I've said before I thought the MVC was better this year. Not much, much better. But better. Bradley impresses me the most, then Wichita State. I thought Southern Illinois, though a good team, was the weakest of the four entries, and yet they won the conference tournament. Looking at the MVC rosters the other day, the league loses a large number of key seniors, so I expect some dropoff next year, but it's been a great season for the valley.
Similarly, the Colonial has shown its worth. Wilmington and George Mason are borderline top 25 teams, perhaps Mason is even better than that. And Hofstra is pretty darned good, too. They had a legitimate beef about not getting an invite.
I've seen GM quite a bit in recent years, including a few games in person. Somebody from the A-10 should have hired Jim Larranaga years ago. I think the Dukes talked to him once, but he withdrew from consideration. I could see why given the former leadership at the school.
What I want to know is how did some of those players end up at GM and not in the A-10. Will Thomas, the Butler kid (I think Richmond recruited him), Lewis. Seems like we are missing the boat on some talented kids, particularly those in Maryland.
Is the Colonial better than the A-10? I am not quite prepared to concede that, but a case certainly can be made. The top 3-4 teams are damn good. By the end of the season, though, I liked how Xavier and St. Joe's were playing and GW had a great year. Nonetheless, the Colonial gets credit for noncon success.
What the tournament has shown this week is how much parity there is in college ball -- and how leagues are prone to cycles. While the A-10 always has a lot of work to do to maintain its competitiveness and to keep within sight of the big boys, I think we as fans have to recognize that it's not always about our failings as it is about the relative success of other leagues.
Forget the MVC vs A-10. You could say the MVC is better than the Big 10 this year! The MVC gets four teams in the Dance, goes 4-2 and sends two teams to the Sweet 16. Meanwhile, the Big 10 sends 6 schools, goes 3-6 and sends ZERO teams to the Sweet 16.
And the Big 10 was the No. 1 rated conference by the RPI. As I always say, you can't trust the data alone. Sometimes you have to see with your own eyes. What my eyes tell me is that there are a lot of good teams in college ball, perhaps more than ever, and they dont all play in the top six conferences.
Similarly, the Colonial has shown its worth. Wilmington and George Mason are borderline top 25 teams, perhaps Mason is even better than that. And Hofstra is pretty darned good, too. They had a legitimate beef about not getting an invite.
I've seen GM quite a bit in recent years, including a few games in person. Somebody from the A-10 should have hired Jim Larranaga years ago. I think the Dukes talked to him once, but he withdrew from consideration. I could see why given the former leadership at the school.
What I want to know is how did some of those players end up at GM and not in the A-10. Will Thomas, the Butler kid (I think Richmond recruited him), Lewis. Seems like we are missing the boat on some talented kids, particularly those in Maryland.
Is the Colonial better than the A-10? I am not quite prepared to concede that, but a case certainly can be made. The top 3-4 teams are damn good. By the end of the season, though, I liked how Xavier and St. Joe's were playing and GW had a great year. Nonetheless, the Colonial gets credit for noncon success.
What the tournament has shown this week is how much parity there is in college ball -- and how leagues are prone to cycles. While the A-10 always has a lot of work to do to maintain its competitiveness and to keep within sight of the big boys, I think we as fans have to recognize that it's not always about our failings as it is about the relative success of other leagues.
Forget the MVC vs A-10. You could say the MVC is better than the Big 10 this year! The MVC gets four teams in the Dance, goes 4-2 and sends two teams to the Sweet 16. Meanwhile, the Big 10 sends 6 schools, goes 3-6 and sends ZERO teams to the Sweet 16.
And the Big 10 was the No. 1 rated conference by the RPI. As I always say, you can't trust the data alone. Sometimes you have to see with your own eyes. What my eyes tell me is that there are a lot of good teams in college ball, perhaps more than ever, and they dont all play in the top six conferences.
