19 Years since the Big Sky won a game in the NCAAs

[MSU01]

More data points that add to the BSC's low standing in the basketball world. MSU women lost by 20, UM lost by 19 and then both the teams that beat them lost their next game. OSU at home to 5 seed Tennessee by 17. Wisconsin to 6 seed BYU by just two, but they were down 14 in the second half and 10 with about 2 minutes to go.

Granted they don't mean much as standalone points.

I just feel like the difference between the BSC and the top Division 1 conferences is about the same as the difference between the Frontier Conference and the BSC.

So in past years if BSC teams lost by 20 or less and team that beat them moved on to top 16, 8, 4 etc did that mean it should have helped in the future?

I don't know. It just seems like people wouldn't think this was all that much fun. If you do win a Dance game, it is just going to look like you got lucky and had a good day when the opponent had a bad day. I think a mid-major tournament might be more fun. The FCS tournament is fun, isn't it? I'd rather have a chance to win a lower division championship, than no chance at winning a higher division championship.

Valid points and I would tend to agree. MSU01 Comment is more the other direction, where without moving up we never have a chance at anything but a low level title. MSU is strong in multiple sports at our level now. Moving up I am not sure that is sustainable.

I guess my main point is that we have people on the football board dead set against moving to FBS because they'd rather be able to compete for a National Championship than have the end goal of the season be a low-level bowl game. Which is an entirely reasonable viewpoint, but staying in the Big Sky/FCS is also going to limit the ceiling MSU has to compete nationally in other sports like basketball. A mid-major tournament is an interesting idea although I'm not sure where you draw the line between which teams and conferences are "mid-major" and which get to compete in the main tournament. There does seem to be an increasing divide between the power conferences and everyone else when 15 of the 16 remaining teams in the tournament this year come from three conferences and the 16th team is Duke.

[Cats and Dogs]

More data points that add to the BSC's low standing in the basketball world. MSU women lost by 20, UM lost by 19 and then both the teams that beat them lost their next game. OSU at home to 5 seed Tennessee by 17. Wisconsin to 6 seed BYU by just two, but they were down 14 in the second half and 10 with about 2 minutes to go.

Granted they don't mean much as standalone points.

I just feel like the difference between the BSC and the top Division 1 conferences is about the same as the difference between the Frontier Conference and the BSC.

So in past years if BSC teams lost by 20 or less and team that beat them moved on to top 16, 8, 4 etc did that mean it should have helped in the future?

I don't know. It just seems like people wouldn't think this was all that much fun. If you do win a Dance game, it is just going to look like you got lucky and had a good day when the opponent had a bad day. I think a mid-major tournament might be more fun. The FCS tournament is fun, isn't it? I'd rather have a chance to win a lower division championship, than no chance at winning a higher division championship.

Valid points and I would tend to agree. MSU01 Comment is more the other direction, where without moving up we never have a chance at anything but a low level title. MSU is strong in multiple sports at our level now. Moving up I am not sure that is sustainable.

I guess my main point is that we have people on the football board dead set against moving to FBS because they'd rather be able to compete for a National Championship than have the end goal of the season be a low-level bowl game. Which is an entirely reasonable viewpoint, but staying in the Big Sky/FCS is also going to limit the ceiling MSU has to compete nationally in other sports like basketball. A mid-major tournament is an interesting idea although I'm not sure where you draw the line between which teams and conferences are "mid-major" and which get to compete in the main tournament. There does seem to be an increasing divide between the power conferences and everyone else when 15 of the 16 remaining teams in the tournament this year come from three conferences and the 16th team is Duke.

All of the above is spot on! All 16 in the sweet 16 power 4 conference. No seed higher than 13 made the round of 32 for the first time in awhile, I believe. It will take a unicorn team from the Big Sky to ever win a tournament game again. They can't develop a veteran team as any player at this level who can play will be moving up, see Knecht, Battle, Nelson and hundreds of others. And hate to say it but Montana State will never compete nationally in Basketball or Football. That's why the FCS works for football and at some point hopefully will be the model for so called "mid major" Basketball. Fans are losing interest. Look at the attendance numbers around the Big Sky for basketball. Maybe they should modify the NIT or the CBI to only include mid major schools? Give them a chance to win a National Title. Minus that opportunity the bottom 50% of conferences are irrelevant in college basketball. Change is necessary!

[TomCat88]

I’m not really close to how the Frontier teams feel about being in the NAIA but I haven’t noticed anyone around Helena complaining about being naia. The CC teams seem to keep the fans happy playing at that level, which is appropriate for them to be in imo. It’s just a self awareness thing. It’s cool when an unknown team makes the sweet 16. But very few sustain that ride.