The MVC deserves three bids!*

[mizzoupacers]

*If someone besides Drake or Illinois State wins the conference tournament.


I'm a Missouri Tigers fan, but I love the Missouri Valley Conference. Good basketball + underdog status = enthusiastic support from me. Every year it seems like the MVC has to prove itself all over again, and more often than not, it does.

I'm looking forward to the MVC tournament, which begins today in earnest. Drake vs. Indiana State, Illinois State vs. Missouri State, Southern Illinois vs. Northern Iowa, Creighton vs. Bradley. It's gonna be fun.

I think Illinois State is looking at a real "trap" game. Missouri State is a better team than its record reflects...they had a bunch of injury problems earlier this year but are healthy now. They're all warmed up after a blow-out win in a play-in game yesterday. And they are fighting for their coach's life, since he is likely to be fired if the Bears don't go on a tear in the MVC tourney. Illinois State better come out ready to play.

I really think that Illinois State would deserve to make the NCAA field even if they lose, but they probably wouldn't. We couldn't possibly live without eight Big East teams or six Big 12 teams in the NCAAs.

I'd rather see Illinois State in the tournament, though, than teams like Villanova or Oklahoma. That's my personal preference, not necessarily an objective argument. Although I do think that Illinois State is every bit as good, if not better, than those sorts of teams, and would acquit itself well in the NCAAs if given a bid.

[Aragorn]

I'm cool with 3 MVC bids. The ACC doesn't need six bids either.

[Scoot McGroot]

I think Drake is pretty much guaranteed. They're playing for pride and a better seeding. Illinois State might need to win 1 or 2 in the conference tournament to make it in. I think if Drake gets knocked off early, and Illinois State loses in the MVC championship game, then the MVC might very well end up with 3 in the NCAA's.

[JN]

Illinois St. was in whether they lost in the first round or not. They could not prove anything in this tournament unless they beat Drake.

[big3_8_19_21]

WOW! My Drake Bulldogs just spanked the hell out of Illinois State in the championship 79-49! Biggest margin of victory in the MVC championship in history.

[bill curley II]

Illinois St. was in whether they lost in the first round or not. They could not prove anything in this tournament unless they beat Drake.

I don't think they're in as automatically as you say they are. I think had they lost in the first round, they'd be out. Now, I think they'll be one of the last bubble teams into the tournament, but if a couple of teams, possibly just one or two teams, like Mississippi or Syracuse, or a few non-tournament worthy teams win their conference tournaments, they could easily be left out. I think very easily, you could have an big conf team like Maryland win two to get in, or a conference like the WCC or A-10 have an unlikely winner to steal a bid.

They have a good RPI, but the fact is they have no wins vs. the top 40 and lost three times to Drake.

[worthlessBucks]

Not looking good for Illinois State as these other tournaments wind down. South Alabama and their impressive resume lost in their tournament & the WCC is looking at 3 teams if San Diego holds onto this 10 point lead with 4 minutes to go. Still plenty of tournaments to finish up too, very interesting.

VCU is certainly done now. Hopefully Ohio State's bubble is burst with a crappy Big 10 tournament

[mizzoupacers]

The blowout loss in the championship game wasn't pretty, but the MVC Tournament DID build Illinois State's case for being the league's second-best team. It helped a lot, I think, that they got to the conference championship game, and that their opponent was Drake rather than someone like Creighton, who could have potentially stolen a spot from them.

An RPI in the mid 30s and clear claim to being the MVC's #2 team should be enough to get Illinois State in. I doubt many people would argue that the MVC is only a one-bid league.

The MVC tourney couldn't have worked out any better for Drake, they are probably going to get a really good seed now--I'd guess maybe a #4 seed.

[bill curley II]

The tournament committee has said before that they don't necessarily feel compelled to put in a certain number of teams from conferences based on the strength of the overall conf, so even though the MVC is one of the stronger non-BCS conferences, it doesn't automatically mean they get more than one team.

I do think Illinois St is still in for now, but it had better hope teams like Syracuse, Arizona, Arizona St., or Maryland don't win a couple games, even though it's very possible for about 2 or 3 in that group to make a run and supplant them.

[JN]

The blowout loss in the championship game wasn't pretty, but the MVC Tournament DID build Illinois State's case for being the league's second-best team.

My thought was that they were two games ahead of everybody else, so they were not going to lose that #2 status no matter what, especially since they had played well down the stretch including a win at Southern Illinois.

An RPI in the mid 30s and clear claim to being the MVC's #2 team should be enough to get Illinois State in. I doubt many people would argue that the MVC is only a one-bid league.

Agreed. There 5-5 record against top 100 should be OK enough.

The MVC tourney couldn't have worked out any better for Drake, they are probably going to get a really good seed now--I'd guess maybe a #4 seed.

There going to get a 4 or 5 I would think. I think I have picked the seeds too high for the MVC for the past couple of years, so I have kept them as a five for now.

[JN]

The tournament committee has said before that they don't necessarily feel compelled to put in a certain number of teams from conferences based on the strength of the overall conf.

I do think Illinois St is still in for now, but it had better hope teams like Syracuse, Arizona, Arizona St., or Maryland don't win a couple games, even though it's very possible for about 2 or 3 in that group to make a run and supplant them.

And them getting in is not a case of making two spots open for MVC teams.

The counter argument is this

Do you think Syracuse, Maryland or the Zona's could go better then 13-5 in the MVC?

With what those teams what have done on the road, and the nine game road slate being pretty damn tough in the MVC I can't see anybody honestly saying they think those teams would go 14-4 in the MVC.

So then I turn around and say, its not about giving the MVC two teams. its why not give them the benefit of the doubt.