Captain Kangaroo

[meatwad]

I'm interested to hear your thoughts.

[GoZips88]

That's funny - my wife, son and I were just talking about him. I saw that he was on the board but had not commented yet. I was explaining to them that he's probably thinking everything through and formulating a very detailed, thorough, well-thought-out response.Then again maybe he'll just say F the MAC, NCAA, and NIT! Guess we'll have to just wait and see!

[Captain Kangaroo]

My son wants a bedtime story, so I'll probaly post something tomorrow. I'm really at a loss. Here is what I posted in another thread. I really don't know how to react...it's unprecedented....I love college athletics. It is probably my single-most non-family related thing in the world. For me, the college athletics that I've loved for about 35 years took a horrible and unexpected for the worse today. I'm appalled. How anyone can take a post season opportunity away from this Akron Zips team is unfathomable. Rick Chryst should be fired tomorrow. How can this happen...how...

[Captain Kangaroo]

Kid's asleep, and I can't sleep...so I'll add this:A few years ago you saw a big change in college athletics with the advent of the BCS. Because of the media, and the power of the big conferences, no one really raised a big stink that there was a division going on at the D1-A level. In hindsight, as of today, you can see the BCS was only Phase 1 of a 2-part plan.I can live with the Zips not getting in the NCAA's. Syracuse had 10 wins in the Big East and didn't make it. Drexel had a monster schedule and beat Villanova, Creighton and Syracuse on the road on the way to a 23-win season, and didn't make it. Someone always gets screwed in the NCAA's. But the NIT?!When the NIT field was reduced to 32 teams this season, no one raised a stink. Hey, 40 teams was a bit much, right? But no one looked at the new commitee in-charge of selecting those 32 teams. Did anyone see CM Newton talk about how he and his old, retired buddy Dean Smith had a ball selecting the teams? Teams from the MAC have no chance when the old money "BCS" (you can now officially use this term for basketball) execs are running the show. The NIT was all about money from the start. But usually the better mid-majors (you can now officially use this term too) only got screwed by having to play their games on the road. Mid-majors that had a great season, yet got passed over by the NCAA's, still had some opportunity to prove their worth. How could this happen? While I've been critical of the Zips scheduling this season, the schedule had nothing to do with this snub. If you look at the NIT brackets, it is very clear: If you are a "BCS" school, and you are over .500, you're in the post-season. Fill your arenas and generate some money for the NCAA. Do you think that CM Newton gives a crap about Akron? That's it's kids, real flesh-and-blood college kids, tirelessly practiced from October through March chasing a dream of post-season play? And who met evey known criteria to do so? Do you think he knows where Akron is? Can he pronounce Akron? The answer to all of the above is "no."What can we do about this? This season, probably nothing. If Charlie Coles was honest in his assessment that "It is a crime if Akron isn't in the NCAA's" then I want to see Miami players with a black armband during their game vs. Oregon. I want Coles to wear one too. Ditto the Toledo players and Stan Joplin. I don't want them to do this for Akron. I want them to do this for the MAC. It will happen to one of them one day if a big, big stink isn't raised. And Miami and Toledo are the only teams with a stage to do so.Say this holds as-is...same story next season. How does a MAC school recruit against ANYONE? Forget about stealing a recruit from the Big East here and there...I'm talking about beating the Duquesne's and Wright States of the world. It is obvious to the NCAA's that the MAC is no better than the MAAC, or SWAC, or any of the other bottom-feeder conferences that the Zips would smoke their champs by 20 points in their own building.The decision by the NCAA/NIT committee has serious ramifications for the MAC conference. Rick Chryst needs to do something, and do it quick. No stammering, no spinning, no BS. If he wants to keep his job, he'd better earn his money over the next several days. Mack Roades needs to do the same. Unlike Chryst, this isn't Mack's fault. But it is the supreme bitch slap to a 25,000 student University that's paying him good money, and the future of our basketball program is at stake. Who'd have thunk 0.6 seconds could affect the future of Akron athletics this much? If the Zips had won, Miami and K.e.n.t. could have raised a minor stink about their exclusion, but there would have been some plausible rationale to explain it. The Zips exclusion brings things front and center. Hello "BCS" basketball. Hello "Mid-major." Good bye to my blind love for collegiate athletics.

[meatwad]

Insightful, sad, and true.

[Zipgrad1990]

There has always been the haves and have nots in football and it was true in basketball too, just not all that noticable until today.I'm with you Captain, the MAC commissioner better raise a big stink about this one or the MAC will continue to sink to the bottom with the other bottom feeder conferences.

[KNCLZip]

Captain, you need to send this to everyone. Proenza, Rhoades, the MAC office, the NCAA, Rasor, WEWS, everyone. Absolutely a great post. This was a slap in the face at every non-"BCS" basketball conference and at UA especially. And you're dead on about recruiting. How can we recruit against "BCS" conference teams in this situation?Honestly, I'm going to make sure not to watch a second of either tournament. I'm going to send ESPN, CBS, and WOIO letters explaining why (as if they care). At least that will make me feel better--that I'm not participating in their scheme.Bravo, Captain Kangaroo. That was one great post.

[zipsbandman]

Captain, you need to send this to everyone. Proenza, Rhoades, the MAC office, the NCAA, Rasor, WEWS, everyone. Absolutely a great post. This was a slap in the face at every non-"BCS" basketball conference and at UA especially. And you're dead on about recruiting. How can we recruit against "BCS" conference teams in this situation?Honestly, I'm going to make sure not to watch a second of either tournament. I'm going to send ESPN, CBS, and WOIO letters explaining why (as if they care). At least that will make me feel better--that I'm not participating in their scheme.Bravo, Captain Kangaroo. That was one great post.

Proenza was at the Q and don't think he will not notice what is going on. Hopefully Mack notices too and is prepared to stand up for this program. He needs to be our voice.

[skip-zip]

As much as we want to believe that this was all about the NCAA favoring BCS schools, and snubbing non-BCS schools, that doesn't answer our questions either.Read Terry Pluto's column in the Beacon this morning.I haven't verified this yet, but, apparently EVERY TEAM IN THE TOP-20 IN THE MID-MAJOR POLL IS PLAYING IN EITHER THE NCAA OR THE NIT.......except......you guessed it....AKRON !!!!

[GP1]

Kid's asleep, and I can't sleep...so I'll add this:A few years ago you saw a big change in college athletics with the advent of the BCS. Because of the media, and the power of the big conferences, no one really raised a big stink that there was a division going on at the D1-A level. In hindsight, as of today, you can see the BCS was only Phase 1 of a 2-part plan.I can live with the Zips not getting in the NCAA's. Syracuse had 10 wins in the Big East and didn't make it. Drexel had a monster schedule and beat Villanova, Creighton and Syracuse on the road on the way to a 23-win season, and didn't make it. Someone always gets screwed in the NCAA's. But the NIT?!When the NIT field was reduced to 32 teams this season, no one raised a stink. Hey, 48 teams was a bit much, right? But no one looked at the new commitee in-charge of selecting those 32 teams. Did anyone see CM Newton talk about how he and his old, retired buddy Dean Smith had a ball selecting the teams? Teams from the MAC have no chance when the old money "BCS" (you can now officially use this term for basketball) execs are running the show. The NIT was all about money from the start. But usually the better mid-majors (you can now officially use this term too) only got screwed by having to play their games on the road. Mid-majors that had a great season, yet got passed over by the NCAA's, still had some opportunity to prove their worth. How could this happen? While I've been critical of the Zips scheduling this season, the schedule had nothing to do with this snub. If you look at the NIT brackets, it is very clear: If you are a "BCS" school, and you are over .500, you're in the post-season. Fill your arenas and generate some money for the NCAA. Do you think that CM Newton gives a crap about Akron? That's it's kids, real flesh-and-blood college kids, tirelessly practiced from October through March chasing a dream of post-season play? And who met evey known criteria to do so? Do you think he knows where Akron is? Can he pronounce Akron? The answer to all of the above is "no."What can we do about this? This season, probably nothing. If Charlie Coles was honest in his assessment that "It is a crime if Akron isn't in the NCAA's" then I want to see Miami players with a black armband during their game vs. Oregon. I want Coles to wear one too. Ditto the Toledo players and Stan Joplin. I don't want them to do this for Akron. I want them to do this for the MAC. It will happen to one of them one day if a big, big stink isn't raised. And Miami and Toledo are the only teams with a stage to do so.Say this holds as-is...same story next season. How does a MAC school recruit against ANYONE? Forget about stealing a recruit from the Big East here and there...I'm talking about beating the Duquesne's and Wright States of the world. It is obvious to the NCAA's that the MAC is no better than the MAAC, or SWAC, or any of the other bottom-feeder conferences that the Zips would smoke their champs by 20 points in their own building.The decision by the NCAA/NIT committee has serious ramifications for the MAC conference. Rick Chryst needs to do something, and do it quick. No stammering, no spinning, no BS. If he wants to keep his job, he'd better earn his money over the next several days. Mack Roades needs to do the same. Unlike Chryst, this isn't Mack's fault. But it is the supreme bitch slap to a 25,000 student University that's paying him good money, and the future of our basketball program is at stake. Who'd have thunk 0.6 seconds could affect the future of Akron athletics this much? If the Zips had won, Miami and K.e.n.t. could have raised a minor stink about their exclusion, but there would have been some plausible rationale to explain it. The Zips exclusion brings things front and center. Hello "BCS" basketball. Hello "Mid-major." Good bye to my blind love for collegiate athletics.

Nice job CK!With the NIT, it really is all about the money as I believe it is an independent organization that has little to do with the NCAA other than whoring it's members for a basketball tournament.I'm really a cynical guy and it takes a lot to shock me, but I was shocked when I heard we did not get into the NIT. If it was about the money, we could have played all of our games on the road. It really does not make sense.....at all.I'd really like the NCAA to promote some conferences to another level and stop misleading fans of mid-majors to believe they have any shot of winning anything or treating them as equals to the big conferences. They should promote the Big Ten, Big East, SEC, PAC10 and Big 12 to another level and let them have their own playoffs in every sport and continue to rake in the cash like they do now. Those of us at mid-majors could have our own tournaments and I think we would have just as much fun with them as we currently do, if not more. It's the only way to get us away from whoring ourselves to the big conferences every year.Again, I'm just shocked.

[Hilltopper]

The NCAA owns the NIT. Its not an independant organisation.

[GP1]

The NCAA owns the NIT. Its not an independant organisation.

Thanks Hilltopper. I had always heard that years ago schools liked going to the NIT because it made them more money than the NCAA because it was independent. Must have heard wrong.Just found this. 2005 NCAA buys NIT. http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article-...tion-Tournament

[Captain Kangaroo]

It's 12:21pm and I'm still waiting for comment on the NIT situation from Chryst or Mack Roades....It's starting to bug me that people are getting three issues confused. The Miami loss and how it transpired is one thing. I can live with the fact that we lost to Miami. Forget the clock screw up, the Miami guy pulled a miracle shot and we lost.The NCAA snub is another. Looking at Drexel, West Virginia and Syracuse, we're in good company not getting in. I could live with it.The NIT snub is crippling for all the reasons I mentioned above. Unless there are some assurances that it never happens again, it is a crushing blow to MAC basketball.How do you schedule if you're a non-BCS, not-politically-connected school? You can be as good as Drexel and still get the shaft?!In my opinion, our only hope is to leave the MAC for the Big East once the conferences "basketball" and "non-basketball" schools ultimately separate. Our new football stadium will make us an attractive option. I never thought that way until last night. I was 100% an MAC guy. I don't think I can afford to be any longer.Maybe Dambrot and make us a juggernaut, like Butler or Gonzaga? A few years ago I though so...and a few years ago it could have been done. But the landscape of college basketball has changed in 2006. I think the NCAA has decided there are enough Butlers and Southern Illinois out there, and enough is enough. They put the hammer down.

[meatwad]

Kid's asleep, and I can't sleep...so I'll add this:A few years ago you saw a big change in college athletics with the advent of the BCS. Because of the media, and the power of the big conferences, no one really raised a big stink that there was a division going on at the D1-A level. In hindsight, as of today, you can see the BCS was only Phase 1 of a 2-part plan.I can live with the Zips not getting in the NCAA's. Syracuse had 10 wins in the Big East and didn't make it. Drexel had a monster schedule and beat Villanova, Creighton and Syracuse on the road on the way to a 23-win season, and didn't make it. Someone always gets screwed in the NCAA's. But the NIT?!When the NIT field was reduced to 32 teams this season, no one raised a stink. Hey, 40 teams was a bit much, right? But no one looked at the new commitee in-charge of selecting those 32 teams. Did anyone see CM Newton talk about how he and his old, retired buddy Dean Smith had a ball selecting the teams? Teams from the MAC have no chance when the old money "BCS" (you can now officially use this term for basketball) execs are running the show. The NIT was all about money from the start. But usually the better mid-majors (you can now officially use this term too) only got screwed by having to play their games on the road. Mid-majors that had a great season, yet got passed over by the NCAA's, still had some opportunity to prove their worth. How could this happen? While I've been critical of the Zips scheduling this season, the schedule had nothing to do with this snub. If you look at the NIT brackets, it is very clear: If you are a "BCS" school, and you are over .500, you're in the post-season. Fill your arenas and generate some money for the NCAA. Do you think that CM Newton gives a crap about Akron? That's it's kids, real flesh-and-blood college kids, tirelessly practiced from October through March chasing a dream of post-season play? And who met evey known criteria to do so? Do you think he knows where Akron is? Can he pronounce Akron? The answer to all of the above is "no."What can we do about this? This season, probably nothing. If Charlie Coles was honest in his assessment that "It is a crime if Akron isn't in the NCAA's" then I want to see Miami players with a black armband during their game vs. Oregon. I want Coles to wear one too. Ditto the Toledo players and Stan Joplin. I don't want them to do this for Akron. I want them to do this for the MAC. It will happen to one of them one day if a big, big stink isn't raised. And Miami and Toledo are the only teams with a stage to do so.Say this holds as-is...same story next season. How does a MAC school recruit against ANYONE? Forget about stealing a recruit from the Big East here and there...I'm talking about beating the Duquesne's and Wright States of the world. It is obvious to the NCAA's that the MAC is no better than the MAAC, or SWAC, or any of the other bottom-feeder conferences that the Zips would smoke their champs by 20 points in their own building.The decision by the NCAA/NIT committee has serious ramifications for the MAC conference. Rick Chryst needs to do something, and do it quick. No stammering, no spinning, no BS. If he wants to keep his job, he'd better earn his money over the next several days. Mack Roades needs to do the same. Unlike Chryst, this isn't Mack's fault. But it is the supreme bitch slap to a 25,000 student University that's paying him good money, and the future of our basketball program is at stake. Who'd have thunk 0.6 seconds could affect the future of Akron athletics this much? If the Zips had won, Miami and K.e.n.t. could have raised a minor stink about their exclusion, but there would have been some plausible rationale to explain it. The Zips exclusion brings things front and center. Hello "BCS" basketball. Hello "Mid-major." Good bye to my blind love for collegiate athletics.

YOu might want to consider sending this to Kyle Whelliston at www.midmajority.comHe writes for ESPN as well, and I think he would eat something like this up. Just a thought.

[RACER]

like i said in my other post.we need to look at another conference even if it's b-ball only.if we have to go indi for football for a few years who cares. the alternative is losing our coach,and unable to re-cuit anyone. the slap is we won more games this year,and beat temple last year to boot.