It's March. Time for the mid majors to get screwed again

I know there aren't many damns given about the NIT field this week, but I went ahead and looked and there are no MAC teams among the bids. Word on the street must be our league is willing to pay up for their postseason...

Miami, OH will pay and play in the CBI.

What ?   I there an actual point in this entire mishmash of thoughts.   

" Or that such decisions are within the control of the school who had a strong team and nimbly changed their scheduling to enhance chances that year.
"    That's why you try and play a strong OOC every year.  

"And no bullet proof argument that somehow the scheduling decisions were the big difference."   Yeah scheduling decisions have almost nothing to do with SOS and your resulting power index and RPI rankings. 

"In the bulk of cases the at large bids are because there are mid major conferences which have two or three (or more) teams strong enough to get 2 bids, partly because that makes their SOS better, but partly in spite conference SOS, the teams are just good enough to overcome it."   What ?  So you are making an argument teams get in because they do ?    Guess that's sort of hard to dispute. 


" it's not principally because some mid major managed a good schedule. (And won the gamble winning some big game(s), perhaps winning a road game with a 3 pointer at the buzzer) "   Might just be the dumbest thing you have ever said.  

Why is Toledo staying home? No. 1 seed in west. 23-11. No MAC team in NIT - what the hell! This astounds me, anybody else? I may totally dislike UT, but seems they got screwed (the MAC got screwed).

Toledo isn't in the top 100 in most rankings (#119 in KenPom) so I don't think you can say they got screwed.  I'm sure they would like to think MAC #2 would get into the NIT, but realistically this is no surprise.  Given that 11 spots in the NIT were auto-qualifiers who won their conference but not their conference tourney, and another 7-ish were the teams that felt snubbed by the NCAA tourney, there really were only like 14 or so NIT bids in question, the worst team receiving a bid was ranked #98. According to KenPom, 23 other teams should've gotten NIT invites (but didn't) before Toledo would have.... Like BSU, Toledo opted not to participate in CBI/CIT, thus their season is over.

Meanwhile on another note, the MAC records the first postseason win of 2018 as Central Michigan wins a noon game at Fort Wayne 94-89.

A kenpom of 119 and an rpi of 72 isn't getting an NIT bid. Especially when you have zero meaningful wins and loss by 40 to Kansas.   

I know you don't want to admit RPI is biased in favor of SOS and is harmful to the mid majors who have no real choice available to schedule games where they have a chance to win against big schools. They are usually given the "decision" or choice to play in games on the big school home court and are rarely given that choice if they have a good chance to win.

I believe YOU said St Mary's blew it by not scheduling Rhode Island. 

My point has always been, you play a good schedule to gain exposure, to prepare the team, and to make money.   I agree with playing a schedule strong enough to do that. 

NOT to play on high major teams home court and lose in a foolish attempt to inflate SOS.  It just doesn't help unless you win.  And if you are able to win they won't schedule you very often if at all...

Hold on, I did not say it made no difference just that mid majors don't really make the decision to play good schools that help them. The big school has to decide to play them.  Mid majors have the choice and they can "decide" to play big schools mostly when it is very unlikely to help them and otherwise there is little incentive on the big schools part to play them.  How can they decide to play a good schedule when good teams don't want to play them?
NO. They get in because they are good, it has less to do with their schedule decisions which you allege is the a big deal. 

I say schedule strong OOC is a relatively small influence. Unless you win.  But then it's not likely you get the chance to have the games...

Although it is true that the good schools do get some chances to play in preseason tournaments and the Phil Knight and may also be attractive opponents for very strong teams to play as a OOC foe.  Not that they will usually want that unless they will beat you...

So being good may give you a better SOS, but not really help you get good wins. 

You really have to explain how getting a good schedule is a clear cut gain.  It's hard to get a lot of good games if you are actually a good mid major.  If you get them, it's hard to win them on the road, and unless you win none of the quadrant scoring is improved, and there is very little RPI  gain unless you win, compared to scheduling mediocre teams, or even sometimes weak ones where you win all your games.