a shoe-in for a 13 seed (don't get me started on the selection committee screwing us over Montana for geographical reasons).

The Horizon League was the first conferences to really protect their top teams, and conferences have adopted similar formats:
WCC - 2012 first round byes
Sun Belt - 2014 neutral site double byes
Southland - 2013 neutral site double byes
OVC - 2011 neutral site double byes
MAC - 2012 triple byes

The double byes, forcing back to back games against a team that hasn't played in a week, and hosting on campus sites might be a bit excessive, but it has worked (outside of 2012 where Detroit won and was a 15 seed). I guess the argument against it would be that the 1 and 2 seeds would win in any format, and the league doesn't need to protect the top seeds. If you look at mid major conferences that do not do any protecting, their 1 and 2 seeds end up winning anyways, and they gain a bit better RPI from 4 wins at neutral sites than 2 wins at home.

[historyman]

Do you think they will change the current format since Butler is gone? Butler was a big player in changing the format and wanted to give a significate advantage the best team so that our best resprestative was in the NCAA instead of a "Southern Utah" who upset the #1.

No and actually other conferences are looking at this for their format (per chef).  The idea is to get your best team to the NCAAs with the hope that team would have the best chance of success.  That hasn't/won't change.

That double bye format in the HL tourney is pretty much a LeCrone thing. Butler benefitted from the format a lot but that was because LeCrone wanted the best team to represent the conference and that was usually the first place team during the regular season. '72 is correct, it won't be changing while LeCrone is commissioner.

BTW, did you see the commissioner at the Cleve St game? I saw him walking up the stairs to the area where the TV cameras are located behind the chairbacks.

[oklahomamick]

LeCrone was in town watching Purdue calumet as a possible addition to the HL.

[historyman]

LeCrone was in town watching Purdue calumet as a possible addition to the HL.

Where did you hear that? I really hope Purdue Calumet isn't being considered by the HL. They would have a huge jump to NCAA Div. I. They are currently NAIA. Don't you have to have at least a 4,000 seat arena to be in the HL? If you want to see a HS gym take a look at Purdue-Cal's Fitness & Recreation Center. The FRC.

http://www.purduecalsports.com/athletics/frc/

[LaPorteAveApostle]

LeCrone was in town watching Purdue calumet as a possible addition to the HL.

i will believe it until jimmy from pantherU confirms

[HC]

But his sources are solid 

[a3uge]

LeCrone was in town watching Purdue calumet as a possible addition to the HL.

i will believe it until jimmy from pantherU confirms

Done. Deal.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[justducky]

Done. Deal.

This is old news, but I was told to keep it under my hat and did so successfully. Well maybe not, but from now on I am never and I repeat never going to entrust confidential information with Oklahomamick again!

[oklahomamick]

LeCrone made an exception to 5,000 seat capacity gym with Oakland and has seen the positive rivalry between Detroit schools.  He's going for the same idea as he pursues Purdue calumet.

[agibson]

No four seed or lower has ever made the championship in the 11 seasons ('02-'03 to present) of the double-bye format.

#1 vs. #2 has happened 8 times
#1 vs. #3 has happened 3 times

#1 has won 6 times
#2 has won 3 times
#3 has won 2 times (CSU in '09 and UDM in '12)

Maybe no #4 seed has done it, but those two #3's give some hope.

They both had to win four games, much as we do, right?  (With maybe a difference in the semi-final pairing?)

[LaPorteAveApostle]

He's going for the same idea as he pursues Purdue calumet.

Erm...wait...this wasn't a joke?  Because clearly everyone who read that should have taken it thus.

Yikes.

[zvillehaze]

No four seed or lower has ever made the championship in the 11 seasons ('02-'03 to present) of the double-bye format.

#1 vs. #2 has happened 8 times
#1 vs. #3 has happened 3 times

#1 has won 6 times
#2 has won 3 times
#3 has won 2 times (CSU in '09 and UDM in '12)

Maybe no #4 seed has done it, but those two #3's give some hope.

They both had to win four games, much as we do, right?  (With maybe a difference in the semi-final pairing?)

Correct.  Both CSU in '09 and Detroit in '12 had to win 4 games, but didn't face the #1 until the finals.

[talksalot]

No HL home game for us as Wrong State takes out Darth Bader and the Grizz' by a millenium.  So, given the three choices left... where do we want to play on Tuesday?    Dayton, Cleveland or Green Bay?

[classof2014]

No HL home game for us as Wrong State takes out Darth Bader and the Grizz' by a millenium.  So, given the three choices left... where do we want to play on Tuesday?    Dayton, Cleveland or Green Bay?

Well it definitely won't be Green Bay, since if we win tomorrow it'll go to the highest remaining seed.

I think Dayton would be much better for us. Wright State is more beatable than Cleveland State.

[bbtds]

No HL home game for us as Wrong State takes out Darth Bader and the Grizz' by a millenium.  So, given the three choices left... where do we want to play on Tuesday?    Dayton, Cleveland or Green Bay?

I assume they will be in Valpo cleaning out their basketball lockers on Tuesday night wishing they had hustled more against a weak UWM team that will get pounded by Green Bay. I don't see a post season game either.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Apparently Todd was saying postgame that they expect a CIT invite.

That's where this is coming from.

And I think we can agree that we all need this taste out of our mouths.

[valpotx]

If we received a CIT bid, even if we buy a home game, it might be worth it to our young guys.  Hopefully they take it more seriously than we did a few years back.

[Smj]

Sometimes it is best to just end the pain.    However a post season game would be great for this young team. ...

[nkvu]

They don't deserve another game. As I've said, turning down a game might show the young players that poor play and lack of effort will not be rewarded. But if they do decide to play in some tournament then they should bench the seniors plus Carter and play the underclassmen as giving them experience is the only reason to do it at all.

[StlVUFan]

They don't deserve another game. As I've said, turning down a game might show the young players that poor play and lack of effort will not be rewarded. But if they do decide to play in some tournament then they should bench the seniors plus Carter and play the underclassmen as giving them experience is the only reason to do it at all.

I've seen lots of bad this year, but "lack of effort" is not on my list, not by a long shot.

[talksalot]

Fast Forward to Senior Night, 2017.   Bryce says:  These guys can be proud of the banners they've added to the rafters...one for every year they've been here... Let's bring up the Conference POY, Tournament MVP.___________________.

[agibson]

From the NWI Times

"We'll meet with the players tomorrow [today] and see where they're at," Valparaiso coach Bryce Drew said. "If the opportunity presents itself, as a coach, I'd love to play some more games this season."

http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/basketball/college/crusaders-bounced-from-horizon-league-tournament/article_ba0adcf1-503f-567e-9059-73d9b0fbd824.html

First round games are scheduled for March 18-19.

Looking at last year's tournament
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_CollegeInsider.com_Postseason_Tournament
we might be on the weaker end of things.

But, Bradley, Fairfield, Green Bay, Hartford, Oakland, maybe especially North Dakota, Youngstown, and UIC, might give us some hope.

I'd forgotten how many teams we had in this thing last year.  Three Horizon League teams plus Oakland!

[historyman]

But, Bradley, Fairfield, Green Bay, Hartford, Oakland, maybe especially North Dakota, Youngstown, and UIC, might give us some hope. I'd forgotten how many teams we had in this thing last year.  Three Horizon League teams plus Oakland!

I had forgotten how much the CIT has to scrape the bottom of the barrel to get enough teams in it's tournament. I guess Valpo would qualify for a CIT bid. Valpo would probably be the bottom of the barrel. That isn't too much to brag about. 

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Hey, Wright State went on a run in it last year, and now look at them!  They only lost to a couple horrible teams last fall as a result.

[a3uge]

Hey, Wright State went on a run in it last year, and now look at them!  They only lost to a couple horrible teams last fall as a result.

Had they won a couple more, the North Carolina A&T game may have ended up differently.