How bad is it?

[RacerJoeD]

So the variations of this question have been asked of me and other Racer fans for a while now when discussing a conference move. Often followed up with "it can't be that bad... you guys are the best team in the conference after all..."

So here is an example of how bad it is.

Someone, between the Mothership in Bristol and the Brains down in Nashville have decided that the OVC game selected for national broadcast on ESPNU tonight should be


wait for it


Tennessee State vs Tennessee Tech.

Those teams are a combined 10-23. Their average NET ranking? 332.5.

This is not to say that they should be showing the Racers and their projected lottery pick point guard play against 10-7 EIU. But lets be real here... why not show Belmont vs Jacksonville State?

Those teams are a combined 24-8 and have an average NET of 107.

This is the kind of crap we put up with.

[IWokeUpLikeThis]

Believe OVC mandated in its separate deals with espnu and cbssn no member can appear on the network more than twice and espnu is required to televise a women's game.

[tribecalledquest]

So the variations of this question have been asked of me and other Racer fans for a while now when discussing a conference move. Often followed up with "it can't be that bad... you guys are the best team in the conference after all..."

So here is an example of how bad it is.

Someone, between the Mothership in Bristol and the Brains down in Nashville have decided that the OVC game selected for national broadcast on ESPNU tonight should be


wait for it


Tennessee State vs Tennessee Tech.

Those teams are a combined 10-23. Their average NET ranking? 332.5.

This is not to say that they should be showing the Racers and their projected lottery pick point guard play against 10-7 EIU. But lets be real here... why not show Belmont vs Jacksonville State?

Those teams are a combined 24-8 and have an average NET of 107.

This is the kind of crap we put up with.

Fans of leagues like the OVC, MVC, etc. need to stop trying to get validation from ESPN and national media types. Who cares? It's 2018. You can basically watch any game you want on a device that fits in your hand.

Personally--I don't watch much P5 basketball at all. I watch MVC games all the time and other Midwest mid-majors when I get a chance. It's great that I can choose what I want to watch now instead of being stuck with whatever is on ESPN or ESPN2.

[RacerJoeD]

It has nothing to do with validation. It is the active sabotage of the league. Do you think the selection committee watches every game for every team? Of course not. What about coaches and media types? No way. Even the media talking heads don't watch every game. In fact I would bet that the only games they do ever watch would be the nationally televised games for a league. That is how a league gets its reputation. Trust me when I say that if you see nothing but the worst of a league, you will begin to believe that the league in question is worse than it actually is.

Now a league should have an active interest in presenting the best possible event if for nothing more than to make the league look good. Instead, this is the crap show that the OVC gives them. Hard to convince anyone that there is a top 50 team in the NET and another in the top 100. Especially after they've seen the steaming pile on national television.

[pafan]

Sorry, but the OVC's reputation has very little to do with which games are on ESPNU and which are not. There are no less than 5 nationally televised college basketball games tonight, three of which are PAC12 games, and one is a B1G game.

If you're somebody who is somebody, you're probably watching one of those BCS conference games.

[RacerJoeD]

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

[IWokeUpLikeThis]

ESPNU is airing an OVC/Big South double header tonight.

The OVC contract caps teams’ appearances to share the spotlight.
The Big South contract allows for 4 “wild-card” dates where any game could be chosen.

The results?
The OVC game highlights 2 teams with an average ranking of 332.
The Big South game showcases 2 teams with wins over Texas, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, & Wake Forest.

That’s RacerJoeD’s point.

[MissouriValleyUnite]

Tennessee Tech’s arena is NICE. With an upper-half MVC arena Tennessee Tech should be a far better program than one that hasn’t made the NCAA’s since losing to Loyola en route to Loyola’s national championship in ‘63.

[TheAsianSensation]

There's a big difference between trying and failing, and not trying and failing.

OVC sure does a lot of not trying. I get trying to spread the wealth, but in their position, you can't get greedy. Force feed Murray St and Belmont on television. It's not a hard decision.

[RacerJoeD]

EXACTLY. And when another team has a good year, showcase them against Murray and Belmont. Like the WCC does with St Mary’s and Gonzaga