Loyola's postseason run a stepping stone—with a cost

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Often dismissed here??

Paaaa-lease! The majority of folks here recognize and will defend the benefit of playing in these junk ass post season tournaments.

I however, am not one of those individuals because I have no recognition skills and am quite stubborn. Here is the problem with these post season tournaments, you only hear/talk about the success stories. For instance, Illinois State is mentioned in this story and although they had a decent season can you really say that playing in the post season did anything for them the next year (this year)? Not really in my mind. Did it help attendance for them? Not really. Did they get more donations because of it? No idea.

Look no further than our own program. I have been very pleased with the progress we have made as a program over the last 5 years. I am not convinced those post season tournaments in which we played terrible (every-single-game) did anything to get this program where is today. So not only do they cost you money - you aint making it up in ticket sales either, it is a losing battle.

Not sure if it me that is being stubborn at this point or you?!?!
 
I'm with SSOM on this. Yes, I've done a 180 on the subject. I'll even go a bit further - I'm not convinced that, aside from putting it on banners in HC, our trips to the NCAA and NIT have done jack for the program. We play like crap in every postseason tournament, literally like we don't belong. If we're not going to grab the bull by the horns and play like it means something, everything, then we should just stay home. And I don't want to hear about, "...oooooo, it was a baaaad match up..." We play like crap in March...
 
IndyTreeFan said:
I'm with SSOM on this. Yes, I've done a 180 on the subject. I'll even go a bit further - I'm not convinced that, aside from putting it on banners in HC, our trips to the NCAA and NIT have done jack for the program. We play like crap in every postseason tournament, literally like we don't belong. If we're not going to grab the bull by the horns and play like it means something, everything, then we should just stay home. And I don't want to hear about, "...oooooo, it was a baaaad match up..." We play like crap in March...
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We have agreed on two strait (yes, I am counting) topics... Political topic and now this. I am impressed with you! :thumbsup:

It always kills me when the media prior to games this year says, "the Sycamores have played in the post season for 4 strait years" as if that really means anything to anyone. It only means something when you are playing in the Big Dance and honestly I don't care how you play. Make the BD and you are eventually going to win a game or two - simple as that. Make it once every 15 or 20 years and yeah a bad loss to a higher seed is going to be a pretty common theme. Why? Because I think kids have a tendency to become complacent with the success that they have had.

In other words, well we made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 15 years so we have already surpassed expectations... Now that isn't scientific by any means, obviously some teams are special and they can transcend that. I think it is something that we have dealt with in the past. The goal every year should be to make the BD and if you don't make the BD or the NIT then you should go home. End of conversation for me.
 
I agree the "post season every year" thing is hokey. But it still seems like the experience would be good for the young guys.
I'm not opposed either way if it's a team decision.
 

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sycamorebacker said:
That's one way to look at it. I'm not sure how experience can be a bad thing when more experience, by definition, makes players better.
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Backer, yes experience is a fine thing - all about it, on the face that seems like a valid argument. I would suggest that 31 total games and 18 conference games provides about as much experience as a player needs. You can't tell me that one or two extra post season games really makes a difference in the grand scheme of things. I aint buying that.

These "other" post season tournaments are about one thing and one thing only and it has nothing to do with making a team better or making a program progress. It's about money.
 
I think the value of the CBI and CIT tournaments depends on the makeup of your team. If you have a team full of freshman, sophomores and transfers, a extra three games and the three weeks of practice that comes with it could be helpful. If you have a bunch of juniors and seniors, you might as well save the money, end your season and move forward.

I feel the CBI will be pretty beneficial to a young and up-and-coming team like Loyola. They have a young squad who could use the experience; the experience of playing in a single-elimination tournament and simply the experience of preparing for an uncommon and unfamiliar opponent.

All of the arguments against or for these tournaments are qualitative and not quantitative. People ask how many wins did it add to the following year - you can't quantify that. I counter by asking how many losses did it add? You can't quantify that either. It all just depends on who your team is and what they need to be successfull, in theory, going forward. I happen to think this is a perfect situation for a team like Loyola, and I also agree that we were smart to decline any CBI or CIT invites. It wouldn't have have made sense for us this year.
 
For a team like Loyola this has to have been a good experience as they had not been anywhere lately in post-season. However, I must agree with the posters above when it concerns our Sycamores. Make it to the Big Dance or the NIT or GO HOME! One more game, which is all they usually could get anyway adds very damned little to a 30 game season. Of all of the CTI or CBI games they have played the last few years, the players did not want to be there and it showed.
 

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WHAT IF seniors are not eligible for the not-NCAA and NIT tournaments but allow the play of red-shirts? It would be totally based on looking forward instead of more of the sme.
 
I guess it doesn't really matter this year. Loyola stomped our asses so bad we decided to fold up and call it a season. Good for them on their post-season success. I wish our problems could be solved by simply getting rid of two players, but I doubt that's going to be enough to address our team's poor post-season play.
 
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