Syracuse Toying with UM

[aucat]

Well, so far the Griz are playing scared. I've never seen a scared grizzly out in the wild. Maybe they'd better change their mascot to "teddy bears" or something.

On a more serious note, I have always wished that we had some type of "mid-major" league for hoops like we do with the FCS in football.

I'm afraid that the Lady Griz will fare about the same, based on previous years. You gather all of this excitement for winning the Big Sky.....but then for what? This? I would almost rather not even be in the NCAA tourney than to make a showing that the "Teddy Bears" have made so far tonight. Maybe they will do better in the 2nd half. For the sake of the reputation of the BSC let's hope so!

[BelgradeBobcat]

On a more serious note, I have always wished that we had some type of "mid-major" league for hoops like we do with the FCS in football.

The CIT that Weber is playing in is all mid-majors. Nobody cares about it, including some of the teams in it.

Every season isn't a blowout for the Big Sky team. It's just another low major league's turn to have a good game this year-like Southern against Gonzaga.

[MSU01]

On a more serious note, I have always wished that we had some type of "mid-major" league for hoops like we do with the FCS in football.

The CIT that Weber is playing in is all mid-majors. Nobody cares about it, including some of the teams in it.

Every season isn't a blowout for the Big Sky team. It's just another low major league's turn to have a good game this year-like Southern against Gonzaga.

Harvard looks like they are about to take down New Mexico, who UM almost beat a few years back. Syracuse is just a tough, tough matchup, as MSU found out when they played them.

[lakesbison]

Big Sky Basketball got exposed for what it is, lets just all face the facts.

[BelgradeBobcat]

Big Sky Basketball got exposed for what it is, lets just all face the facts.

Exposed? The Big Sky being bad at basketball isn't exactly news to anyone here. But South Dakota State needed 2-OT's to beat this Montana team with Will Cherry injured. And I think South Dakota State is a terrific team.

[John K]

I better not hear another word from any Griz fans about how we embarassed our state when we got blown out by NDSU and SHSU in the football playoffs. That was an epic beatdown. I don't mean this as smack (MSU hoops fans are not really in a position to talk smack to anyone), but I think WSU was actually the better team by the end of the season, and would have made a better showing against Syracuse. They would have beaten UM in the BSC title game if it had been played in Ogden, or even on a neutral court. But again, I don't mean to pile on the Griz after a very tough nite. They've got a great program, and Cat fans can only dream about being as successful as they've been.

[gtapp]

This was not a team (the griz) that snuck in or surprised anyone. This was the best team in our conference. I believe this team lost only one conference game in 2 years so this is the best team in a long time for the BSC and they got demolished. The problem (can't compete with the top 40 Div. 1 teams) is getting worse. We need a league of our own or at least a tournament other than the NCAA for our conference champion! We make the same argument about moving up in football. Who wants to go to a meaningless bowl game and get pounded.It is more fun to be competitive!

[BFcatfan]

I better not hear another word from any Griz fans about how we embarassed our state when we got blown out by NDSU and SHSU in the football playoffs. That was an epic beatdown. I don't mean this as smack (MSU hoops fans are not really in a position to talk smack to anyone), but I think WSU was actually the better team by the end of the season, and would have made a better showing against Syracuse. They would have beaten UM in the BSC title game if it had been played in Ogden, or even on a neutral court. But again, I don't mean to pile on the Griz after a very tough nite. They've got a great program, and Cat fans can only dream about being as successful as they've been.

Had the exact same thoughts last night as I watch this unfold and smiled to myself. the minute I hear how we embarrassed the state of Montana again, someone's going to get an ear full... Carly?

[CPACAT]

This was not a team (the griz) that snuck in or surprised anyone. This was the best team in our conference. I believe this team lost only one conference game in 2 years so this is the best team in a long time for the BSC and they got demolished. The problem (can't compete with the top 40 Div. 1 teams) is getting worse. We need a league of our own or at least a tournament other than the NCAA for our conference champion! We make the same argument about moving up in football. Who wants to go to a meaningless bowl game and get pounded.It is more fun to be competitive!

Disagree. This is the best team in our conference for the last 2 years period. They were a better team when they beat Nevada. Weber has put some better teams out the last 10-15 years. However your are correct in that the Big Sky is not very good right now.

[[cat_bracket]]

We need a league of our own or at least a tournament other than the NCAA for our conference champion!

No question. This is just stupid. BSC teams make it close less often than they get blown out. Everything has to go just right or the other team has to be way overrated, like Nevada was a couple years ago when UM beat them, or play like crap for a BSC team to get a win. UM gave New Mexico a good game a few years ago, but like Gonzaga, UNM is another annually overrated team as you saw last night. Last night was the biggest win (47 points) by a team seeded 3 or lower. It broke a record set just a couple hours earlier when Akron was wasted by VCU. Akron was playing without four starters and VCU is a run-n-gun outfit, so they had a decent excuse.

On a more serious note, I have always wished that we had some type of "mid-major" league for hoops like we do with the FCS in football.

The CIT that Weber is playing in is all mid-majors. Nobody cares about it, including some of the teams in it.

Every season isn't a blowout for the Big Sky team. It's just another low major league's turn to have a good game this year-like Southern against Gonzaga.

The reason no one is interested in playing in the CIT is because they're in a division where the ultimate tourney is the NCAA. If you change that, the teams will be interested. A Big Sky team could go undefeated and it still is an extreme longshot to even make the Sweet 16. The WCC is way better than the BSC, but the WCC is waaaaaay behind the PAC12, which is waaaaaaay behind the Big Ten. Gonzaga is a joke as No. 1 seed and a lot of people aren't surprised they had trouble with Southern, which isn't good at all. They lucked out and got to the Elite Eight a couple times, but they look primed to be out on Saturday when they play Wichita State.

[John K]

This was not a team (the griz) that snuck in or surprised anyone. This was the best team in our conference. I believe this team lost only one conference game in 2 years so this is the best team in a long time for the BSC and they got demolished. The problem (can't compete with the top 40 Div. 1 teams) is getting worse. We need a league of our own or at least a tournament other than the NCAA for our conference champion! We make the same argument about moving up in football. Who wants to go to a meaningless bowl game and get pounded.It is more fun to be competitive!

Disagree. This is the best team in our conference for the last 2 years period. They were a better team when they beat Nevada. Weber has put some better teams out the last 10-15 years. However your are correct in that the Big Sky is not very good right now.

I don't know that I even agree about that. I think UM's 2012 team was better than this one, especially without Ward. And I think WSU was better than UM by the end of this season. They beat UM by about 25 late in the season in Ogden, when UM was still at full strength, while UM barely beat them in the BSC title game in Missoula. UM has actually lost 2 games over the past 2 seasons, splitting with WSU both years. Neither team has lost any other conference games during that time, except for WSU's loss to MSU this season, which of course gave UM the edge for hosting the tourney. If not for that loss, it's very possible the tourney would have been in Ogden (although I don't know how the tie-breakers would have played out then), and I definitely believe that WSU would then have won it. I agree with both of you that the BSC is terrible though. I read in another thread that the BSC's RPI is 32nd out of 34 D-I conferences, and of the 2 that are worse, one of them doesn't even get an auto-bid. UM was very fortunate to get seeded as high as 13...probably deserved to be lower.

[aucat]

According to an AP story I read in the Bozeman Chronicle this morning, the UM-Syracuse fiasco last night was the most ONE-SIDED, lopsided loss in NCAA history that involved a #4 seed. Next year, whoever wins the Big Sky will probably see the consequences of the Teddy Bears' performance last night. We'll probably go in as a #16 seed.

I don't believe that UM was THAT bad though. I think they just played scared and choked from the get-go. I agree with the other posters that Weber was probably the better team, but that's what the home-court advantage does for you. And I do agree that the regular season winner of the BSC should host the tournament.

If Weber had played Syracuse last night, I think it would've been more like a 20 point loss instead of the humiliating 50 point loss by the Teddy Bears.

We can talk about how weak the BSC is all we want, but UM ought to be ashamed of the performance they gave last night. I was pulling for UM because I wanted to see the BSC well represented. Most of the other #13 seeds have made decent showings after all.

[CARDIAC_CATS]

According to an AP story I read in the Bozeman Chronicle this morning, the UM-Syracuse fiasco last night was the most ONE-SIDED, lopsided loss in NCAA history that involved a #4 seed. Next year, whoever wins the Big Sky will probably see the consequences of the Teddy Bears' performance last night. We'll probably go in as a #16 seed.

I don't believe that UM was THAT bad though. I think they just played scared and choked from the get-go. I agree with the other posters that Weber was probably the better team, but that's what the home-court advantage does for you. And I do agree that the regular season winner of the BSC should host the tournament.

If Weber had played Syracuse last night, I think it would've been more like a 20 point loss instead of the humiliating 50 point loss by the Teddy Bears.

We can talk about how weak the BSC is all we want, but UM ought to be ashamed of the performance they gave last night. I was pulling for UM because I wanted to see the BSC well represented. Most of the other #13 seeds have made decent showings after all.

UM wasn't a 13 seeded team. I was shocked when they go that seed. They were the best of a BAD Big Sky Conference this year.

[Colter_Nuanez]

According to an AP story I read in the Bozeman Chronicle this morning, the UM-Syracuse fiasco last night was the most ONE-SIDED, lopsided loss in NCAA history that involved a #4 seed. Next year, whoever wins the Big Sky will probably see the consequences of the Teddy Bears' performance last night. We'll probably go in as a #16 seed.

I don't believe that UM was THAT bad though. I think they just played scared and choked from the get-go. I agree with the other posters that Weber was probably the better team, but that's what the home-court advantage does for you. And I do agree that the regular season winner of the BSC should host the tournament.

If Weber had played Syracuse last night, I think it would've been more like a 20 point loss instead of the humiliating 50 point loss by the Teddy Bears.

We can talk about how weak the BSC is all we want, but UM ought to be ashamed of the performance they gave last night. I was pulling for UM because I wanted to see the BSC well represented. Most of the other #13 seeds have made decent showings after all.

UM wasn't a 13 seeded team. I was shocked when they go that seed. They were the best of a BAD Big Sky Conference this year.

I completely agree. And the strange thing is, if they would have gotten a worse seed — say a 16 and pulled Gonzaga, or a 14 and gotten New Mexico — they would have had a more respectable showing. Honestly, I think there's only a handful of teams — Michigan, Indiana, Miami, Kansas, Georgetown — who would have beaten UM as bad as Syracuse did. Worst matchup they could have gotten honestly.

[MSU01]

According to an AP story I read in the Bozeman Chronicle this morning, the UM-Syracuse fiasco last night was the most ONE-SIDED, lopsided loss in NCAA history that involved a #4 seed. Next year, whoever wins the Big Sky will probably see the consequences of the Teddy Bears' performance last night. We'll probably go in as a #16 seed.

People always are afraid of this, but it doesn't happen. UM got beat by 24 last year by Wisconsin and people were saying then that the Big Sky would be in the play-in round this year, but UM goes and gets a 13 seed. The committee does a pretty good job I think of seeding based on your performance this year and not looking at how your team or your conference has done in the past. I also have a hard time criticizing UM for their performance. If UM lost by 47, MSU probably would have lost to them by 67 so we should probably keep our mouths shut on this one. Just like certain Griz fans realize now that maybe they should have kept their mouths shut when they criticized MSU for somehow embarrassing the entire state of Montana by losing a football playoff game by a large margin.

[BelgradeBobcat]

People always are afraid of this, but it doesn't happen. UM got beat by 24 last year by Wisconsin and people were saying then that the Big Sky would be in the play-in round this year, but UM goes and gets a 13 seed. The committee does a pretty good job I think of seeding based on your performance this year and not looking at how your team or your conference has done in the past.

Montana had some "quality losses this season against other tournament teams Colorado State, South Dakota State and Davidson. I think two or those three went to overtime. So their "body of work" was pretty good.

But one thing to keep in mind: Big Sky commish Doug Fullerton rotates off the tournament selection committee this year. I don't know how much direct influence he was allowed to have on a team from his conference, but I would think his being there didn't hurt.

[John K]

People always are afraid of this, but it doesn't happen. UM got beat by 24 last year by Wisconsin and people were saying then that the Big Sky would be in the play-in round this year, but UM goes and gets a 13 seed. The committee does a pretty good job I think of seeding based on your performance this year and not looking at how your team or your conference has done in the past.

Montana had some "quality losses this season against other tournament teams Colorado State, South Dakota State and Davidson. I think two or those three went to overtime. So their "body of work" was pretty good.

But one thing to keep in mind: Big Sky commish Doug Fullerton rotates off the tournament selection committee this year. I don't know how much direct influence he was allowed to have on a team from his conference, but I would think his being there didn't hurt.

It seems to me that the BSC's ever-declining status nationally (32nd out of 34 conferences this season), combined with UM's epic beatdown last night (and their 25 point loss to Wisconsin last year) doesn't bode well for our representative's seeding in the 2014 tourney, unless some team has a really great season. They may not drop all the way to a 16, unless some middle of the pack team comes out of nowhere to win the BSC tourney, but I'll bet they won't be seeded as high as 13 again.

[vike_king]

I better not hear another word from any Griz fans about how we embarassed our state when we got blown out by NDSU and SHSU in the football playoffs. That was an epic beatdown. I don't mean this as smack (MSU hoops fans are not really in a position to talk smack to anyone), but I think WSU was actually the better team by the end of the season, and would have made a better showing against Syracuse. They would have beaten UM in the BSC title game if it had been played in Ogden, or even on a neutral court. But again, I don't mean to pile on the Griz after a very tough nite. They've got a great program, and Cat fans can only dream about being as successful as they've been.

Had the exact same thoughts last night as I watch this unfold and smiled to myself. the minute I hear how we embarrassed the state of Montana again, someone's going to get an ear full... Carly?

Oh ya, this and their 52-9 loss in the 1998 football playoffs, not THAT embarassed the state.

[WeedKillinCat]

The griz just didn't look ready and played really scared. Afraid to shoot the ball. There were tons of open looks but they seemed to want to pass the ball around. On top of that they could not hit the broad side of a barn with their shots. You have to wonder how teams like Harvard, LaSalle or GC Florida do it? Play with reckless abandon???

[SonomaCat]

We need a league of our own or at least a tournament other than the NCAA for our conference champion!

No question. This is just stupid. BSC teams make it close less often than they get blown out. Everything has to go just right or the other team has to be way overrated, like Nevada was a couple years ago when UM beat them, or play like crap for a BSC team to get a win. UM gave New Mexico a good game a few years ago, but like Gonzaga, UNM is another annually overrated team as you saw last night. Last night was the biggest win (47 points) by a team seeded 3 or lower. It broke a record set just a couple hours earlier when Akron was wasted by VCU. Akron was playing without four starters and VCU is a run-n-gun outfit, so they had a decent excuse.

On a more serious note, I have always wished that we had some type of "mid-major" league for hoops like we do with the FCS in football.

The CIT that Weber is playing in is all mid-majors. Nobody cares about it, including some of the teams in it.

Every season isn't a blowout for the Big Sky team. It's just another low major league's turn to have a good game this year-like Southern against Gonzaga.

The reason no one is interested in playing in the CIT is because they're in a division where the ultimate tourney is the NCAA. If you change that, the teams will be interested. A Big Sky team could go undefeated and it still is an extreme longshot to even make the Sweet 16. The WCC is way better than the BSC, but the WCC is waaaaaay behind the PAC12, which is waaaaaaay behind the Big Ten. Gonzaga is a joke as No. 1 seed and a lot of people aren't surprised they had trouble with Southern, which isn't good at all. They lucked out and got to the Elite Eight a couple times, but they look primed to be out on Saturday when they play Wichita State.

If we're convinced that we can't compete at the Division 1 level and will never be able to compete at the Division 1 level, shouldn't we just move down to D-II? That would seem to be a more elegant solution than to create another sub-level of competition that we would hope people would follow.

Personally, I doubt any schools would opt out of the NCAA tourney in order to play in a "division 1 light" tournament, as each coach and each player would much rather play for a chance to beat the best in the country (even if the odds are long) as opposed to forfeiting that opportunity so they could play in the "CIT that a few more people care about."

I don't think the problem is with too few divisions in college basketball right now -- I think the primary problem we are seeing is that our conference just isn't very good right now ... and the Griz drew a bad match-up for their style of team (and played horribly on top of that).