Too much weight is placed on non-conference games. Each ncaa team plays 10-15 of these games, but only a handful against tough opponents - and they are primarily in Nov/Dec.
I think the "SEC is down" perception has been repeated so many times this year it has been adopted as reality - when in fact we have been beating up on each other - like other conferences.
I like Bob Knight's idea - drop the NIT, double the size of the field, and play an extra round!
Ahh come on man. I've seen a lot of SEC homers, but I think you may just be the biggest of all. Or, maybe I'm just a succer and I've let the media cloud my judgment. I don't think that's the case though. I've watched plenty of SEC games this year and I haven't been impressed. At all. Put LSU or Tennessee in the Big East or ACC, they'd have trouble finishing .500 in conference. As good as they are in football, the SEC is just as bad in basketball. If LSU or UT makes it past the first weekend, I'd be completely shocked. But hey, if you are confident in them making the Final Four, put some money down. LSU and Tennessee are each getting 15-1 odds. Vegas must be out of their minds, right?
It's funny, people saying the SEC got screwed in the selection process. The head of the Selection Committee was none other than the SEC Commissioner himself! So....blame yourselves I guess. One thing you can say about the SEC, they're definitely not guilty of nepotism.
I disagree with doubling the field. Half the fun during selection time is debating the bubble teams. And why screw around with something so good as the Tournament? It's as close to perfect as it'll get. Besides, even if you double the number of teams, you'll still have team #129, or team #130 that'll be upset and whine about not getting in. Then what? Allow all Division I teams in? There has to be some level of exclusivity to the selection process.
I do agree that too much emphasis is probably put on games that are played in November and December. Teams during that time are still trying to figure out how to play, they're experimenting with things. But, that's the way it is. So knowing that, you'd better schedule some tough opponents. And you'd better win some of them. Davidson played a brutal out-of-conference schedule, but they didn't win any of the games (except West Virginia)! So it should come as no surprise that they're now NIT-bound. (By the way, losing Jason Richards really hurt that Davidson team this year.)
