SalukiProf
03-03-2006, 10:12 PM
"Updated: March 3, 2006, 10:38 PM ET
Welcome to the Big Valley
Forde
By Pat Forde
ESPN.com
ST. LOUIS -- Walk into the Savvis Center for the Missouri Valley Conference quarterfinals and it feels all wrong.
This is supposed to be the humble heartland league that keeps early Championship Week company with the Ohio Valley, Big South, Atlantic Sun and other future low-ball NCAA seeds, right? So how did all this big-boy stuff happen:
• Thirty NBA scouting credentials, easily a record for this event, according to conference officials. And most of the NBA seats were filled for all four games.
• Press row seats for The New York Times, The Washington Post and, yes, ESPN.com.
• A-list game officials Tim Higgins and Jim Burr.
• And hey, isn't that Dick Enberg? Yes, it is. Oh, my.
It felt like a Friday quarterfinals day in the Big Ten tournament, or the Big 12 or the SEC. Just a week early."
[snip]
"The fact that the Valley has bloodied itself has given rhetorical (but not numerical) ammo to the power conference advocates. They say the MVC teams are propping up their own top 50 RPIs by taking turns beating each other.
"What the hell does that matter?" rebutted Elgin, a former NCAA selection committee member. "There ought to be a premium on those top 50 wins against each other, especially on the road.
"This is the absolute proof that this league is as good as people say it is: If Northern Iowa is the sixth seed, I want to look at the six seeds in the so-called power leagues. In my mind, that's one of our top teams. "
[snip]
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=2353543
GO BRAVES!
GO VALLEY!
GO DAWGS!
Welcome to the Big Valley
Forde
By Pat Forde
ESPN.com
ST. LOUIS -- Walk into the Savvis Center for the Missouri Valley Conference quarterfinals and it feels all wrong.
This is supposed to be the humble heartland league that keeps early Championship Week company with the Ohio Valley, Big South, Atlantic Sun and other future low-ball NCAA seeds, right? So how did all this big-boy stuff happen:
• Thirty NBA scouting credentials, easily a record for this event, according to conference officials. And most of the NBA seats were filled for all four games.
• Press row seats for The New York Times, The Washington Post and, yes, ESPN.com.
• A-list game officials Tim Higgins and Jim Burr.
• And hey, isn't that Dick Enberg? Yes, it is. Oh, my.
It felt like a Friday quarterfinals day in the Big Ten tournament, or the Big 12 or the SEC. Just a week early."
[snip]
"The fact that the Valley has bloodied itself has given rhetorical (but not numerical) ammo to the power conference advocates. They say the MVC teams are propping up their own top 50 RPIs by taking turns beating each other.
"What the hell does that matter?" rebutted Elgin, a former NCAA selection committee member. "There ought to be a premium on those top 50 wins against each other, especially on the road.
"This is the absolute proof that this league is as good as people say it is: If Northern Iowa is the sixth seed, I want to look at the six seeds in the so-called power leagues. In my mind, that's one of our top teams. "
[snip]
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=2353543
GO BRAVES!
GO VALLEY!
GO DAWGS!