Gregg Marshall on moving to Wichita State

by **CBB_Fan** » January 22nd, 2013, 11:26 am

"I came to Wichita because I saw it as a quality basketball league where we wouldn't always have to win our conference tournament like we did at Winthrop. I thought we could have a good year, lose the tournament and get in. That hasn't been the case."

This is one big reason this sort of realignment is happening. The MVC combines the competitiveness of a balanced power conference with the "lose and go home" nature of a 1-bid conference.

Here is what the other Greg (McDermott), has to say:
"I don't think a lot of people realize how difficult our conference is. You play on the road in 10,000-seat arenas on a nightly basis against well-coached teams. And yet, one loss can make or break a season."

I was just surprised to see the coaches be so vocal on this issue. I would think that they would be discouraged from those types of comments by the conference.

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by **TrueBlueJay** » January 22nd, 2013, 11:49 am

Interesting. I think Marshall has done a very good job at WSU. Do these comments get the Wichita natives restless about his commitment to staying?

by **rjl** » January 22nd, 2013, 11:58 am

TrueBlueJay wrote:Interesting. I think Marshall has done a very good job at WSU. Do these comments get the Wichita natives restless about his commitment to staying?

I don't believe the comments are recent. I think they were made last year or perhaps the year before.

The Valley is almost definitely a two-bid league this year. Maybe 3, if ISUB can lock it down.

That said, I think there is some definite frustration of grinding it out in a conference that isn't percieved as tough as it is.

by **DoubleJayAlum** » January 22nd, 2013, 1:46 pm

Yeah, since WSU made the dance last year without winning the conference tourney, the quote doesn't seem to make a lot of sense.

by **kochhead22** » January 22nd, 2013, 2:01 pm

I believe he's making reference to the years before, when he came from Winthrop, the year after the MVC sent 4 teams to the NCAA tourney he was thinking it would be an easier league to get multiple bids to the valley, which after that season didn't happen too much if any until this past season.

by **DoubleJayAlum** » January 22nd, 2013, 2:24 pm

kochhead22 wrote:I believe he's making reference to the years before, when he came from Winthrop, the year after the MVC sent 4 teams to the NCAA tourney he was thinking it would be an easier league to get multiple bids to the valley, which after that season didn't happen too much if any until this past season.

I suspect it was muttered one of those years where WSU blew it in ST Louis and didn't have the resume to get an at large. I'm not really sure that castigating the conference in that case is the proper place to lie blame. If I recall correctly, WSU's inability to get an at large had more to do with WSU's poor resume than it did with getting snubbed because WSU was in the MVC.

Almost sounds like just another version of the "neutral court" whining that Marshall did last year.

by **rjl** » January 22nd, 2013, 2:44 pm

Actually, the comments were made in an article that came out yesterday.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nc ... c/1849651/

The entire quote:

Missouri Valley a multi-bid league?

Consider Marshall the bad luck charm.

When he was courted for the Wichita State coaching vacancy in 2007, the biggest thing that enticed him to leave his job at Winthrop had everything to do with the NCAA tournament.

The Missouri Valley the previous year had sent four teams to the Big Dance and probably should have sent five considering Missouri State had the lowest RPI (21) that year to ever miss the NCAAs.

But ever since Marshall has been in the Valley, the MVC has struggled to regain its multiple-bid form.

"When I got in here in 2007, it was a four-bid league," Marshall said. "Then for the next four years, we only get one team. What happened? I came to Wichita because I saw it as a quality basketball league where we wouldn't always have to win our conference tournament like we did at Winthrop. I thought we could have a good year, lose the tournament and get in. That hasn't been the case."

Wichita State finally made it to the NCAA tournament under Marshall last season after winning the NIT the previous season when it was snubbed in the NCAA tournament field.

"Drake had that magical run in 2008, Northern Iowa went to the Sweet Sixteen in 2010 and then in 2011, Indiana State wins the tournament when we were the best team along with Missouri State. Last year, we finally got two teams," Marshall said.

Despite Creighton and Wichita State's success, it's difficult to forecast more than two NCAA tournament bids again this season unless another team wins the conference tournament. The only team with a noteworthy non-conference rèsumè was Illinois State, which had a road win against Dayton and a three-point loss to Louisville. And the Redbirds have stunningly started 1-6 in league action.

"I don't think a lot of people realize how difficult our conference is," Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. "You play on the road in 10,000-seat arenas on a nightly basis against well-coached teams. And yet, one loss can make or break a season."

It appears as if both coaches were just responding to a line of questioning by the reporter and not actively attempting to gripe about the conference.

by **unipanther99** » January 22nd, 2013, 2:46 pm

Lets not forget that McDermott got two at large bids while at UNI.

by **DoubleJayAlum** » January 22nd, 2013, 3:42 pm

rjl wrote:Actually, the comments were made in an article that came out yesterday.

It appears as if both coaches were just responding to a line of questioning by the reporter and not actively attempting to gripe about the conference.

Fair enough, although this does sound a little whiny:

"Drake had that magical run in 2008, Northern Iowa went to the Sweet Sixteen in 2010 and then in 2011, Indiana State wins the tournament when we were the best team along with Missouri State. Last year, we finally got two teams," Marshall said.

by **rjl** » January 22nd, 2013, 4:03 pm

DoubleJayAlum wrote:
rjl wrote:Actually, the comments were made in an article that came out yesterday.

It appears as if both coaches were just responding to a line of questioning by the reporter and not actively attempting to gripe about the conference.

Fair enough, although this does sound a little whiny:

"Drake had that magical run in 2008, Northern Iowa went to the Sweet Sixteen in 2010 and then in 2011, Indiana State wins the tournament when we were the best team along with Missouri State. Last year, we finally got two teams," Marshall said.

I do not think it sounds whiny, but rather anecdotally addresses the issue posed in the question head on.

The number 1 and 2 teams in the league did not make the NCAA tournament because neither won the Valley Tournament. Only the automatic bid got into the tournament that year. When the reporter is asking about the lack of bids the Valley has received over the last few years, that's a pretty good story to bring up.