WSU in 2012 Cancun Challenge

by **unipanther99** » March 1st, 2012, 3:07 pm

http://thegazette.com/2012/03/01/hawkey ... challenge/

Iowa (Big Ten), DePaul (Big East), Western Kentucky (Sun Belt) and Wichita State (Missouri Valley) playing in the Riviera Division. The Mayan Division features Howard (MEAC), Austin Peay State (Ohio Valley), Western Carolina (Southern) and Gardner-Webb (Big South).

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by **KeepCalm_&_GoJays** » March 1st, 2012, 3:14 pm

Yikes. That isn't a great get for the Shox.

by **unipanther99** » March 1st, 2012, 3:26 pm

It sounds like maybe they will only be playing the first four? (Hopefully!)

by **Aargh** » March 1st, 2012, 3:38 pm

Weak SoS tourney. With a lot of inexperienced players next year, that's probably all they can handle early in the season.

Will do nothing for an NCAA resume, but the Shox don't look like an NCAA type team next year.

Next year's Shox are likely to be a team that gets better as the season progresses. In other words, stink it up in OOC and then play spoiler the rest of the season. Seems that the Valley has one or more of those every year.

by **MSUDuo** » March 1st, 2012, 5:55 pm

Iowa seems to be getting things turned around possibly and WKU is usually at the top of the Sun Belt and tournament worthy. I wouldn't throw it under the bus quite yet.

by **UNIFanSince1983** » March 1st, 2012, 6:52 pm

Aargh wrote:Weak SoS tourney. With a lot of inexperienced players next year, that's probably all they can handle early in the season.

Will do nothing for an NCAA resume, but the Shox don't look like an NCAA type team next year.

Next year's Shox are likely to be a team that gets better as the season progresses. In other words, stink it up in OOC and then play spoiler the rest of the season. Seems that the Valley has one or more of those every year.

I thought UNI was going to be a team like that this year. They were actually just the opposite though...

by **2livewu** » March 2nd, 2012, 8:05 am

First time in a long time that WSU gets a stinker in the non-con tourney schedule. Personally, I don't like it and DO NOT subscribe to the "that's the level we need to play". We need to play the best.

My apologies right now go out to anyone in the Valley that will suffer from our poor RPI from playing bad teams. I don't like it when other teams do it (hello Jank) and I sure as heck won't defend it when my team does it.

Scheduling fail.

by **DoubleJayAlum** » March 2nd, 2012, 10:21 am

2livewu wrote:First time in a long time that WSU gets a stinker in the non-con tourney schedule. Personally, I don't like it and DO NOT subscribe to the "that's the level we need to play". We need to play the best.

My apologies right now go out to anyone in the Valley that will suffer from our poor RPI from playing bad teams. I don't like it when other teams do it (hello Jank) and I sure as heck won't defend it when my team does it.

Scheduling fail.

May not be WSU's fault entirely. Sometimes MVC schools are made promises about the quality of opponents that will be in these types of tourneys and the organizer either can't deliver or flat out lied. By the time the real slate is announced, it is too late to get in another tourney. Creighton had the same thing happen a few years back in a Vegas tourney.

by **BirdmanBB** » March 2nd, 2012, 11:50 am

Redbirds played in this tourney this year. You get to play two of the cupcakes from the weaker division at home and then you are matched up with a team in your division in Cancun where winner/losers play each other.

My guess is that you will be playing either Iowa or DePaul in the first game. DePaul might actually be a decent team next year. Don't know much about what Iowa is returning.

by **45otseoj** » March 3rd, 2012, 8:55 am

Basketball aside, this tournament is an absolute blast. The Moon Palace is a wonderful host.