OK, so here is my annual post about at-large selections.
As of this morning, Indiana State is listed as one of the last four in on ESPN, and not listed either as in or last four out on Jerry Palm / CBS Sports. Given the season they have had, I would think they should be deserving of an at-large bid.
So, my rule is that no team should get an at-large bid unless they meet one of the following criteria:
1) Be in the top 25 of a major poll (like ESPN/Coaches).
2) Have a 0.500 record or better in conference play.
3) Make their conference tournament final.
What this would do is get better teams in, either because they are highly ranked or got hot in their conference tournament, and would also make the regular season more valuable. (I might add that teams that have an exactly 0.500 record in conference should be deserving of extra scrutiny, and not too many of those teams should make it in.)
What we do not need is any 8-10 teams from a Power 6 conference getting at-large bids. These teams already had many chances to prove how good they were, either by ranking, record or conference tournament. A team like Indiana State had far fewer opportunities to do so, and should be rewarded for their performance.
OK, so here is my annual post about at-large selections.
As of this morning, Indiana State is listed as one of the last four in on ESPN, and not listed either as in or last four out on Jerry Palm / CBS Sports. Given the season they have had, I would think they should be deserving of an at-large bid.
So, my rule is that no team should get an at-large bid unless they meet one of the following criteria:
1) Be in the top 25 of a major poll (like ESPN/Coaches).
2) Have a 0.500 record or better in conference play.
3) Make their conference tournament final.
What this would do is get better teams in, either because they are highly ranked or got hot in their conference tournament, and would also make the regular season more valuable. (I might add that teams that have an exactly 0.500 record in conference should be deserving of extra scrutiny, and not too many of those teams should make it in.)
What we do not need is any 8-10 teams from a Power 6 conference getting at-large bids. These teams already had many chances to prove how good they were, either by ranking, record or conference tournament. A team like Indiana State had far fewer opportunities to do so, and should be rewarded for their performance.
People take the NET rankings like they are gospel these days. Sure, this team may be 8-10 and have all 8 wins be Quad 1 wins, but 8-10 is still 8-10. LIke people legitimately think Ohio St. SHould get in just because the are "Hot" and have more Q1 wins than ISU and that is abysmal. The 9th best conference in the country in terms of RPI and ratings and people think it shouldn't be at least a 2 bid?
THE ONLY way an 8-10 team should even be considered is if they win their conference tournament by some divine intervention.
It would be a travesty if ISUb doesn't get in. Watching that second half, I was rooting for them to catch-up and make it competitive, but for Drake to win, in the hopes of 2 bids. If it was a blowout result, it would have really hurt their chances.
I think the MVC tournament concluding a week prior to selection can hurt the chances for at large bids. Out of sight, out of mind so to speak.
I hope ISU makes it but I'm not convinced they will.
@jd24 THis is true. If MVC teams want at large bids, they have to rely on other bubble teams taking heavy losses in their conference tournaments.
Valpo04 has listed the MVC fan forum site under Around The Valley under the links for each school fan forum. I say this because on this site this topic has been under discussion for over 2 months and has a wealth of information contained in the 16 pages of discussion which it has reached. There might be a dozen fine comments posted just in the last 24 hours from across the spectrum of Valley fans. Just read thru it and you can learn a bunch in a hurry and you might want to join in. 
This will be the 6th consecutive year that Butler has not made the NCAA tournament, in a league that has never had fewer than 4 entries. They haven’t won a league or tournament championship in 13 years. “The Butler way” has become the Butler wrong way.
Life for Butler was a lot better in the Horizon league, and accumulating wins in the Big East is not as easy. To a lower extent, Valpo is going through a similar struggle in the MVC.
ISU should be in and I think they will.
Dayton losing to Duquesne hurts Indiana State as Dayton now becomes an at large lock and a 5th seeded or lower A10 school will get the auto bid. ISU is right on the cut line so that program needs absolute chalk the rest of the way with no major upsets with schools not likely to get at large beating a higher seeded program which is definitely getting an at large. Looks like Oregon and Texas A&M are the two most likely schools to pull that off.
@jd24 no team under 32. NET has been excluded . They are currently sitting at 28 as of last night.
Looks like ISU and other outside looking in bubble teams could gain a spot if South Florida loses today to UAB. In that case maybe only FAU gets in from that conference whereas FAU is more likely to get an at large bid if USF wins the conference tournament.
FAU and ISU both deserve at large bids.
@usc4valpo FAU is probably going to be an at-large bid. It helps ISU if they win their tourney tho.
