Impact of Wichita's Final Four Run

[unipanther99]

I think the bigger problem for WSU joining the American Whatever Conference is the football thing. These schools have been burned by their non-football partners before, so I don't think they would be in a hurry to invite new non-football schools.

[bigdawg]

Doesn't the lack of any discussion about other conferences wanting WSU other than those rumors started by shox fans tell you that you're going no where any time soon?

[rlh04d]

I think the bigger problem for WSU joining the American Whatever Conference is the football thing. These schools have been burned by their non-football partners before, so I don't think they would be in a hurry to invite new non-football schools.

I have an entirely different take on that:

The basketball-only schools were the only stable part of that conference. They weren't burned by the non-football schools ... the non-football schools were essentially the only thing that was left. The only members left of that conference are UConn and Cinci ... Syracuse, Louisville, ND, Pitt, Rutgers are all leaving, and WVU, BC, Miami, and VT all before them. And the non-football schools sat through all of that. They only finally had enough when the entire Conference USA was invited.

It was the BASKETBALL schools that were burned, not the other way around. The Big East turned down a massive TV contract offer by ESPN based on hubris regarding their football program, and when the football side of things imploded and destroyed the stability of the conference, the basketball only schools finally realized they were the only part of the conference that was stable or relevant.

It's insanity for anyone to argue that the 7 basketball schools somehow screwed over the 3 remaining football schools. That's football-driven bias. The basketball side of the conference was the only part worth any money, and they were being screwed out of their true value by a dozen new entrants that had already proven in their C-USA that their football programs had no TV value.

Football killed the Big East, not basketball. If anything, the experience of the Big East tells us that basketball-only schools are far more of a stabilizing presence in conferences than football programs.

None of that means they're going to invite non-football schools at all, but it bothers me when this lie about it being the C7s fault keeps getting propagated.

[rlh04d]

Doesn't the lack of any discussion about other conferences wanting WSU other than those rumors started by shox fans tell you that you're going no where any time soon?

Based on your extensive experience of reading the discussions of other conferences?

There are two different threads about adding Wichita and VCU on the AAC BBS forum's first page. Numerous threads on both the A-10 and MWC forums.

Here's an excellent thread about it from the Big Priest's forum: http://csnbbs.com/showthread.php?tid=627128

I have no clue if there's any discussion at actual conference levels, but it's hardly like WSU fans are the only ones talking about it. I look at the forums of the conferences we might be looking at, and they are ALL talking significantly about it. Certainly not unanimous agreement, but the discussion is there and active.

[Ace Dad]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 81370.html

Wichita, Kan.

The secret formula behind ninth-seeded Wichita State's blitz to the Final Four is no longer a secret, since the Shockers have disclosed it about five dozen times at news conferences: They play angry.

But what the heck are they so mad about?

Tradition, of course, calls for every little-known team that reaches the Final Four to lament that it got no respect. But Wichita State was never really eligible for that complaint because in Missouri Valley Conference play it lost twice to Evansville, and losing twice to Evansville usually means you aren't going to the NCAA tournament at all, let alone as a nine seed.

If Shocker anger did run on lack of respect, then the tank might be nearing empty because every college-hoops pundit in America suddenly isn't surprised that Wichita State knocked off top-seeded Gonzaga, second-seeded Ohio State, eighth-seeded Pittsburgh and 13th-seeded La Salle. Worst of all for Wichita State, those professing to have foreseen its mad march to the Final Four now include Rick Pitino, coach of the Louisville team that the Shockers face Saturday. Talk about brilliant anger management.

Shockers.jpg (72.44 KiB) Viewed 2613 times

[valleychamp]

Sadly illustrates how people from the outside view Evansville.

[Haha]

I'm sorry valleychamp but outside this year, if a valley team lost twice to Evansville in the year they probably wouldn't be an at large contender.

It's the truth, luckily Eville has been getting better and this year they couldn't Eville anybody thanks to a solid enough RPI but in the past they have.

Now I'm not complaining cause thats the at larges team fault but I'm saying that usually losing twice to Evansville in the last 5 years or so before this year would have resulted in two very bad losses that hurt come at large time.

This year it was SIU doing the E-villing.

So again before I have to read thru hurt feelings, before this year it was true more years than not in recent history.

[Veritas]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323646604578400883428681370.html

Wichita, Kan.

The secret formula behind ninth-seeded Wichita State's blitz to the Final Four is no longer a secret, since the Shockers have disclosed it about five dozen times at news conferences: They play angry.

But what the heck are they so mad about?

Tradition, of course, calls for every little-known team that reaches the Final Four to lament that it got no respect. But Wichita State was never really eligible for that complaint because in Missouri Valley Conference play it lost twice to Evansville, and losing twice to Evansville usually means you aren't going to the NCAA tournament at all, let alone as a nine seed.

If Shocker anger did run on lack of respect, then the tank might be nearing empty because every college-hoops pundit in America suddenly isn't surprised that Wichita State knocked off top-seeded Gonzaga, second-seeded Ohio State, eighth-seeded Pittsburgh and 13th-seeded La Salle. Worst of all for Wichita State, those professing to have foreseen its mad march to the Final Four now include Rick Pitino, coach of the Louisville team that the Shockers face Saturday. Talk about brilliant anger management.

Shockers.jpg

A lot of Shocker fans didn't much care for that WSJ article. I admit that I didn't care for it either. It is written by a KU alum, and unfortunately there are a lot of KU Alums ( especially those from the KC suburbs) who look down on everything not associated with KU or the Kansas suburbs of KC. Pretty poor attempt to slap a back-handed compliment to WSU IMO.

[C0|db|00ded]

[quote="shoxrox"]Why is George Mason conparible but not VCU?

Conference alignment discussions were unheard of when GMU got hot. It's a whole different game nowadays. WSU is winning much more over the course of the last decade than what GMU did over a year or two.[/quote]

I went and did it this time didn't I? f*** me I got owned. Were my posts really that offensive?

T

[Deanthonybowdenfan]

I agree, I didnt like that article either. At creighton we deal with the same kinda stuff, Nebraska football writers are typically the ones writing stories on Creighton basketball, which they know no more about than a typical resident of anywhere in the midwest. Much like KU writers writing about Shocker basketball.

They don't have to be angry at anything in particular, it could be anything from their past or from where they grew up, but I like that philosophy, find something you want redemption for and use that inner anger and it makes you play more aggressively, and we all know the aggressor usually wins in sports. Looking forward to your game.