Xavier rejects "Mid-Major" award

[Matt700wlw]

http://collegebasketball.rivals.com/...asp?CID=759725

[traderumor]

geesh. Some circles speak of UC as a mid-major. Explain why this isn't an overreaction?

[Chip R]

Good for them.

[dabvu2498]

Originally Posted by Chip R

Good for them.

Agreed. Nothing mid-major about the top four teams in that conference, especially X since they do it year in year out.

[Chip R]

Quite a condescending award.

[Yachtzee]

Originally Posted by Chip R

Quite a condescending award.

It's not a condescending award if you're actually dealing with a "mid-major" conference, but I think it's time the NCAA started looking beyond the powerful football conferences in determining what constitutes a major conference in basketball. Conferences like the Atlantic 10 have enough strong teams to be considered a major basketball conference. The level of talent is much more widely distributed between basketball conferences.

[bucksfan2]

Originally Posted by Yachtzee

It's not a condescending award if you're actually dealing with a "mid-major" conference, but I think it's time the NCAA started looking beyond the powerful football conferences in determining what constitutes a major conference in basketball. Conferences like the Atlantic 10 have enough strong teams to be considered a major basketball conference. The level of talent is much more widely distributed between basketball conferences.

Year in year out the A10 has basically been a mid major. This year they are looking very good but they haven't sustained that level of play. Over the past few years of play the A10 has basically consisted of two legit teams in XU and St. Joes. Until a team like Dayton can prove over a 5 year stretch that they are to be taken seriously I think the A10 will be held in the same view as MVC.

[Yachtzee]

Originally Posted by bucksfan2

Year in year out the A10 has basically been a mid major. This year they are looking very good but they haven't sustained that level of play. Over the past few years of play the A10 has basically consisted of two legit teams in XU and St. Joes. Until a team like Dayton can prove over a 5 year stretch that they are to be taken seriously I think the A10 will be held in the same view as MVC.

The MVC isn't exactly a slouch of a conference either. Just like any other conference, the A10 has a couple of consistent winners and a bunch of others who have up years and down years.

[Chip R]

Originally Posted by Yachtzee

It's not a condescending award if you're actually dealing with a "mid-major" conference, but I think it's time the NCAA started looking beyond the powerful football conferences in determining what constitutes a major conference in basketball. Conferences like the Atlantic 10 have enough strong teams to be considered a major basketball conference. The level of talent is much more widely distributed between basketball conferences.

It's condescending no matter what conference you are dealing with.

[guttle11]

Originally Posted by Chip R

It's condescending no matter what conference you are dealing with.

Yep. It implies inferiority.

The "Mid-Major" label is one of the most ridiculous things about college sports. Not only is it condescending, but the way it's used is questionable at best.

As it stands now, the media uses "mid-major" to describe all conferences except the "bcs" leagues. But not Memphis. Or Gonzaga. Or Xavier half the time. Or Dayton, St Joes, UMass, Utah...et al...but only if those schools are good. If they have a down year, they're "mid-major" again.

Now, Northwestern is in the Big Ten, but has never gone to the NCAA tournament. Is Northwestern a "major" basketball program? If Dayton, Utah...aren't, how can Northwestern be considered? What about Penn State, Rutgers, South Florida, or Oregon St? Are they superior to A10 or MVC schools because they play in a league with top teams? No.

It's absurd, lazy work by the media (Billy Packer, I'm looking at you) that keeps the "mid-major" label truckin' along year after year.

[M2]

Originally Posted by Yachtzee

It's not a condescending award if you're actually dealing with a "mid-major" conference, but I think it's time the NCAA started looking beyond the powerful football conferences in determining what constitutes a major conference in basketball. Conferences like the Atlantic 10 have enough strong teams to be considered a major basketball conference. The level of talent is much more widely distributed between basketball conferences.

Exactly. The A-10 has been playing quality basketball for a long time, Xavier in particular.

[bucksfan2]

Originally Posted by M2

Exactly. The A-10 has been playing quality basketball for a long time, Xavier in particular.

I really wouldn't go that far. Xavier has been playing quality basketball for a long time. They are consistantly in consideration for an at large birth in the tournament. IMO outside of St. Joes the A10 has been weak over the past 5-10 years. Dayton has has some bright spots but have also had some bad bad years. Rhode Island is good this year but has been a door mat for quite a while. I have no disrespect for X and hope they do well. However i think pimping the A10 as a quality conference is a little out there.

[traderumor]

What about the Rodney Dangerfield Award. Would they accept that?

From the outside of not being a Cincy schools fan, this looks like a chip-on-the-shoulder issue. Ok, let the Buckeye analogies rip.

[guttle11]

Originally Posted by bucksfan2

I really wouldn't go that far. Xavier has been playing quality basketball for a long time. They are consistantly in consideration for an at large birth in the tournament. IMO outside of St. Joes the A10 has been weak over the past 5-10 years. Dayton has has some bright spots but have also had some bad bad years. Rhode Island is good this year but has been a door mat for quite a while. I have no disrespect for X and hope they do well. However i think pimping the A10 as a quality conference is a little out there.

Dayton hasn't had any "bad bad" years in the last decade. Their worst was a 14-17 season with a young squad that suffered a devastating transfer well after recruiting season ended. It's their only losing season over that span, I believe. During that season they beat UC at UC, so it's not like they were a terrible team.

They're better off for that rebuilding process, I think, because the talent level they have now and in upcoming recruits is as good as it's been at UD since the 70s. How many programs haven't had a rebuilding process over that span? 10-15 tops maybe?

UD has been to the NCAA 3 times (2 were at-large berths) and the NIT twice this decade. Not great, but far from bad. They're an NCAA tourney win from being fully back in the national scene.

As far as the A10 goes, it had three down years, but other than that has been a very successful league. In 2004 the league had 4 NCAA berths (SJU, X, UD, Richmond) and two elite 8 teams (SJU, X). In 2003 Dayton was a 4 seed, and X and SJU were also ranked at times and made the dance. Going back even further you had a great run for Temple under Chaney, and the great UMass teams of the 90s that brought a final four berth.

[SunDeck]

What would that make Duke, I wonder?
And is Northwestern not a mid major? Or even that?
Georgetown, another Jesuit school of about the same size? Except that they have football, which I had to look up, even.

This is just stupid. But the fact that XU gets their underwear all kinked up about it makes them look like crybabies. Just go to the final four, then mention it with a little humor. That'd be classy.