GJGood Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 I need to move on from the MAC Semi frustration.Would you rather see the Zips in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI), the CollegeInsider.Com postseason tourney (CiT), or just stay home for the postseason?If you want to see them on the court again, who would you want to see them play? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UAZip0510 Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 I expect them to try to get in one of the two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 I doubt that the current financial situation at UA will allow them to purchase a home game in one of the lesser tournaments. Really, there's only one thing I care about at this point. Another win would continue the Zips' string of 22+ win seasons along with Duke, Kansas, Pitt, Gonzaga and tOSU. Of course we all understand that the Zips haven't faced the same level of competition as those other teams. But there are also many teams with weaker levels of competition than the Zips have faced who haven't been able to accomplish it. So it really is a big deal to win just one more game this season. I don't care what tournament it's in or who the competition is. I just want that 22nd win. So just get us in the CBI or CIT and challenge the team to win one on the road to keep UA in the company of Duke, Kansas, Pitt, Gonzaga and tOSU on at least one level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1 Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 It's all about the competition. I just want the players on the team to get a chance to play some more games with an opportunity to get some wins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balsy Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 I look at it this way: I know many people look down at the CIT and the CBI (including our friends over at Bobkitten Attack who are likely inevitably reading this...) but I think they're good for the team. We fans may not like them, but it gives the team an opportunity (especially the younger players) to play against competition that is outside of our conference. I'd like to think that the level of teams we're going to face in the CIT CBI are going to be similar to many of the teams we will play in the OCC part of schedule; and continued "practice" against teams like that are never a bad thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZachTheZip Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 They're good for a team that's not senior-laden. With only Q graduating, it's good to get some more games in against teams that are at a similar level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJGood Posted March 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 Anybody have a preference between the two, CBI and CiT? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 I've always thought the CBI was about a half step up from the CIT. Also, the CBI used the Zips' exclusion from the NIT in 2007 in all their advance publicity to explain why the CBI was created in the first place. EDIT: You can check Wikipedia to see that the CBI champions have generally been more major names than the CIT champions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 Here's an interesting counterpoint to anyone who might think it's weak for the Zips to count on CBI or CIT wins to pump up the season victory total to 22+ wins. One of the 5 other teams besides the Zips to win 22+ games in each of the last 8 seasons is Pitt. In the 2011-2012 season, Pitt finished the regular season with a 17-16 record and was nowhere near an NCAA or NIT bid. So they opted to play in the CBI. They ended up winning 5 games to take the CBI championship, and those 5 CBI wins are what gave Pitt 22 wins that season. Without the CBI they would no longer be on that exclusive list along with Duke, Kansas, Gonzaga, tOSU and the Zips, who need only 1 CBI (or CIT) win to stay on that list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1 Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 Here's an interesting counterpoint to anyone who might think it's weak for the Zips to count on CBI or CIT wins to pump up the season victory total to 22+ wins. They are weak, but not in the point you are making. They are weak because they are bad tournaments. Regardless, if the Zips get in one of them, they should try to win it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJGood Posted March 16, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 I believe I remember Shaka Smart saying that he felt one of the major reasons he felt his VCU team was able to the make Final Four a few years ago was the experience the Rams gained the year before in their CBI run.I think playing as long as you can will be crucial to the team's development for 2014-15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoZips88 Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 We should absolutely welcome the chance to extend the season by playing in the CBI or CIT (away from home; don't want to lose money). Each additional game is an opportunity to bankroll experience for use when it really matters (most of the regular season schedule, MAC tourney, March Madness). Looking forward to seeing where we end up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 Of course the CBI and CIT tournaments are weak compared with the NCAA and NIT, which take the first 68 and next 32 right off the top. That leaves teams #101-351 to choose from. Continuing to play basketball still beats starting spring break early. And, yes, Shaka Smart did credit the team's CBI experience for helping the team make its NCAA Final Four run the following season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1 Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 We should absolutely welcome the chance to extend the season by playing in the CBI or CIT (away from home; don't want to lose money). Each additional game is an opportunity to bankroll experience for use when it really matters (most of the regular season schedule, MAC tourney, March Madness). Looking forward to seeing where we end up.They haven't been able to turn NCAA Tournament experience into NCAA tournament success. Why should we believe these Micky Mouse tournaments would be anything else? I'm totally down with playing in these tournaments as a way to let the kids have a few more games, but I don't see any other benefit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Z Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 They haven't been able to turn NCAA Tournament experience into NCAA tournament success. Why should we believe these Micky Mouse tournaments would be anything else? I'm totally down with playing in these tournaments as a way to let the kids have a few more games, but I don't see any other benefit.Testify! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopper Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 We have a practice at 9 am Monday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zipmeister Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 Of course the CBI and CIT tournaments are weak compared with the NCAA and NIT, which take the first 68 and next 32 right off the top. That leaves teams #101-351 to choose from. Continuing to play basketball still beats starting spring break early. And, yes, Shaka Smart did credit the team's CBI experience for helping the team make its NCAA Final Four run the following season.Why are # 99 and 100 not eligible for the CBI and CIT? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 Wow, now I'm really conflicted on who to believe -- Shaka Smart or GP1. Here's what Shaka had to say about his team's experience in the CBI:"We were still getting to know each other," Smart said before the Final Four. "When we played in that tournament, it gave us a phenomenal opportunity to continue building and learning and playing a lot of our young guys."That quote and similar ones from other coaches on the value of playing in a lesser post-season tournament can be found in this story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skip-zip Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 I think this needs to be looked at from a number of different perspectives. The Players: I'm sure they love the opportunity to continue to play. The Program: There might be some benefit to future chemistry if you have a lot of returning players, like Akron does. There may also be a small benefit in recruiting by saying "we were selected to play in a post season tournament". The Fans: A total letdown when winning a low-level conference tournament and at least qualifying for the NCAA tournament is now the minimum standard, as it is at Akron. In fact, if the comments of some people on this board over the years are any indication, winning the conference tournament IS the reason why we play the entire season. Although I don't agree with this, I still believe that NIT is probably the least acceptable alternative that you can really be happy about. And the fan interest in these other two alternate tournaments in the past would seem to support this assessment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 Just happened to stumble across the following little nugget in a preseason story on MAC basketball while searching for something else:WMU is also going to be a factor after notching 22 wins and making a run to the CBI Tournament semifinals last March. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 Skip, it's no surprise that there are varying amounts of interest in Zips basketball expressed on this forum. Some folks here are primarily football fans who casually follow basketball in the football off-season, and some are primarily basketball fans who follow other sports more casually. Some of us lose interest in following the Zips basketball team when they fail to live up to our expectations and end up in a lesser tournament, and some of us will sit for hours and watch the Zips basketball team practice in the JAR even after a disappointing loss. After all these years of discussion here, we all pretty much know where everyone stands on everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derrt Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 You think the players want to play in the CBI? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skip-zip Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 You think the players want to play in the CBI? That's a great question. Even if they all said "yes", are they being honest? My guess is that they accept it, because there is no other option if they want to continue playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LZIp Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 Why are # 99 and 100 not eligible for the CBI and CIT?Math not your strongsuit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1 Posted March 16, 2014 Report Share Posted March 16, 2014 Wow, now I'm really conflicted on who to believe -- Shaka Smart or GP1. Here's what Shaka had to say about his team's experience in the CBI:That quote and similar ones from other coaches on the value of playing in a lesser post-season tournament can be found in this story.I didn't know that a team as experienced asnours was still getting to know each other. Seems strange to take a quote about one thing and apply it to another. But then again, you struggle with statistical analysis as well so this shouldn't be a surprise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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