First Rooting Interest Guide

[kneepadmckinney]

In the vein of keeping all our scenarios open, a number of conferences have concluded regular season play, and therefore we can identify the #1 seeds in those 1-bid conferences that get an auto bid to the NIT if they lose in their conference tourney. This was as big a factor in us not getting to NIT last year as anything else, as an abnormally large number of #1 seeds lost in conference tourneys. Here's the first rooting list:

Am East -- Albany
ASun -- North Florida
Big South--Charleston Southern
Colonial--William & Mary
Horizon--Valpo
Metro Atlantic--Iona
NEC--St. Francis NY
OVC--Murray St.
Patriot--Bucknell
SoCon--Wofford
Summit--S. Dak. St.

Plus, in MVC, either UNI or Wichita, and in WCC either Gonzaga or BYU.

 

[fan2011]

I will always root for W+M when we aren't playing them. I really want to see them finally make the tournament.

 

[Eight Legger]

St. Francis NY is one of the other teams that has never made the tourney. So odds are one or both of them will blow it and lose.

 

[Ulla1]

Got to root for W&M and VMI.

 

[HuntsmanSpider]

Originally posted by fan2011:
I will always root for W+M when we aren't playing them. I really want to see them finally make the tournament.

Perhaps the rare good news would help lower their suicide rate. Then again, their students make ours look like Fl State frat kids, so it's doubtful most of their students are aware they even have a basketball team.

 

[wr70beh]

Albany should be a lock for the Am. East tournament. That conference is probably worse than the MEAC and the SWAC this year. Binghamton has only won 4 games all year and they are 3rd from the bottom! UMBC (home of UR transfer Wayne Sparrow) and Maine are 2 of the worst teams in the country.

 

[The Vault]

I think pulling for Northeastern in the CAA is as useful as William and Mary, no?

 

[SpiderK]

Who are we supposed to root for in the URI vs Dayton game?

 

[MidloTrader]

Whatever works so we don't have to meet up with URI early in tournament works for me. Can live with Dayton or Davidson winning regular season A10.

 

[I-M-UR]

Originally posted by Ulla1:
Got to root for W&M and VMI.

I agree but a VMI win in the tournament would mean Wofford would get an NIT bid, one less slot for us. BuI I'm hoping VMI can do it.

 

[SpiderTrap]

For NIT purposes - we need as many as possible regular season champs to win their conference tourneys.

Last year in the NIT - there were 13 auto qualifiers. And remember - all of those come from lower conferences. That leaves 19 at large spots and a good chunk of those are taken by the power conferences - last year (14 teams from the SEC, American, Big East, Big Ten, ACC, PAC 12).

And if your wondering the year before - there were 10 auto qualifiers, and then 11 before that. So I would say we should probably expect about 10 #1 seeds not to win their conference tourney.

 

[SFspidur]

A handful of those auto qualifiers would come from the range of at-larges...it's the ones below us we'd need to worry about.

Wofford (50), Iona (51) and probably Murray St. (66) and Valpo (68) would be in good shape for at-larges even without the auto.

 

[64Spider]

Interesting.....

CBS Sports CBB (@CBSSportsCBB)
3/4/15, 2:10 PM
NCAA announces its first four teams out of the Big Dance will be rewarded as No. 1 seeds in the NIT.