NCAA 2016

[ValpoDad89]

Because of that sad state I decided to look elsewhere for my college hoops "fix" and my daughters and I have been coming for a game since 2008. I like to think that's why one of the reasons my eldest chose Valpo for college (she's a freshmen). Whether it's yes or no neither her nor my wife and I couldn't have been happier with her choice of schools. #GoValpo

[wh]

Both and I don't think Bryce every considered Iowa State. Media reports are complete B.S. Bryce would never tell anyone outside the family, so media members have no clue. They get their info from someone at the school hoping it will cause a buzz. Bryce never wanted the DePaul job, but Shannon Ryan (Chicago Trib) said he did. Where do you think she was told that? Certainly not from anyone close to Bryce Drew. I know that because I asked her, and she had no answer.

If Bryce never considered the Iowa State job and never wanted the DePaul job, why would he go through multiple, formal interviews with senior officials at both schools?  Bryce doesn't seem like the type that would go through the motions and have a lot of people jumping through hoops for some ulterior motive like gaining leverage for a bigger Valpo contract, or whatever. 

[VULB#62]

Perhaps for the same reason people take interviews in the business world without truly wanting a job change. A) to get more information about the job market and B) to get a better feel for what other employers have in terms of culture, assets, facilities, programs, benefits etc., etc.  Translated  to BB, it is smart of Bryce to go through the motions. What he learns he can bring back to his present job or salt away for the future. Granted, sometimes these "exploratory interviews" can wind up being such an eye opener that it becomes an offer you can't refuse.  But it seems that the Iowa States and the DePauls are asking him to drop by, not him asking for the interview.

[bbtds]

chef,

Bryce is much smarter to ever deal with the current cesspool that is DePaul basketball. They are living in the past and it is pathetic their AD still has a job. They have no committment or plan for success, which is sad considering there is much basketball talent in Chicagoland.

Sometimes there is a greater disconnect between south of Chinatown and Lincoln Park then this is between south of Chinatown and Valparaiso.

[usc4valpo]

Bryce or anyone should always explore possible opportunities. It is good to see what is out there and your self worth. In fact, it is likely good for Valpo to know where their employees stand. Although the Valpo job is different because Bryce pretty much has a permanent job, employees should always be aware of existing opportunities.

[covufan]

Both and I don't think Bryce every considered Iowa State. Media reports are complete B.S. Bryce would never tell anyone outside the family, so media members have no clue. They get their info from someone at the school hoping it will cause a buzz. Bryce never wanted the DePaul job, but Shannon Ryan (Chicago Trib) said he did. Where do you think she was told that? Certainly not from anyone close to Bryce Drew. I know that because I asked her, and she had no answer.

If Bryce never considered the Iowa State job and never wanted the DePaul job, why would he go through multiple, formal interviews with senior officials at both schools?  Bryce doesn't seem like the type that would go through the motions and have a lot of people jumping through hoops for some ulterior motive like gaining leverage for a bigger Valpo contract, or whatever.

Maybe it was during the interview process when Bryce got the feeling he didn't want those jobs.  Also, if he has aspirations for a national championship, shouldn't he go through the interview process to learn about himself, what is needed from a coach, what is needed from an AD, what is needed from a facilities point, etc.?


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[valpo64]

Perhaps because of tonight's game with StM's, we could have talks with them for future pre-season games and some contacts with other schools that StM plays in their pre-season, like Stanford, BYU, etc

[agibson]

The only team that they really played was Cal.

They got Stanford to play in Moraga. I'm sure we'd be delighted to get a middle-of-the pack Big Ten team to play at the ARC. Their non-conference RPI was better than ours too (only one loss, and only the one road game until Valpo), even if their non-con SOS was a bit weaker.

In the post-game their coach seemed nostalgic for the Bracketbusters. Hopefully Valpo heard him and will follow up. Even if they are a reasonably young team and could be tough to beat in the near future.

[agibson]

Coach Kampe has been an active supporter, on Twitter and probably elsewhere, of a 96 team tournament.

In the Jim Peters column int he NWI Times today he quotes Bryce calling himself a big advocate for 128 teams.

[hailcrusaders]

Coach Kampe has been an active supporter, on Twitter and probably elsewhere, of a 96 team tournament.

In the Jim Peters column int he NWI Times today he quotes Bryce calling himself a big advocate for 128 teams.

As great as it would have been to see Valpo in the NCAA this year, 96 to 128 starts to get out of hand. We'd just be having the same bubble discussions with different, lower caliber teams (say Milwaukee or Northwestern) who would likely get dominated in the first round anyway. Regular season play, especially for high majors, starts to mean less and less

[classof2014]

I think 68 is good, the problem is the selection committee; not the amount of teams. Also when you have teams like Austin Peay a .500 team that finished 8th in the OVC that won the tournament to get it; really doesn't deserve it. I say do away with the conference tournaments. Every year the best teams from each conference aren't represented because of this. Out of the HL there was without a shadow of a doubt that Valpo was by far the best team and the most deserving of a shot in the NCAA tournament but one misstep at the worst time of the season cost them a shot the opportunity and sent 4th place Green Bay to the tournament. The conference tournaments are ticking time bombs for mid-majors; just because you won the conference tournament, just a handful of games, doesn't show that you're the best in the conference. It just shows you won a few games in a row.

[bbtds]

The conference tournaments are ticking time bombs for mid-majors; just because you won the conference tournament, just a handful of games, doesn't show that you're the best in the conference. It just shows you won a few games in a row.

What does the NCAA want? Does it want the team with the better record or the team that wins with everything on the line? What is most exciting?

[a3uge]

The conference tournaments are ticking time bombs for mid-majors; just because you won the conference tournament, just a handful of games, doesn't show that you're the best in the conference. It just shows you won a few games in a row.

What does the NCAA want? Does it want the team with the better record or the team that wins with everything on the line? What is most exciting?

The NCAA doesn't determine who gets a conference's bid. The conference does. The conferences side with money.

[Valpower]

I think 68 is good, the problem is the selection committee; not the amount of teams. Also when you have teams like Austin Peay a .500 team that finished 8th in the OVC that won the tournament to get it; really doesn't deserve it. I say do away with the conference tournaments. Every year the best teams from each conference aren't represented because of this. Out of the HL there was without a shadow of a doubt that Valpo was by far the best team and the most deserving of a shot in the NCAA tournament but one misstep at the worst time of the season cost them a shot the opportunity and sent 4th place Green Bay to the tournament. The conference tournaments are ticking time bombs for mid-majors; just because you won the conference tournament, just a handful of games, doesn't show that you're the best in the conference. It just shows you won a few games in a row.

I get the appeal of the conference tournament; it makes every team's regular-season games meaningful because, even if they've got no mathematical chance of winning the conference, they can still improve their seeding. This helps keep attendance up throughout the season for all teams and intensifies the competition. Furthermore, I can see instances, rare though they may be, where a team that doesn't win the conference emerges at the end of the season as the most capable (especially given that injuries happen and that teams peak at different moments). That team deserves a chance to make the tourney.

The key to making a tournament meet the goals of getting your best and most-deserving team in the tournament, having the regular-season games mean something for everybody, and "lifting all boats" is to make the advantages of each seeding as evenly spaced as possible.  In a 10-team conference I wouldn't mind seeing the 10-seed get eliminated and have a play-in game for the 9 and 8 seeds:

Play-in		Round 1		Round 2		Semis		Finals
9	-------
		|-------- 8	-----
8	-------			|-------- 5	-------
		5	-----			|-------- 4	-------
				4	-------			|-------- 1
						1	-------
									|------- 1
						2	-------
				3	-------			|-------- 2
		7	-----			|-------- 3	-------
				|-------- 6	-------
		6	-----

If you have to play on a neutral court it should be for the semi-finals only so as not to give any lower-seed the advantage of adjusting to the environment, which means prior rounds would be played on the higher-seed's home court. This would probably boost the attendance of games featuring lower-seeded teams.  Plus, the usual advantage the higher seed has versus the next lower seed, is playing the weaker opponent but this can be a disadvantage as far as RPI. By adding a play-in on the 1-seed's side, you mitigate it somewhat by giving its opponent or opponent's-opponent one more win than the other side.  What I like about this most is that it creates a stronger incentive to not be Youngs...er, crappy and, less significantly, reduces the RPI penalty for the eventual champion.

[historyman]

The conference tournaments are ticking time bombs for mid-majors; just because you won the conference tournament, just a handful of games, doesn't show that you're the best in the conference. It just shows you won a few games in a row.

What does the NCAA want? Does it want the team with the better record or the team that wins with everything on the line? What is most exciting?

The NCAA doesn't determine who gets a conference's bid. The conference does. The conferences side with money.

But how does a conference bring in more money?  It has exciting teams play in the NCAA tournament and those exciting teams are not the regular season winners. Those are the teams that play beyond expectations at the end of the season and in the NCAA tournament.

[a3uge]

The conference tournaments are ticking time bombs for mid-majors; just because you won the conference tournament, just a handful of games, doesn't show that you're the best in the conference. It just shows you won a few games in a row.

What does the NCAA want? Does it want the team with the better record or the team that wins with everything on the line? What is most exciting?

The NCAA doesn't determine who gets a conference's bid. The conference does. The conferences side with money.

But how does a conference bring in more money?  It has exciting teams play in the NCAA tournament and those exciting teams are not the regular season winners. Those are the teams that play beyond expectations at the end of the season and in the NCAA tournament.

Green Bay was anything but exciting vs Texas A&M.

[classof2014]

The conference tournaments are ticking time bombs for mid-majors; just because you won the conference tournament, just a handful of games, doesn't show that you're the best in the conference. It just shows you won a few games in a row.

What does the NCAA want? Does it want the team with the better record or the team that wins with everything on the line? What is most exciting?

Having the best of the best be represented is the most exciting. Valpo had a way better chance than Green Bay at making a run in the tournament. What's more exciting have Green Bay lose by 20 in round 1 or potentially have a mid-major, Cinderella, like Valpo make a run to the Sweet 16 or beyond. 

[usc4valpo]

good comments, but Valpo lost to GB. You can analyze it all you want, but at the end it gets settled on the court. Valpo met a hot GB team in the Horizon tournament - it happens.

[classof2014]

good comments, but Valpo lost to GB. You can analyze it all you want, but at the end it gets settled on the court. Valpo met a hot GB team in the Horizon tournament - it happens.

And that's the reason the conference tournaments don't work for weaker conferences like the HL. GB wasn't the best team, they aren't a good representative for the HL. I know they won the conference tournament and because of that they deserved to go. You can also go back a few seasons ago when Milwaukee represented the HL with a 15 seed and got blown away by Villanova; when without a doubt Green Bay should've been the representative.

[valpo64]

Not only Bryce, but many others, myself included, interview for jobs if given the opportunity even if one is not really looking for a change. If for no other reason, they find out just what is out there for the taking.  As for this year's NCAA,  yesterday I heard a radio interview with King Kampe.  He had high praise of Valpo, saying there is no doubt they should have been in the NCAA.  He went on saying Peters was one of the best players in the country and Vashil was one of the top defenders in the country,  which is why the VU defense was also one of the country's best this year.  He said he hopes VU wins the NIT and they should.  One of his former players, can't remember the name, but a "big" guy, was severely injured in the airport bombing in Brussels.

[talksalot]

from the OUGrizzlies site:

We are praying for you Seb!
Get well soon! #WearTheBear #OUrstory
#Brussels twitter.com/kampeou/status...


FORMER OAKLAND MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER BELLIN INJURED IN BRUSSELS ATTACKS
Sebastien Bellin ​helped the Golden Grizzlies win a Mid-Con title in 1999-00.

March 22, 2016

ROCHESTER, Mich. -- Former Oakland men's basketball player Sebastien Bellin was injured in the Brussels terrorist attacks earlier today. Bellin was one of about 100 people injured in the Brussels airport suicide bombings that occurred early this morning. He was rushed to a local hospital.

Bellin, who ​attended Oakland from 1998-2000, is a native of Brussels and graduated from the International School of Brussels in 1996. He played two seasons at Marist College before transferring to Oakland prior to the 1998-99 season. Bellin helped lead the Golden Grizzlies to a regular season title in the Mid-Continent Conference during Oakland's inaugural season of Division I play in ​1999-00. He averaged 8.1 points in 18.7 minutes of action and grabbed just over five rebounds per game during the championship season. He led the team in scoring twice during the season including recording a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds in a 65-63 win at IUPUI.

Coach Greg Kampe statement on Sebastian Bellin
"The Oakland basketball family was very sad to hear about the attack in Belgium and one of our own was in the midst of it. We send our prayers to Seb and his family. Seb has remained very close to our program through the years, he's in constant contact with our players and staff here at Oakland University, and has been one of the biggest supporters and cheerleaders for the Oakland basketball program. One in which he led us to a championship while he was here. Saying that, all I can add is that I hope everybody who knows or has ever met Seb can give their prayers or do whatever they need to do for him. He is a tremendous competitor and he will fight through this."

Statement by Director of Athletics Jeff Konya
"Obviously, our thoughts and prayers go out to Sebastian, and his family," said Director of Athletics Jeff Konya. "This is a senseless tragedy that unfortunately impacted many individuals. It was not welcome news to receive for a variety of reasons​,​ but chief among them is Seb is a really good person through and through. We are fortunate that he is an engaged Oakland ​family​​​ member and we are better for it."

[justducky]

I didn't watch any basketball last night but Oregon beat Duke 82-68 and will play Oklahoma tomorrow at 6:00 eastern. Better double check my accuracy on the time. 

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/Valpo_Hoops/status/836313668841242624

https://twitter.com/SIPeteThamel/status/836279718500577280

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2017/02/27/ncaa-tournament-bubble-teams

Bemoaning the Bubble: The NCAA should favor mid-majors, not mediocre big names

QUICKLY:
It's time the bubble rewarded strong mid-majors instead of middling power-conference teams. This year proves it more than ever.

By: PETE THAMEL Monday February 27th, 2017

KINGSTON, R.I. – With Selection Sunday two weeks away, the annual bemoaning of the lack of quality teams on the NCAA tournament bubble has begun. Every season, it seems, the gaggle of bubble teams emerges to produce the basketball equivalent of yet another Police Academy sequel.

A peek at the undistinguished crop of teams hovering on the fringes of the NCAA tournament this year should be viewed with a clothespin clasped on one's nose. There's a middling TCU (17–12) team with a 6–10 league record, a California (19–9) team that didn't play a true road game in the non-conference part of the season and herd of uninspiring SEC teams—Ole Miss (18–11), Alabama (16–12), Vanderbilt (16–13) and Georgia (17–12)—that are as unimpressive are they are unaccomplished. Until the past few days, some bracket experts included Clemson (4–12 in the ACC) on the outskirts of the tournament conversation. This crop of teams has ended up there by default more than accomplishment.

The NCAA tournament has a bubble problem, which is really an inclusion problem. And not addressing it threatens the essence of the tournament itself. Fixing it doesn't require a statistical summit or a magical formula, but rather a hard reset of what teams should be considered viable participants in the NCAA tournament. Big schools that are coasting off their reputations, despite middling league records and safe non-conference schedules shouldn't be given the benefit of the doubt. "To be rewarded for going 17–14 and not doing anything in the non-conference makes no sense," says Rhode Island coach Danny Hurley. "There's logo bias."


COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Bracket Watch: How Saturday's wild shakeup, headlined by Gonzaga's loss, impacts field of 68
The 2016 NCAA tournament bracket remains one of the worst in modern tournament history, a nod to the clout of power conferences and the myopic worldview of the selection committee.

Last March, the five football power leagues, plus the Big East and the American Athletic Conference accounted for an astounding 92% of the at-large bids. And the three teams outside the sport's highest echelons that got in—Dayton, VCU and Wichita State —wouldn't be classified as mid-majors by anyone who follows college basketball closely. All three pay their coaches millions, boast first-class facilities and have reached the Final Four. Essentially, no true mid-major received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament last year. Think about that. That's insane. "There has to be a way to do this better," says Doug Elgin, the commissioner of the Missouri Valley Conference. "There's a mindset that Team A in a power league is better than Team X in a non-power conference."

When the tournament bracket is unveiled on March 12, something needs to change. The plea here is for some common sense to pervade the NCAA selection committee room. The NCAA releasing its Top 16 teams on Feb. 11 was a subtle admission of what's become glaringly obvious the past few seasons—the college basketball season is irrelevant to the common sports fan until after the Super Bowl. The sport has too many games on television, too few recognizable stars and little familiarity with the best players skipping to the NBA in the one-and-done era. Underdogs and office pool gambling are the engines of the NCAA tournament. Fans have spoken with their remotes in the regular season, and they don't want to watch Wake Forest, Providence and Arkansas play, just like they didn't want to see Michigan, Vanderbilt and Tulsa play in the NCAA tournament last year. "If you have 10 or 11 teams from the ACC tournament in the NCAA tournament," says Vermont coach John Becker, "then it's essentially the ACC tournament."

The NCAA tournament resonates because of Vermont beating Syracuse, Mercer beating Duke and Santa Clara beating Arizona. We want to see Steph Curry and Davidson slaying Georgetown. Teams like Monmouth, St. Bonaventure, St. Mary's and Valparaiso got left out last season, robbing them of the opportunity to capture America's attention.

Have we forgotten that the Final Four runs of George Mason (2006) and VCU (2011)—both No. 11 seeds from the Colonial Athletic Association—came thanks to at-large bids that were deemed controversial at the time? These teams should be the reminders that a season of accomplishment should yield an opportunity for March magic.

The way things are trending, those star-kissed ones from Mason and VCU likely wouldn't get in. Look at the top of the Missouri Valley, which is in danger of not receiving an at-large bid despite strong teams in Wichita State (27–4) and Illinois State (25–5). There's a host of other juggernaut small-conference teams that need to win their league tournaments to make the NCAA tournament. Vermont (26–5, 16–0 America East) has the longest win streak in the country at 18 games. Middle Tennessee (24–4, 14–1) throttled No. 2 seed Michigan State in the NCAA tournament last year. Monmouth has put together another dominant season in the MAAC (25–5, 17–2). Princeton heads into the first-ever Ivy League tournament with white knuckles, despite a 19–6 record and 12–0 league mark. There are countless other examples—UT-Arlington, UNC-Wilmington, Belmont and Valparaiso.

A 10-year data study shows that the top six conferences have been awarded 78.6% of the at-large bids. That means 21% of the NCAA's Division I membership is being awarded nearly 79% of the at-large bids. The fundamental egalitarian nature of the NCAA tournament, outside of its automatic bids, has gone sideways.

A shift in how at-large teams are considered needs to happen soon, as the gap between power conferences and smaller leagues is about to grow even larger. The ACC is headed for a 20-game league basketball slate in 2019. It would be surprising if the other power leagues didn't follow suit, as the two additional games means a trove of new inventory for their television networks. That means power teams will be even more reluctant to play true road games in the non-conference season or challenge themselves by playing strong mid-majors in November and December. What's the incentive when 20 leagues games will give you plenty of strength of schedule?

So what's the solution? It's not expanding the tournament, as the four extra slots added in 2011 haven't helped mid-major teams earn more bids. Better data would help, and the NCAA appears to be addressing that with its recent statistical summit. (How can Wichita State be No. 10 in kenpom.com and No. 41 in the RPI?)   

A change in perspective is needed. The committee should value mid-major dominance over high-major mediocrity. The committee's job is to select the best teams, but they aren't always found in the middle of the best leagues. (NCAA vice president of men's basketball championships, Dan Gavitt, declined to comment on Saturday but engaged in healthy conversation off the record.)

The first place to start is changing the population of the selection committee. Five of the 10 members are from the six power basketball conferences and seven of the 10 are from FBS schools. If half the selection committee comes from six leagues, don't be surprised when those six leagues make up 80% of the at-large field. This isn't a conspiracy theory, but rather a simple deduction that the field is going to be representative of the committee picking it. "When you look at what's happened," said one former committee member, "I do think what you have in place is a committee that's populated unequally."

Here's hoping the committee takes a broader perspective this year and remembers why people are tuning in in the first place. We want to see Hoosiers, not another Police Academy sequel.

[VULB#62]

Great paste and post!  Valpo getting a little love.