In the last six years they've gotten zero at large teams four times. They've had just one team advance to the super regionals (the equivalent of the sweet 16) in that same time frame. No it's not lambs led to the slaughter like the Summit League, but it certainly is no Missouri Valley either.

That's the exact same number of years the Missouri Valley has gotten zero at large teams in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. They haven't gotten an at large since 2007.

Its also harder for inferior programs to make the Super Regionals than it is to make the Sweet 16, since its not a "one and done" in baseball. But the MVC has only landed two Sweet 16 teams over that time.

Terp - that ensures that the conferences with summer ball are the JV. What ballplayer would willingly choose to pass on playing spring (which actually starts near the beginning of February) ball and then some summer wood bat league like Cape Cod to play the equivalent of indoor track?

srul

it's fine and not cold. we just need some more rain (without tornados)

That's the exact same number of years the Missouri Valley has gotten zero at large teams in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. They haven't gotten an at large since 2007.

I hadn't realized how far off the MVC has dropped recently. I believe they got at least one at large team in the tournament every year from 2007 back to the early 90s. Then they would be an apt comparison, a conference that is surviving only on its reputation, and not its actual performance.

How's the weather where you are?

Multiple thunderstorm warnings with a good chance of tornados this afternoon, spring has come early this year. Actually we really never had winter this year here (southwestern Indiana), not that I would complain about that.

Multiple thunderstorm warnings with a good chance of tornados this afternoon

Just watching the live coverage of the tornado down near E'ville, while I wait in DIA for a flight back to Indy. Flights already been pushed back 30 minutes, we'll see how much longer it gets delayed.

I think the B1G could get at least one other larger conference to go at least for the partial fall schedule. If nothing else, this could address what used to be a big issue with regard to schedule lengths (i.e., games played). Actually, the NCAA may have done something about that, already, but I believe that softball (one of the grad students with whom I work is the AT for this at Purdue) still only has a "minimum" number of games rather than a maximum, and I recall the days when FSU and Miami would be something like 68-13 while the B1G teams would have only played about 54 games. THAT certainly affects recruiting, too, so equalizing "experience" could only help.

Not so sure about a summer schedule...though we'd certainly make it to games far more often if they did that. Right now all of the weekday games are while my kids are still in school, and Saturday games are usually overlapping with youth baseball. Summer day games would be a big hit. So, for a place that usually draws about 50 times more flies than people (i.e., Purdue), I think this would be a win attendance-wise (especially with the new stadium they are opening).

That's the exact same number of years the Missouri Valley has gotten zero at large teams in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. They haven't gotten an at large since 2007.

I hadn't realized how far off the MVC has dropped recently. I believe they got at least one at large team in the tournament every year from 2007 back to the early 90s. Then they would be an apt comparison, a conference that is surviving only on its reputation, and not its actual performance.

Yeah, but that may have been a temporary dry spell. This year Creighton and Wichita State are locks to make the NCAAs. So that's one at large and maybe two if another team gets the automatic bid.

One more requirement -- summer NCAA ball would be a wood bat league, as a way to lure recruits. Otherwise, it's pointless. True, it would hurt the Cape Cod and Valley leagues, but so be it.