Those who are frequent readers of my material (not including my Mom), know that I am partial to mid-majors. Not because I believe mid-majors rule the world. More because I know the system is constantly being rigged to favor the power conferences. Sports Illustrated just had an article last week about how #16 Princeton's almost upset of #1 seed Georgetown in 1989 singlehandedly saved mid-majors from an effort being launched by major conferences to exclude certain smaller conferences from even getting an automatic bid for their conference champion. Sure, Georgetown survived but the fact that it is was possible took the credibility out of the argument that mid-majors were not as worthy as the money conferences.
But little did everyone realize that the money conferences have secretly created and fostered the season ending conference tournaments and the automatic bid that accompanies a winning run through the field as yet another attempt to hold down the little guy. You say conspiracy theory. I say fact-driven, underhanded shenanigans. And not just because I wanted to use the phrase "shenanigans".
As I sit and watch NC State dismantle Xavier in the ridiculously named (and marketed) First Four, I am reminded of Coach K's comments during the ACC Tournament where he openly lobbied for a conference rival to make the tournament. His logic alluded to the fact that NC State and Clemson were better than the so-called mid-majors, essentially saying that they would not last if you "put them in our conference". The only issue is that they are not in their conference and because super conferences like the ACC, the "original" Big East, or the B1G (which really looks like the Big 14 if it is October 2014) take turns beating each other up during the year, their RPI's are overinflated because of their so-called "Strength of Schedule" and "quality wins".
In fact, if you look at the major conference tournaments, Virginia was the only #1 seed in their conference tournament that actually ran the table. Let's go conspiracy theory on this and look at who won. Providence over Creighton--Providence was a bubble team, Creighton easily in. (Nevermind, it actually falls apart after that).
Now look at the little conferences. There were at least a half-dozen #1 seeds (based on regular season conference schedule) who lost, the most egregious of which, Wisconsin Green-Bay, actually had a tournament resume. They beat Tulsa and lost to Wisconsin by only 3. Oh, and their other win was against Virginia. A #1 seed. In the ACC tourney. And in the NCAA tourney. And the best team in the conference that Coach K thought had better "bubble teams" than the smaller conferences best teams. He didn't seem to remember that when he was ranting incoherently after his teams defeat of the aforementioned Wolfpack.
What does all this mean? Nothing really. And everything. At which point do the small schools follow the lead of the Ivy League and just send the regular season champion? Princeton over defending champ UCLA (1996), Harvard over #3 New Mexico (2013), Cornell over #4 Wisconsin (and others, 2010). All upsets. The Ivy League has always sent the regular season champion to the Big Dance. Is it a coincidence they are among the academically smarter schools in the college world?
The smaller conferences are hurting themselves by not granting the auto-bid to the regular season champion. What is the motivation for any team to care over a season if they only need to go on a run in the conference tournament to get the bid? There have been enough losing record teams in the NCAA tournament now that it is becoming laughable. Losing record and representing a mid-major conference? You might as well strip the conference itself of eligibility for the NCAA tournament based solely on stupidity.
The NCAA juggernaut is not going to change. The big schools will continue to find ways to "shenaniganize" (it's a word because I typed it) the small schools out of the way. While one could argue that they did enough in their nonconference schedule to justify a bid, it really wasn't the system that failed Wisconsin-Green Bay.
It might just have been their own conference leadership.
Peace,
Reg
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