Does George Mason's Final Four run change the NCAA BB landscape??

Ego74 · Mar 26, 2006

first off...One week from tomorrow, is it possible we'll be saying "the 2006 NCAA National Basketball Champions, George Mason"???

And a few other questions come to mind because of GM's run to the final four:

how much does this elevate their program (will they become the UNLV of the 80's/90's, the Gonzaga of the late 90's to present??)?? How much does this elevate their conference?? How about other Mid-majors (even more parody?). Does the CAA now pass up the MVC as the top mid-major??

TTinCO · Mar 26, 2006

Any way you cut it, it's BIG-really big for them & their conference.

How many #11 seeds have made the final 4?

Ironman_8 · Mar 26, 2006

Hmm, interesting questions.

Actually CAA has been on an incline for a few years with the teams historically challenging the big boys (VCU over Wake Forest two years ago and the Richmond teams with their upsets (Even though they are in the A-10 now))

I dont see the CAA passing MVC at least not yet. I really think the bottom of the conference (JMU, Towson, GSU and William Mary) needs to step it up and become more competive for it to be a much better league. The rewards will come in the long term with recruiting over time.

I think the parody is from because of the good kids going to the bigger conferences (ACC, Big East, Big 10; etc) leaving early. The guys in the smaller conferences just seem to stay in school longer therefore the teams stay intact.

OMNIVOROUS FROG · Mar 26, 2006

A real tangible result, and we already saw it before the tourney with mid majors getting more bids. No longer will they just pencil in 8 for the Big East, 6 for the ACC. Those two usually glom up to 14 spots. The SEC, the Colonial and Mizzou Valley really gained some respect. The Big10, well, lucky you have football. I for one enjoy the midmajors. Better coaching, very few future NBA stars bailing after their junoir year. These kids play for their lives. Good for them. How many times can we watch Duke, North Carolina and UConn win it all. Best of all, this is the year I will fondly remember Packer get it packed up his own ass.

Best Wishes...OF :howdy:

Journeyman · Mar 26, 2006

I'm not surprised at all a very low seed made it, not this year or ever again.....epecially after watching them play the first two games.

ButI'mTedBell · Mar 26, 2006

ironman_8 said:
Hmm, interesting questions.

Actually CAA has been on an incline for a few years with the teams historically challenging the big boys (VCU over Wake Forest two years ago and the Richmond teams with their upsets (Even though they are in the A-10 now))

I dont see the CAA passing MVC at least not yet. I really think the bottom of the conference (JMU, Towson, GSU and William Mary) needs to step it up and become more competive for it to be a much better league. The rewards will come in the long term with recruiting over time.

I think the parody is from because of the good kids going to the bigger conferences (ACC, Big East, Big 10; etc) leaving early. The guys in the smaller conferences just seem to stay in school longer therefore the teams stay intact.

Good post and thanks for the info on the CAA. I agree that this will be felt in the long run with recruiting.Some players take longer to develop, and some just get overlooked. All it takes in b-ball is just a couple of players, and you could make some noise. No coach can say with any legitamcy that going to a lower profile school wll hurt them. GMU has a legit chance. They are good enough to be NCAA Champs. That is what makes it a great sport.

REDEYE · Mar 26, 2006

I personally think they should legislate a max of 4 teams out of the Big 10. This conference is overrated every year. I like the flavor of mid major Hoops into this tournament. SW Mo should have been included. I'm not saying this becasue of there Final 4 run , but Mason should have been a 8 or 9 seed instead of 11

HinesWard86 · Mar 27, 2006

Great amount of parity in college hoops now, especially because the kids at the big schools don't stay their full commitment, while players at smaller universities have time to gel and come together as a team. Regardless, I think most of America will be rooting for the Patriots to bring this one home

fightclub34 · Mar 27, 2006

I would say the main part is the kids staying the full 4 years and playing together for 2-3 years really helps out. That is how you become a team and play team ball. The usa olympics proved that. NBA players are suppose to be the best in the world but they never play together and it showed when they where losing to teams like peurto rico.

queposkid · Mar 27, 2006

Whats HOFSTRA thinking about this GEORGE MASON run??

WVU · Mar 27, 2006

The only thing for certain out of George Mason's run. The coach will be offered and will accept a large contract with a major conference school. Probably after next year. The program will dance for a few more years, but probably not make much of a splash. They will be the old George Mason after a few years. It is too late for them to attract great recruits for next year.

juice · Mar 27, 2006

wasn't fishead talking trash about the CAA earlier in the season?

CollegeFan · Mar 27, 2006

RED EYE said:
I personally think they should legislate a max of 4 teams out of the Big 10. This conference is overrated every year. I like the flavor of mid major Hoops into this tournament. SW Mo should have been included. I'm not saying this becasue of there Final 4 run , but Mason should have been a 8 or 9 seed instead of 11

You're right, overrated.... Only the ACC has had more Final Four appearances (1 more) than the Big 10 over the last 10 years. 1 down year in the tourney does not make a conference overrated every year. Don't be ignorant.

REDEYE · Mar 27, 2006

College Fan said:
You're right, overrated.... Only the ACC has had more Final Four appearances (1 more) than the Big 10 over the last 10 years. 1 down year in the tourney does not make a conference overrated every year. Don't be ignorant.

Not being ignorant. fact of the matter most of the teams in this conference go out early every year. Nobody is slamming Mich St or even Ill for that matter going out, they have a mulligan coming, but Iowa is a joke, Ohio St shouldn't have been a 2 seed. How ridiculous is that. Wiscy didn't belong in the tournament. Neither was Indiana. Sure I'm leaving someone out. I stand by my Post

kermit16 · Mar 27, 2006

RED EYE said:
I personally think they should legislate a max of 4 teams out of the Big 10. This conference is overrated every year. I like the flavor of mid major Hoops into this tournament. SW Mo should have been included. I'm not saying this becasue of there Final 4 run , but Mason should have been a 8 or 9 seed instead of 11

Southwest Missouri State was beaten by 18 points by a lowly Louisville in their last Nit game. Things happen in basketball and nobody should come to some huge conclusion based on one tournament. The Major conferences have out performed the smaller schools consistently over the years but perhaps parity is finally hitting college basketball ! But let's not get carried away by one Cinderella story ! I will stick to my opinion that Air Force and Utah State were two teams that didn't belong in this years tourney ! They beat nobody rated in top 25 and didn't win their Conf. tournament !

REDEYE · Mar 27, 2006

kermit16 said:
Southwest Missouri State was beaten by 18 points by a lowly Louisville in their last Nit game. Things happen in basketball and nobody should come to some huge conclusion based on one tournament. The Major conferences have out performed the smaller schools consistently over the years but perhaps parity is finally hitting college basketball ! But let's not get carried away by one Cinderella story ! I will stick to my opinion that Air Force and Utah State were two teams that didn't belong in this years tourney ! They beat nobody rated in top 25 and didn't win their Conf. tournament !

NIT is irrelavant. Some teams come to play some are down after Selection Sunday. Of course the major conferences have out performed the Mid Majors. More teams in, better seeds. Nobody is saying that major conference teams aren't better but its alot closer then people care to admit

CollegeFan · Mar 27, 2006

RED EYE said:
Not being ignorant. fact of the matter most of the teams in this conference go out early every year. Nobody is slamming Mich St or even Ill for that matter going out, they have a mulligan coming, but Iowa is a joke, Ohio St shouldn't have been a 2 seed. How ridiculous is that. Wiscy didn't belong in the tournament. Neither was Indiana. Sure I'm leaving someone out. I stand by my Post

Well, that's your opinion, but the real fact of the matter is that the Big Ten almost always gets a team in the Final Four. Last year, Illinois & MSU made it, with MSU knocking off Duke & UK to get there. You can't say that most teams bow out early every year just b/c this year no team reached the Sweet 16. For obvious reasons, if a conference puts 6-7 teams in each year, odds are good that a couple of the lower seeds will lose in the 1st 2 rounds.

And how did OSU not deserve a 2 seed? They went 25-5, won the Big 10 outright, and made it to the Big 10 championship. In most years, that garners a #1 seed. And by the way, they did beat LSU this year. Who was more deserving? Pitt, Gonzaga, UF, UNC? None of those teams, if you count regular season accomplishments. OSU got bounced early because they drew one of the few teams in the tourney that they could not match up against. G'town was just too tall & lengthy. Give them a Wichita St., Bama, or NC St. 2nd round matchup, and they still may be playing...

I agree with you that this year was a complete disappointment and a total embarassment to the Big 10. But to use this year as a basis for the argument that Big 10 teams always bow out early is unfounded.

REDEYE · Mar 27, 2006

College Fan said:
Well, that's your opinion, but the real fact of the matter is that the Big Ten almost always gets a team in the Final Four. Last year, Illinois & MSU made it, with MSU knocking off Duke & UK to get there. You can't say that most teams bow out early every year just b/c this year no team reached the Sweet 16. For obvious reasons, if a conference puts 6-7 teams in each year, odds are good that a couple of the lower seeds will lose in the 1st 2 rounds.

And how did OSU not deserve a 2 seed? They went 25-5, won the Big 10 outright, and made it to the Big 10 championship. In most years, that garners a #1 seed. And by the way, they did beat LSU this year. Who was more deserving? Pitt, Gonzaga, UF, UNC? None of those teams, if you count regular season accomplishments. OSU got bounced early because they drew one of the few teams in the tourney that they could not match up against. G'town was just too tall & lengthy. Give them a Wichita St., Bama, or NC St. 2nd round matchup, and they still may be playing...

I agree with you that this year was a complete disappointment and a total embarassment to the Big 10. But to use this year as a basis for the argument that Big 10 teams always bow out early is unfounded.

Reread your Post, and then mine.you have made my point for me. I don't have a problem with this conference near the top. But it is a top heavy conference and thats why I posted that this League should be a 4 bid league annd thats it. The fact that a middle of the pack Big East team clobbered Ohio St the Big Ten champ validates that they were overrated and didn't deserve a 2 seed. Even if you do buy in that they should have been a 2, they still got clobbered and were overrated, just like the rest of the league this year. By the way Wichita and Bama would have beaten Ohio St

CollegeFan · Mar 27, 2006

RED EYE said:
Reread your Post, and then mine.you have made my point for me. I don't have a problem with this conference near the top. But it is a top heavy conference and thats why I posted that this League should be a 4 bid league annd thats it. The fact that a middle of the pack Big East team clobbered Ohio St the Big Ten champ validates that they were overrated and didn't deserve a 2 seed. Even if you do buy in that they should have been a 2, they still got clobbered and were overrated, just like the rest of the league this year. By the way Wichita and Bama would have beaten Ohio St

Nice try, but you are using circular reasoning... So, in essence you are saying that George Mason, LSU, UCLA, and UF should have all been #1 seeds, right? The NCAA tourney is all about matchups and which teams get hot. Just because a 2 seed loses in the 2nd round doesn't mean they were undeserving. Also, by your reasoning, the Big East should only have been a 5-bid league since Marquette, Seton Hall, and Syracuse all lost miserably in the 1st round. That doesn't make sense, now does it? By the way, Wichita St. got clobbered (by 19) by MSU on a neutral court. OSU won at East Lansing. And OSU would have their way with every team in the Big East aside from UCONN & G'town because of their size.

kermit16 · Mar 27, 2006

RED EYE said:
NIT is irrelavant. Some teams come to play some are down after Selection Sunday. Of course the major conferences have out performed the Mid Majors. More teams in, better seeds. Nobody is saying that major conference teams aren't better but its alot closer then people care to admit

Just because you say something is irrelevant doesn't mean it's so ! First you best learn how to spell irrelevent as perhaps it is irrelavent because I'm not sure what that means. The simply fact of the matter is that Louisville just got done beating Missouri State by 18 points !Almost everyone was telling us Missouri St was screwed by not being in the tournament but they didn't play a top 25 team all year ! Michigan played 10 games with teams rated in top 25 and Louisville played 8. Oh guess what ? Michigan and Louisville are:lolBIG: in the NIT Semi's ! Of course you will say it is irrelavant... whatever that means !