Playoffs?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7fjDS0jKiE&feature=re...

(Edit* Embedding Youtube videos must be impossible)

We gave them the friggin game !!!!!! says it about the Bobcats last nite. We aren't going to any playoffs after last nite. We are done. 

Don't be surprised if we get in the CBI or CIT next week.  With the post season opportunity fund available to fund it, high school regional basketball in the Convo might have to find a new home for one night.

The minor tournaments are good for extra practice (which likely won't carry over from one year to the next), but not much else.  Nobody remembers who won them because they're going on at the same time as the NCAA.

Quick quiz:

a.  Who won the 2010 Not Important Tournament?  Hint: It's an Ohio team that beat UNC.

b.  Who won the 2010 Can't Be Interesting Tournament?

c.  Who won the 2010 CollegeInferior.com Tournament?

Answers (had to look them up on the Internet):

a. Dayton

b. Missouri St.

c. VCU

None of these teams won their conference tourney this year, and only Missouri St. and VCU are bubble teams, pretty much the same as last year.

Pass. Sorry.

Maybe not, but that 2002 Kent team cited the 2000 NIT as a valuable experience.

Not to belabor the point because if they choose the CBI, it is what it is.  But unless the players/coaches just want to play some more hoops for the love of the game, I don't see much value.  If you play Tommy, Devo, Tunji and Asown then you're playing for the love of the game.  If you're playing for the future, then I see two problems with that:

1.  It's a big slap in the face of the seniors to not play them much in order to play the underclassman more in preparation for next year.  Probably even a bigger slap than the Ball State game.

2.  If you play a rotation of the mainly the underclassman (which I doubt we'd do, but would be more productive in preparation for next year) I'm not sure how much you're going to learn that you already don't know. 

Nick---appears his ankle is hurt and needs rest more than anything.  He's going to be a solid contributor for 3 more years.
TJ--I was asking to give him more minutes and the coaches gave it to him as he actually started some.  But his role actually diminished as the season progressed.  If he has a Baltic type breakout next year, he's really going to be something and I really wouldn't be surprised if he did emerge.  But it's obvious he's a year or two away right now.  This year he was basically a spot up shooter and not shy.  Limited rebounder and very limited creating his own shot (though he tried to add taking the ball to the rim and helping out on the boards to his game).
Ricardo--His role actually increased throughout the season, but once again he's a year or two away--not a week or two.  Very athletic and also not shy.  But he was simply wild most of the year and very wild vs. Ball State.  As with TJ, I wouldn't be at all surprised if he has a Baltic breakout and becomes an athletic/slashing type player but not this year and not in the CBI next week.  The three best ways to describe him is: 1.  Athletic, 2.  Wild/Out of Control; 3. Unseasoned.
Reggie--Wouldn't know where to start on describing what's going on here.  Flashes here and there during the season but I'm not sure what role he's going to play.  Not quite big or assertive enough to be the enforcer inside that is ultimately what we'd like to get from him.  A black hole with very limited offensive moves when giving him the ball in the post.  So inconsistent of a year that I can't put my thumb on what's up with him.
Ethan--The one guy the CBI would be good for if they'd play him 25 minutes and see where he's at.  But I wonder if the staff would if they wouldn't even give him 5 minutes of mop up duty?

So unless you just want to play some more hoops, or you can get the NCAA to allow our incoming transfers/Freshman to play (wink), not sure the value?  Next year will be an entirely new team and until we see what the new guys have and how many Batlic -type improvements we have from TJ , Nick, Ethan, Reggie, and Ricardo I think it's best we just start again next year because I don't think these guys are going to do anything next week that we didn't see all season long.

The very same argument could be made about the minor bowl games but the chorus on here was almost unanimous that we had to go to a bowl game.

To me,  a secondary benefit of O.U.  being in any  post season tourney is that it will p _ _ s of Vedder and Hays big time.  

Exactly.  Except for some of the NIT games, the other tourney games don't get TV exposure (except for maybe the "championship" game on Versus or some other obscure channel) unless maybe you play a Big 6 school on a night when two other Big 6 schools aren't playing.  And good luck finding the score -- let alone a summary -- in the paper or even online.  Plus, you're likely always playing on the road with maybe a two-day notice of where you're playing next.  These tourneys are nothing more than the NCAA's way of throwing a bone to the smaller conferences who get only one, or maybe two, teams in The Dance.  But putting them on while the rest of the universe is focused on The Dance really diminishes their value.

Isn't the reason we got the CBI game is that we coughed up a lot of cash? Steve Hawkins is still mad about that.

I would hold off on the postseason and use the money to buy a home game next year. If Groce wants a post season he needs to finish in the top four of the MAC either in the regular season or the tournament and be top 100 rpi.  We accomplished none of the three.  Not going to the postseason lets the returning players know that is was not a successfull season by this schools standard. We were 18-15 despite playing 19 games at home.  That was a mediocre season. The players should think about how that loss felt and perhaps next year they focus for 40 minutes every game.  For 30 minutes we look like Kent St, then other ten we look like Toledo.  Going to another tournament where the team can make the same mistakes again doesn't help us. The players need to get in the gym and work on their shots. They need to get in the weight room and get stronger. They need to watch film of the mistakes they made and correct them.  We beat ourselves way too much this year with poor execution. If this team isn't improved next season then its on the coaching staff.