How bad is it?

[TheAsianSensation]

Without looking, I'm guessing the OVC burned both Belmont spots and both Murray St spots on their home-and-home.

I do wonder if that's the OVC's decision, or ESPN convincing the OVC to do that. If I'm ESPN, I'd want Belmont/Murray twice, but then I wouldn't let the OVC have a policy keeping them from TV the rest of the year.

[RacerJoeD]

Final scores

TSU 79
TTU 62


Jax St 91
Belmont 80
OT

[MissouriValleyUnite]

Jax St sweeps Belmont with 2 double digit wins.

Ja Morant dunk show in Lantz Arena last night.
https://twitter.com/defpensports/status ... 29248?s=21

[Salukimadness86]

One game? One day? Maybe you’re correct. But this is systematic mismanagement.

I agree. The OVC should be showcasing their top teams, although I did watch some of this game and TSU looked pretty good at times. Murray State and Belmont are.certainly a notch above. When my Salukis actually had a heartbeat during the mid 2000's they were on ESPN2, ESPNU, and Fox sports quite often. Usually it was against Creighton. It was free advertisement for the university, which pay dividends.

[TOPSTRAIGHT]

RacerJoeD is thinking with logic. That goes out the window in decisions from many conference offices--not just the OVC. Nashville is looking for equity and wants to keep everyone happy.

[VUGrad1314]

But what if that desire to keep everyone happy is beginning to really grate on programs that have been your consistent bellcows for decades? Can you really afford to upset those programs that help raise the profile of your conference for the sake of making programs with little history of success and few alternatives to the OVC feel better?

[TylerDurden]

But what if that desire to keep everyone happy is beginning to really grate on programs that have been your consistent bellcows for decades? Can you really afford to upset those programs that help raise the profile of your conference for the sake of making programs with little history of success and few alternatives to the OVC feel better?

Look, Murray State is a fine program. They've had good success in their league and should be on TV when the selections are made for the limited windows they have.

But let's be real, the OVC does not have a bellcow.

The OVC gets one bid per year. Everyone in that league is aware of it. OVC teams are a combined 24-69 all-time in the NCAA tournament and, since 1990, have won just four games in the tournament - one of those was a play-in game. The last OVC win was seven years ago - that league gets a token entry and payout. That's it. No one is making money for the OVC.

We aren't talking about Gonzaga or Memphis in C-USA - who were making deep runs every year.

[RacerJoeD]

Murray State is the Bellcow. Period. They buy the majority of tickets to the postseason tournament (and have for years, no matter the location) and have by far the most NCAA appearances and wins in the tourney. They also demand the most media attention, year in and year out (the largest non-cash value a team can bring). For example, Murray State has gotten what the Murray St president's office estimates is $46,000,000 in publicity on national TV this year.

If that isn't a bellcow what is?

[TylerDurden]

Murray State is the Bellcow. Period. They buy the majority of tickets to the postseason tournament (and have for years, no matter the location) and have by far the most NCAA appearances and wins in the tourney. They also demand the most media attention, year in and year out (the largest non-cash value a team can bring). For example, Murray State has gotten what the Murray St president's office estimates is $46,000,000 in publicity on national TV this year.

If that isn't a bellcow what is?

A team that actually generates revenue? They have three NCAA wins it their history - one of those was in 1988 - and none of them are actually paying any of the OVC's bills right now.

Buying the most tickets to an event that draws 11,700 people total (2018 OVC tournament, 9,000 total the year before) that includes both men's and women's teams isn't exactly moving the needle.

Tickets for the OVC tournament start at $60 for an all-session and rise to $80 if you miss the pre-sale. I think the OVC has four sessions and averaged 2,925 people per session. Even if Murray State fans bought all of those tickets at the top price - which they don't - that would total $234,000. You can't even run that tournament for $234,000.

Murray State's president is drunk if he thinks they've received anywhere close to $46 million worth of TV exposure this year. But he doesn't believe it and you shouldn't either. That's a public relations number.

Murray State currently is the best team in the OVC - be proud of that. But stop trying to make them out to be more than they are.

[RacerJoeD]

you’re right.

we won’t have 8600 for tonight’s game.

we won’t be all over ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS, NBC, and every other sports reporting outlet.

we won’t have multiple NBA GMs in Murray, Kentucky tonight.

we won’t have the CEO of Nike’s plane at the local airport.

we won’t bring many people to Evansville.

we haven’t had our last four point guards in the NBA

we weren’t named the 30th best basketball program from ‘84-08 (ahead of Nova) by ESPN

we haven’t been to 16 NCAA tournaments

we haven’t won 41 conference championships (combined tourney and regular season)


...I forgot what we were talking about...

...oh yeah. Bell Cows.