With all the sport talk big-shots gushing Sunday night that (cough-cough) "the little guys are finally getting a fair shake" (since when is a school with an enrollment of about 30,000 "little" anyway???) - the mtsu blue faders who just lost to #184 in the nation FIU in their first game of the SunBelt (a crappy conference) turn around and get crushed in their mulligan game proving they had no business in the big dance when a team like Maryland had two wins over #1 seed Duke and had a SOS of 100 spots higher.

What mtsu's collapse does is hurt the chance for "mid-majors" to get at-large bids as much in the future.  Fans of teams in the MAC can't be thrilled about this.

Before anybody stokes up a lecture on their record or that they did have an early season upset (at home) over Ole Miss, I am already plenty familiar with their team.  I live 19 miles from their campus.

I wouldn't exactly say they got "crushed".  13 points isn't all that much to lose by, especially when you see how MTSU was fouling late when they were down 10.

 It was a 5 point game mid way through the second half. And considering SMC shot 57% from 3 I'd say MTSU was good to have kept it as close as they did.

That's how I feel about the SunBelt conference.  If you can't beat #184 F.I.U. - then you don't belong in the NCAA.

"bu-bu-bu-but mtsu had a good record in their little crappy conference!!"

Big whoop.  How would they have done in the ACC or Big Ten?  Last place or close to it.

The two best teams they played (Florida and Belmont) steamrolled them... Belmont beat them worse than they beat Ohio.  I saw both games.   And they lost head-to-head to Akron, so they wouldn't have won the MAC - a good mid-major league.  If mtsu had stayed in their old conference (the OVC) they probably would have finished in 3rd or 4th place behind Belmont, Murray, and maybe even EKU.

Now they lose 6 seniors, so at least we won't be having any more mtsu conversations for a long time.

Florida steamrolled a lot of good teams this year.  I guess by your definition Marquette didn't belong in the tournament because they got stomped by Florida 82-49.  Missouri lost to them 83-52.  They beat Florida State 72-47. They beat Wisconsin 74-56. 

By your standards Belmont doesn't belong either since they lost to Tennessee State. Sounds to me like you have an axe to grind with MTSU.

I am having trouble following the point of this thread. Mid-majors are in trouble in the future because one Mid-major, MTSU, lost to another Mid-major, Saint Mary's? Is that right?

My only point was I have no sympathy for the majors, like Maryland, Iowa, etc. complaining that they didn't get in because a losing or average team from a small conference won their league tournament, thereby reducing the availability of at-large's for the majors.  I think conference tournament winners, no matter the size of the conference, deserve a spot in the Big Dance.