One More Game

Thanks largely to Eric Devendorf, Cuse gets to play once more; their season didn’t end ignominiously with a first round loss in the NIT, the wanna-be’s tourney. Down by nine in the second half, with the season seeming to trickle away, the defense stepped up a notch; South Alabama stopped hitting threes from Madison County; Cuse stopped throwing up threes and instead took the ball to the rim; and next thing we knew, there was a ten point lead with under two minutes to play. Highlights included shooting eighty-five percent from the stripe (the free throw differential made up for South Alabama’s crazy long-range shooting percentage); along with better second half rebounding and defense. But the real story tonight was Eric D. Thirty-four points; four for seven from three-ball range; and more assists than turnovers. This was especially big because D-Nic had an off night; not a terrible night, but he could never string baskets together. A shot here and there, followed by a couple misses. So let’s hope that next game sees D-Nic return to form; Andy Rautins get back on track; and Mookie contributing more than a lay-up here and there.

After Sunday’s snub, Coach B went on ESPN and lobbied for a bigger tournament. Here’s the way to do that. We have eight venues for the opening round; and in one of the eight we have a Tuesday night play-in game. Two of the putative 16 seeds get to play each other for the privilege of facing the tournament’s highest seed. So why not have eight play-in games? In each of the eight venues for the opening round, we can have a Tuesday or Wednesday game, where the 15s and 16s play off against the last eight at- large teams that don’t otherwise get bids. According to Coach B, and some Big 12 coaches, that will increase the size of the tourney, consistent with the growth in the Division I-A population over the past twenty years. Plus, if you look at this idea from other perspectives, it’s clearly fair and consistent with the tournament’s aims. Why should the weakest eight seeds, often automatic bids from the weakest conferences, keep out teams that may have a genuine competitive chance in the first couple rounds? And conversely, wouldn’t it be exciting for some sixteen seed to actually win a game, even if it’s against other pretenders and not number one seeds?

The argument against expanding the tournament is that it demeans the regular season, and rewards teams that fail to play well consistently throughout the year. Shouldn’t that be a prerequisite for getting to the NCAAs? Shouldn’t it be hard, as opposed to easy, to make the post-season? Mybe so, but the trend today, in most of the leagues, is to increase the pool of post-season teams, and not the opposite.

I think in time my idea will catch on. After all, it doesn’t really extend the tournament; it will still be only three weeks long. And it doesn’t require any new venues or preparation. The eight opening round locations just open their doors a couple days early for an extra game. They’re all set up for the first round already. It just means that the first round is another game long. And I think there’s justification for allowing all the eligible Syracuses, Arkansas’, and Stanfords into the tourney. If Niagara and Penn can play, why can’t the teams who got crossed out at the last minute?

Anyway, this year it’s the NIT; let’s hope we stay motivated, make a good showing, and vindicate all those folks who came to our defense when the committee selected Stanford over the Orange.