MVC/MWC Challenge Improvement

[SubGod22]

Wasn't the old standard a noncon SOS of 150? Or noncon RPI of 150? I'm pretty sure something was set at 150 and I think that's fair. Even if you wanted to say 150 in at least 1 of 2 years would be fine to allow a little buffer.

I don't have noncon numbers, but five schools ended with a SOS better than 150 last season. UNI (91), ISUr (99), Wichita (107), Bradley (120) and ISUb (121). The other five.... MSU (176), Evansville (181), Drake (197), Loyola (237), SIU (251). This is according to RealTime anyway.

So going with 200-225 or so really wouldn't be changing anything. Unless some of these were drastically upgraded by the conference schedule.

If Evansville had a schedule in the top 150, they may have at least put themselves in the NIT or at least gotten on the bubble. They should have been aiming higher than that, but at least it would have been something.

Regardless, scheduling needs to improve at a number of schools. You don't have to play a bunch of top 25 types to improve the schedule. You just have to make an effort and do some research on the schools from mid to lower tier conferences and get the best of those. Finding some mid level teams, or even lower level teams, in top conferences can help. This is where MTE's can help. Playing a bunch of bad teams in bad conferences doesn't help anyone unless all you care about are wins regardless of who you're playing.

[LanceShock]

Actually, it was worse than that. According to rpiforecast, these were the nonconference SOS for last year:
WSU 13
UNI 38
Evansville 223
IlSU 10
SIU 327
InSU 92
MSU 261
Loyola 319
Bradley 306
Drake 289

Only 4 schools had a nonconference SOS below 200, let alone 150. Going to 250 only gets you to 5 schools.

[havoc]

If Evansville can ever manage to finish in the top 3 or 4 with any consistency eventually you won't find it funny either.

3 out of the last 5, with a 4th at 5th. Only two schools have more. You are confusing Evansville with Bradley.

[SubGod22]

If Evansville can ever manage to finish in the top 3 or 4 with any consistency eventually you won't find it funny either.

3 out of the last 5, with a 4th at 5th. Only two schools have more. You are confusing Evansville with Bradley.

I guess that proves his point though that Evansville just doesn't care enough to even try to get an at large.

[SubGod22]

Actually, it was worse than that. According to rpiforecast, these were the nonconference SOS for last year:
WSU 13
UNI 38
Evansville 223
IlSU 10
SIU 327
InSU 92
MSU 261
Loyola 319
Bradley 306
Drake 289

Only 4 schools had a nonconference SOS below 200, let alone 150. Going to 250 only gets you to 5 schools.

That's horrible. And it shows how much the bottom drags down the top.

[Cdizzle]

If Evansville can ever manage to finish in the top 3 or 4 with any consistency eventually you won't find it funny either.

3 out of the last 5, with a 4th at 5th. Only two schools have more. You are confusing Evansville with Bradley.

And yet, Bradley has been to the tournament more recently, and I would put my money on them to make it there again before Evansville does.

Also, that sounds decent. Sounds less good when you call it 46-44. Especially against what this league has become.

This only illustrates the point more. Peaks and valleys where the peaks include competing for or winning championships and/or NCAA/NIT bids is better than sustained and accepted mediocrity. It also gives a generous pass for 4 other years on Simmons' ledger.

[shockalot]

Getting back to the point of this thread...
If my information is correct, here is the list of this year's brain dead and mostly unchallenging matchups as illustrated by the preseason picked order of finish for each team, (I'll also put the presumed winner in bold ):

Loyola (7) vs. San Diego St. (1)
InSt. (5) @ Utah St. (6)
UNI (3) @ Wyo. (10)
UE (9) vs. Boise St. (5)
MSU (4) @ Air Force (9)
WSU (1) @ Co. St. (7)
BU (8) vs. Nevada (2)
IlSt (2) vs. New Mexico (3)
Drake (10) vs. Fresno St. (4)
SIU (6) @ UNLV (8)

Now just look at this BS. It is almost totally lacking in essentially equivalent match ups, my main gripe, and also, IMO, stacked against the MVC. Their are only 3 roughly equivalent (in terms of best to worst in each league) match ups, and 2 of them have the MVC team on the road. Other than Ill. St. everyone else in the MVC got a disadvantageous match up either in terms of an all but certain loss or an all but certain win of little RPI value. Certainly there are also some all but certain wins for the MWC top teams that are of lesser RPI value (again IlSt vs NM being the exception) but winning against a low RPI team on the road is better than doing so at home. All 5 of the top MWC teams play on the road but only NM goes against an equivalent match, the rest are practically gimmes, while the MVC's #5 and 6 teams play essential equivalents on the road, giving the advantage to the MWC.

Once again, the MWC will likely "win" the challenge because the match ups are not done based on at least rough equivalencies, and not because they are the superior conference. IMO, the MVC has let itself get hosed by the overall match up scenarios every year. Making it yet again, the "MVC/MWC Unchallenge", Un-interesting and Un-successful.

[Cdizzle]

Putting SDSU against Loyola is the biggest problem. They both have significant track records of finishing on opposite ends of the league standings. Whomever made these matchups is some kinda idiot. I realize that it isn't always going to match up 1-1, 2-2, 3-3. But this is just deliberately stupid. You'd have better odds of getting good match-ups throwing darts.