Selection Sunday

[quote="Redman#13" post=331886]Anyone think having Cragg as AD helped ya squeak in? Isn’t the head of the selection committee from Duke[/quote]

Stanford for overall guy I believe...but Cragg's friend is still high up.
 
[quote="Redman#13" post=331886]Anyone think having Cragg as AD helped ya squeak in? Isn’t the head of the selection committee from Duke[/quote]

Yes and No.
I meant they can't be that overt
The head of the committee was Muir who was at Gtown for years also.
Bottom line to your point the committee knows Cragg. They couldnt pick Anton Goff out of a lineup.
 
Before the field was revealed, my final prediction was that TCU would be out and Belmont in (should've posted here). Just had a feeling they could replace TCU with Belmont as a "feel good" mid major and nobody would be upset. Belmont also was simply deserving of a spot while TCU wasn't. Still, I got really, really nervous when Temple and Belmont were revealed early on. They knew exactly what they were doing by keeping us in suspense. Overall the Committee did an excellent job with picking the field.

Although we may not go far in the Tournament, I actually think being the last team selected has led to a LOT more press. NC State for example made headlines about their NET in relation to ours. ESPN was even "misinformed" about Temple and Belmont being the last two teams in, and wrote a few paragraphs for them while giving us a couple sentences. Still, they had to give us that press early in the article.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...91795/uva-unc-duke-gonzaga-get-ncaa-top-seeds

We certainly got far more press this year than we did in 2015 as the 8/9 seed. Being the final team selected seems quite fitting for this team. Overall, really great Selection Sunday show, and possibly the most exciting (suspenseful) one we will ever experience. A lot of us (including myself) at times have questioned if the team really wanted it, and seeing raw confirmation in the reaction video made being a fan that much better. Knowing that every single game this year mattered, including those by other bubble teams, made our inclusion that much sweeter.
 
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[quote="RedmanMike" post=331887]For all the people, who think we shouldn't be in, name a bubble team that got left out that was more deserving. NC State? Clemson? TCU? Texas? Those teams are no better than we are, and they aren't more deserving than we are. No one would be complaining if the NCAA hadn't made such a big deal about the NET. NC State's NET was decent - but that was compounded by the fact that their OOC was the worst among any power school - and that's saying something. The Selection Committee wasn't going to reward a bubble team with such a bad OOC.

We benefited from a top-heavy tournament with a lousy bubble and very few stolen bids.[/quote]

When I saw Temple up there, and thought we were out, I was ready to explode. They had two Quad 1 wins the whole year, Houston and UCF. A better NET ranking then us, because of 10 road/neutral wins, compared to just 7 for us, but some of those teams Temple beat on the road were really, really bad. Nothing else to hang their hats on, IMO. If they were in, and we were out, I would have accused the committee as trying to play the feel-good story with Fran Dunphy.

I still think that's what they did WRT Temple's inclusion (because they were valued over us by the committee), but since we made it anyway, I won't make a big deal out of it.
 
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[quote="Adam" post=331890]Before the field was revealed, my final prediction was that TCU would be out and Belmont in (should've posted here). Just had a feeling they could replace TCU with Belmont as a "feel good" mid major and nobody would be upset. Belmont also was simply deserving of a spot while TCU wasn't. Still, I got really, really nervous when Temple and Belmont were revealed early on. They knew exactly what they were doing by keeping us in suspense. Overall the Committee did an excellent job with picking the field.

Although we may not go far in the Tournament, I actually think being the last team selected has led to a LOT more press. NC State for example made headlines about their NET in relation to ours. ESPN was even "misinformed" about Temple and Belmont being the last two teams in, and wrote a few paragraphs for them while giving us a couple sentences. Still, they had to give us that press early in the article.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...91795/uva-unc-duke-gonzaga-get-ncaa-top-seeds

We certainly got far more press this year than we did in 2015 as the 8/9 seed. Being the final team selected seems quite fitting for this team. Overall, really great Selection Sunday show, and possibly the most exciting (suspenseful) one we will ever experience. A lot of us (including myself) at times have questioned if the team really wanted it, and seeing raw confirmation in the reaction video made being a fan that much better. Knowing that every single game this year mattered, including those by other bubble teams, made our inclusion that much sweeter.[/quote]

Thanks for all the time, you put into your analysis Adam. Not only accurate, but appreciate your perspectives.
 
Adam - Great job. I really expected TCU to play Arizona St. once I saw Belmont and Temple. Mattc also had a great post right before we got picked. I think the surprise that we got in has rejuvenated me for a couple of days.
 
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[quote="MJDinkins" post=331781][quote="fordham96" post=331777]To me this reminds me of 31 years ago, 1988. SJU got in as an 11 seed, I believe that year they were either the last or one of the last at large teams. Got very lucky, finished poorly, 8-8, then blew a BE quarterfinal to Villanova in what most people thought they needed to get in. They had control of that game. Got in anyway. Fought hard in Boise against Vern Maxwell and Florida and lost on a last second 3 by Mad Max...[/quote]

I clearly remember that NCAA Tournament game. It was an 11:30pm EST start after the local news telecast. I recall staying up and watching the game in its entirety. Florida had at least two players missing, and I still remember Billy Packer insisting Carnesseca should press and speed up the game as Florida was lacking depth and Maxwell was the only one bringing up the ball. It was in a high altitude setting (Utah--home of the Utah Utes) as well.

I also thought St. John's was done after losing to Providence during the last game of the regular season and to 'Nova in the Big East Tournament Quarterfinals. The team finished off the season horribly, and I didn't even tune into the Selection Show as I thought we wouldn't make it. My oldest brother told me we had made it and I was surprised as heck.

We had some good early wins against an upstart Loyola Marymount, Kansas, swept Georgetown, and beat Villanova. I believe we mainly got in on our reputation at the time. It felt like a kick to the stomach to this 15-year old once Maxwell nailed the game-winning trey on us in that first round NCAA game.[/quote]

Yup I was too young to stay up, well before DVR, I had my parents tape it for me. 11:35 from the Huntsman Center.

Before the internet so did not worry much about finding out the score throughout the whole day in school, and then watched it Friday night.

See below...

 
Adam wrote about the amount of press coverage re the SJU bid and some of it because it was the last bid which added to the excitement. All true but the Post sent Mike Vacarro out to SJU prior to the selections and he filled two pages in today's Post about SJU.
With the substantial increase in attendance this past season, especially at MSG , maybe Cragg is correct that the program is a sleeping giant. It will be interesting next year with more and better games at MSG and hopefully a competitive team if the publics interest keeps going up.
 
[quote="Andrew" post=331910]Adam - Great job. I really expected TCU to play Arizona St. once I saw Belmont and Temple. Mattc also had a great post right before we got picked. I think the surprise that we got in has rejuvenated me for a couple of days.[/quote]

Thanks. Yes once they got to the last region I knew TCU was OUT because Baylor and Texas Tech had yet to be called, and they weren't putting three Big 12 teams in the same region. Based on Oregon getting a 12 seed, I felt Arizona State was out. So I thought going into the last region it was going to be us vs. N.C. State.
 
A big thank you to Tonyinfairfield and Espken for providing info on the XM Radio channels that provided coverage. I flipped between 81, 82 and 84 (ESPNU) for coverage. It made the 4 hour drive from Orlando to South Florida fly by. ESPNU broke for commercials after each region was announced, and I lost track and thought we were done. What a thrill to hear us finally called. The wrap up show had the head of the committee saying we were the last school picked. Wow. By the skin of our teeth. Just thrilled for the players. I know people think they didn't care, but I'm sure it meant the world to them to make it.
 
Despite how we finished the regular season, the goal at the beginning of the season was to make the dance, and with 67 other teams are now playing for the national championship. With many years of drought, it's something to feel good about.
 
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Truth be told, we stunk the last month. And we had such high expectations for the team. Hopefully the team views this as a new life and an opportunity for redemption.
 
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Won't be long before the NY Daily News is as irrelevant as the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. I counted 4 popups when I clicked the link. The NY Daily News site is like an old geocities website from the 90's. They never changed with gig economy.

As for the content of the article: it just echoes the constant despair of brazziler, vaccaro, rubin and SJU fans in general. The constant media attention of the Post, Newsday, occasionally the Times, SNY, local TV and social media plus the heightened expectations of NYC fans that have no successful pro franchise to root for should be an extra 10 places in the NET ranking. Texas Christian (TCU) doesnt deal with what SJU players deals with. It's New York, and we are treated like a pro team. The players are constantly analyzed and picked apart. Dissecting and scrutinizing SJU (and its unpaid players) has become a rite of passage for fans.

SJU is perpetually dogged from many angles...unlike many of the small town teams in the NCAA. That is one possible reasons why college teams from major cities are all declining or rebuilding. UCLA, Temple, Boston College, SJU, Depaul, etc.

Yes, SJU deserves a spot.
 
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