Great ESPN article on Creighton by Andy Katz

[Aargh]

valleychamp, if ignorance is bliss, then you must be a very happy person.

they didn't win any championship

WSU is getting better run in the press and better recruiting results following the NIT championship than they got following the S16 run in 2006.

UNI knocked off the #1 team in the nation and made it to the S16. Then UNI dropped back into obscurity. WSU made it to a S16 and within 5 years won the "other" tournament, which got WSU back into some national attention.

I know no one cares about the NIT. Evidently that's only true if you don't win the thing. Win the thing and you're in all the pre-season predictions as a national contender. I refused to get the "NIT Champ" shirt because I thought that was almost embarrassing.

I don't know for sure what it is, but the national media and recruits seem to be in love with the Shox this year. The recruiting results are better than after about any MVC team's S16 run. Evidently recruits watch the "Not Invited Tournament". Gee, imagine that. HS and JuCo players watch post-season college basketball and want to play for teams they see winning games in the post-season.

Winning 5 in a row (especially as an underdog) in the NIT seems to be better than winning 2 (S16) in the NCAA's.

[DoubleJayAlum]

Oh good, the NIT is better than the NCAA tourney topic has resurfaced (also known as the "stupidest argument if all time"). We've come full circle.

[shock]

Oh good, the NIT is better than the NCAA tourney topic has resurfaced (also known as the "stupidest argument if all time"). We've come full circle.

I don't want to put words in aarg's mouth, but i think what he meant was the press was better with the NIT Championship than 2 wins in the dance, and the experience of winning 5 instead of winning 2 and losing 1 was good for the players. Plus, recruiting was boosted by it as well.

If that's not what aarg meant, then thats what I will say.

NIT<NCAA
5 Wins No Cupcakes>2 Wins 1 Loss No Cupcakes

[BEARZ77]

Not trying to minimize the NIT title; if you play, you play to win and it's always good. But you don't get home games in the NCAA tourney for the most part, and you don't play teams with questionable focus.I think we all understand that teams enter the post season tourneys other than the NCAA with very different mind sets. Some are totally devastated and have checked out, some are pissed and driven,some are young and looking to develope, some are just rewarding the team and play various combos. You still have to win and winning is always important, but it's not close to the same setting as encountered in the NCAA tourney.

And I have no doubt it helped recruiting to win the NIT and also set WSU for some preseason pub, but I don't think either of those were as dramatic as suggested. Creighton is getting as much as national love; and last I looked since the NIT, WSU got a quality guard who rose his stock over the summer and is a very good get, a couple juco kids, a couple guys that were seen as potential risers but not highly ranked, and they lost out on the hometown stud. I don't see it as anything beyond what the top teams in the Valley do yearly. I'm just not likely to buy the hype that a walkon who's best offer was South Dakota State is a "solid D-1 player" and "could start for a lot of teams" added to the afore mentioned haul is evidence of a recruiting bonanza.

[glm38]

I don't want to minimize WSU's NIT title either. I thought it was very significant. I would wear a NIT champions t-shirt proudly were it my team.

But....to imply that an NIT title is more significant than a sweet 16 run is going a little far in my opinion. Give me the sweet 16 run any day (or year). And as far as UNI going from sweet 16 run to obscurity. There were a couple of factors there. First UNI was very relevant until an unfortunate injury took the wheels off their season. Also there are just natural cycles in the Valley and most all conferences. It's almost impossible to stay on top year after year. Even the best teams/programs make some mistakes regarding new coach hires and players they have recruited. Just a few of those mistakes can derail a team for several years.

Of course the better programs make fewer of those mistakes and that's why they stay more relevant year in and year out.

[Wufan]

Creighton is getting as much as national love; and last I looked since the NIT, WSU got a quality guard who rose his stock over the summer and is a very good get, a couple juco kids, a couple guys that were seen as potential risers but not highly ranked, and they lost out on the hometown stud. I don't see it as anything beyond what the top teams in the Valley do yearly. I'm just not likely to buy the hype that a walkon who's best offer was South Dakota State is a "solid D-1 player" and "could start for a lot of teams" added to the afore mentioned haul is evidence of a recruiting bonanza.

Since this topic is way off track I'll throw in my 2 cents on the WSU recruits: Prior to the NIT, we signed Carl Hall, Jake White, Tekele Cotton, and Evan Wessel. All have their share of accolades, but only Hall and White stand out as All-Americans.

After the NIT, we got three prep school bigs, a high school big, and a juco big...all with potential, but no sure fire studs. Other than those, we got the Illinois PG (#2 in the state and top 150) and the D-III JUCO player of the year, ranked #3 JUCO in class of 2012. As for walk-ons, we got the starting PG from Oregon in 09-10 and 10-11, First Team All-Stater, Ron Baker (small school kid that didn't play AAU), and JUCO AA Guard Joe Mitchell. That's a fairly potent non-scholarship group...all of which noted the NIT as one reason they chose to walk-on at WSU.

Back to the topic at hand...congrats to Creighton on the pub! They are sure to be a very good team this year with Young and Chatman at the point and Jr McD and Gregg E underneith. There is some potential on the wings (espescially if Dingman shows himself to be D-I ready), but it will have to bare itself out before I'm ready to back CU as the MVC favorite.

InSt is the other school (other than WSU) that looks full of promise. A very stacked backcourt, but questionable/no depth underneith. Sycamore fans, correct me if I'm wrong on that point.

Basketball is right around the corner and since MSU turned down Conference USA it looks like we're going to stick it out as a 10 team league for at least one more year!

[glm38]

There's no doubt it appears that WSU did well regarding their incoming recruiting class. But was that a direct result of the NIT? Several other valley teams have what also appears to be a very good incoming recruiting class this coming year. Including UNI and MSU.

[Wufan]

There's no doubt it appears that WSU did well regarding their incoming recruiting class. But was that a direct result of the NIT? Several other valley teams have what also appears to be a very good incoming recruiting class this coming year. Including UNI and MSU.

Yes, it was a contributing factor. Players consistently commented that they chose WSU because; relationship with coaches, fan support (both are common every year), and watching them in the NIT! We signed three NY kids, specifically, after our play in MSG.

[valleychamp]

valleychamp, if ignorance is bliss, then you must be a very happy person.

they didn't win any championship

WSU is getting better run in the press and better recruiting results following the NIT championship than they got following the S16 run in 2006.

UNI knocked off the #1 team in the nation and made it to the S16. Then UNI dropped back into obscurity. WSU made it to a S16 and within 5 years won the "other" tournament, which got WSU back into some national attention.

I know no one cares about the NIT. Evidently that's only true if you don't win the thing. Win the thing and you're in all the pre-season predictions as a national contender. I refused to get the "NIT Champ" shirt because I thought that was almost embarrassing.

I don't know for sure what it is, but the national media and recruits seem to be in love with the Shox this year. The recruiting results are better than after about any MVC team's S16 run. Evidently recruits watch the "Not Invited Tournament". Gee, imagine that. HS and JuCo players watch post-season college basketball and want to play for teams they see winning games in the post-season.

Winning 5 in a row (especially as an underdog) in the NIT seems to be better than winning 2 (S16) in the NCAA's.

My "any championship" comment was regarding any of the two MVC titles. I was clearly talking about the league.

UNI has "faded into obscurity"? Please explain to me aargh, how winning 20 games and finishing in 4th place in the MVC, while replacing several players from one of the great MVC teams in the last 20 years is obscurity? Can you please remind me of how well the shocks did the year after their sweet 16 run...

Meanwhile, WSU's NIT title that is FIVE years after their tournament run is somehow indicative of some type of superiority? How in the world do you come to conclusions like that? Never mind the fact that WSU had to replace a head coach, and participated in the play-in round in the MVC tournament during that 5 year stretch.

The fact that WSU has been mentioned a few times in some pre-season articles and blogs is solely due to the shocks looking good in the last couple games last year on ESPN, so I do not know why you are using that stuff as such a badge of honor. It's great to be mentioned, and it is exciting as fans, but you and I know that most of that stuff is due to lazy ESPN reporting. How much pre-season run did last year's WSU team get? Not much I don't think, and that team had way more promise going into the season that this year's team does, IMO.

And aargh, I personally don't think there is any argument whatsoever regarding last season's disappointment. If you are happy with how the year turned out, fine. But I, for one, and probably about 95% of everyone else expected bigger things out of that team.

[Aces1982]

valleychamp, if ignorance is bliss, then you must be a very happy person.

they didn't win any championship

WSU is getting better run in the press and better recruiting results following the NIT championship than they got following the S16 run in 2006.

UNI knocked off the #1 team in the nation and made it to the S16. Then UNI dropped back into obscurity. WSU made it to a S16 and within 5 years won the "other" tournament, which got WSU back into some national attention.

I know no one cares about the NIT. Evidently that's only true if you don't win the thing. Win the thing and you're in all the pre-season predictions as a national contender. I refused to get the "NIT Champ" shirt because I thought that was almost embarrassing.

I don't know for sure what it is, but the national media and recruits seem to be in love with the Shox this year. The recruiting results are better than after about any MVC team's S16 run. Evidently recruits watch the "Not Invited Tournament". Gee, imagine that. HS and JuCo players watch post-season college basketball and want to play for teams they see winning games in the post-season.

Winning 5 in a row (especially as an underdog) in the NIT seems to be better than winning 2 (S16) in the NCAA's.

WSU was only a dog once in those 5 games. At least according to this site.

http://www.sportsbooklists.com/sports-b ... dule.shtml