What a shame if they don't make it to the NCAA Tour. after winning 25 straight games. In stead we'll get the likes of a uc, temple, or even tulsa, from a GOD awful conf. in the AAC. I wish just one time the NCAA powers that be, would grow a pair, and put in deserving teams, and not teams with the bigger names, who are GOD awful to watch, I.E. uc and the likes. Racers forever, the AAC, NEVER! :HitWall:
I think the Racers get in at about a 11 or 12 seed.
I hope Murray State gets in, but the committee is dominated by Power 5 people who only care about getting money for their own leagues. Murray State has a team that could beat a 2,3 or 4 seed in the first round. They are also a team that could lose by 30 points to a Xavier or Valpo, which they did earlier in the season. I do not think that should be held against them, anymore than Ohio State losing by 30 points yesterday to Wisconsin at home.
NCAA committee history says they will not take Murray State, and that is too bad. The Racers deserve a chance. Blame the OVC for this; how can you allow Belmont to have a home-town advantage like that in Nashville when they are a mediocre team? I know money talks and that is why, but now the OVC will probably not have its best team in the NCAA.
BOKC Wildcat Wrote:I hope Murray State gets in, but the committee is dominated by Power 5 people who only care about getting money for their own leagues. Murray State has a team that could beat a 2,3 or 4 seed in the first round. They are also a team that could lose by 30 points to a Xavier or Valpo, which they did earlier in the season. I do not think that should be held against them, anymore than Ohio State losing by 30 points yesterday to Wisconsin at home.
NCAA committee history says they will not take Murray State, and that is too bad. The Racers deserve a chance. Blame the OVC for this; how can you allow Belmont to have a home-town advantage like that in Nashville when they are a mediocre team? I know money talks and that is why, but now the OVC will probably not have its best team in the NCAA.
No Murray does not deserve a chance. They got their good record against the 234th ranked schedule in the NCAA. Murray's RPI is also 67th.
They could not have lost in a better fashion. Murray has always been the most classless school in the OVC.
About the bolded, EKU didn't have in troubles beating Belmont in the OVC tournament last year. If Murray was that great, they should have defeated Belmont. How many ranked teams did Murray play this year? How many did they beat?
Murray State is 0-1 vs the RPI top 50. That's not gonna cut it to say the least. Only 1 game vs a top 50 team and you lose it by 27 points? They aren't worthy of a bid.
Especially when the "last 4 out" include teams like UCLA and Texas.
Pretty simple, they were the favorite to win the OVC, and was riding a huge wave of momentum going in, but simply lost. By the looks of their resume, they don't deserve an at-large bid. Looks like they will have to settle for an N.I.T. bid.
Murray State is not classless, just the class of the OVC. Several national people have said they pass the "eye test" and are one of the top 40 teams in the country. That said, they should have certainly beaten a mediocre Belmont team. Murray State would have loved to played a better schedule, but the Louisvilles, Kentuckys, Tennessees, Vanderbilts, North Carolinas, NC States, all said no this season. Coach Prohm made the effort to play any of those teams on the road, they all declined. So the schedule is not their fault.
Murray State could be in Missouri Valley Conference in near future. That will help the schedule if they play Wichita State, Northern Iowa and Illinois State twice a year instead of Morehead State, Belmont and SIUE. Racer fans were not in favor of such a move two years ago, but the OVC is quickly becoming a third-class citizen in D-1 basketball, and if Murray State does not get an at-large bid I look for them to lobby the Missouri Valley Conference for membership again. Yes, it will impact football because the MVC doesn't sponsor it, but basketball is Murray State's cash cow. Football is just a necessary evil at Murray right now.
BOKC Wildcat Wrote:Murray State could be in Missouri Valley Conference in near future. That will help the schedule if they play Wichita State, Northern Iowa and Illinois State twice a year instead of Morehead State, Belmont and SIUE. Racer fans were not in favor of such a move two years ago, but the OVC is quickly becoming a third-class citizen in D-1 basketball, and if Murray State does not get an at-large bid I look for them to lobby the Missouri Valley Conference for membership again. Yes, it will impact football because the MVC doesn't sponsor it, but basketball is Murray State's cash cow. Football is just a necessary evil at Murray right now.
I agree the OVC is becoming a third class citizen in D1 basketball if it wasn't already. What makes me laugh though is you talk like Murray St is so much better than everybody else in the OVC yet they haven't won the OVC tourney since 2012.
They are the best program. Any bad team can win a weekend tournament. Murray State wins an entire season (16-0), which indicates best team.
NCAA is suppose to take the 68 best teams. They say its how you play down the stretch.. And this team "lost 1 game in 26 games"... If that's not worthy then as Murray state I would sue the NCAA for discriminations.
I agree with you about a 25-1 finish being good enough. Murray State can not sue the NCAA because it is a member of the NCAA. It would be akin to suing yourself, can't be done. Murray State will not be the first team wronged: Alcorn State in 1978-79 was 28-0 and not given an at-large berth because their conference was supposedly in "transition" to D-1. Yet they played in the NIT! In 1977-78, the University of New Orleans won the Sun Belt Conference, beat LSU at LSU and had a 21-6 record but was left out for mysterious reasons. UNO had future NBA center Wayne Cooper, Nate Mills, Ardith Wearren, Mike Edwards and was considered one of the best teams, but somehow they were left out. A great book on this team is titled "Room of Corruption" and focuses on the seeding of 1978 - the first year the NCAA did such - and an intern for the NCAA who was asked to tape the conversation of the committee in Shawnee Mission, Kansas. The intern forgets to give the tape to Wayne Duke (the NCAA chair and Big 10 commish) and takes it home. He discovers the tape 25 years later, and the ensuing conversations are mind-blowing why UNO did not get a bid. Great read!
BOKC Wildcat Wrote:They are the best program. Any bad team can win a weekend tournament. Murray State wins an entire season (16-0), which indicates best team.
Lol! You're too much. You acted like Murray St is FAR BETTER than any OVC team yet they haven't won the OVC since 2013. I agree. The best team doesn't always win a tourney, but we're talking since 2012 here.
Murray State is indeed WAY BETTER than any other OVC basketball program. It's not even a debate. If the OVC had any common sense, they would designate the regular-season winner their NCAA berth. Now, Belmont will go, be a 15 or 16 seed, get beat by 30+ points and the OVC looks dumb.
Murray State would have been able to at least given the OVC a chance to spring an upset. Belmont relied on two bank-shot 3-pointers in the final 5 minutes and another hail mary 3-pointer to get the win. No question, Murray State has not played well in the OVC tourney, but how many times do they have to beat the same teams in one season? It won't matter when they join the Missouri Valley and say so-long to the OVC for good.
BOKC Wildcat Wrote:Murray State is indeed WAY BETTER than any other OVC basketball program. It's not even a debate. If the OVC had any common sense, they would designate the regular-season winner their NCAA berth. Now, Belmont will go, be a 15 or 16 seed, get beat by 30+ points and the OVC looks dumb.
Murray State would have been able to at least given the OVC a chance to spring an upset. Belmont relied on two bank-shot 3-pointers in the final 5 minutes and another hail mary 3-pointer to get the win. No question, Murray State has not played well in the OVC tourney, but how many times do they have to beat the same teams in one season? It won't matter when they join the Missouri Valley and say so-long to the OVC for good.
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Ashamed for the OVC and Murray State a great season is deleted by a hail mary shot. To be fair, Belmont deserved to win that game. But Murray State is the OVC's best team, as seen through a 16-0 conference record. If they can figure out the financial end, Murray State will be in the Missouri Valley in 2016-17. Next season will be their last in the OVC.