2023 Conference Tournaments

[Old Titan]

The 2023 conference tournament season officially tips-off tonight with first-round play in the Atlantic Sun.

Here's what we need: 

1. "Chalk" in every otherwise 1-bid tournament where a regular-season champion poses an at-large threat should they lose (Example:  Florida Atlantic in Conference USA).
2. No cellar-dwellars in larger conferences winning where they aren't otherwise at-large candidates (example:  Texas Tech or Oklahoma in the Big XII).

In other words:  no bid-stealers (though no one in the ASUN really qualifies as at-large material, even Liberty).

Weird dynamic in the ASUN:  they have not one but TWO ineligible D2 transition members competing in their tournament (Queens, and Bellarmine, who infamously won this tournament LAST season but was not allowed to go further).

[theeagleman5]

Queens????....now there's a great name for a college......

[Otis 83]

What about the Bellarmine Brothers?  Those guys were great.  

[Old Titan]

"Liberty, "Queens" and "Bellarmine" do sound a bit like tribute bands playing the Coca-Cola Stage at the Tulsa State Fair.

[jmg1984]

48 minutes ago, theeagleman5 said:

Queens????....now there's a great name for a college......

Isn't it out of NYC?

[jmg1984]

16 minutes ago, Otis 83 said:

What about the Bellarmine Brothers?  Those guys were great.  

Let your love flow 

[ManiacAlum]

I was disappointed to learn there's a Queens College of Charlotte and this is not Queens College of NY, alma mater of one Jerome Seinfeld. 

Also I'm guessing the ASUN champ is destined for a First Four barn burner with the NEC, a league in which every team has a sub-300 NET ranking.

[Old Titan]

 Both ineligible teams in the ASUN won their first round games. 

[Dr. Cornelius]

3 hours ago, Old Titan said:

 Both ineligible teams in the ASUN won their first round games. 

Need Liberty to win against Bellarmine tonight.

[theeagleman5]

Let's go FLAMES!!!! 

[Old Titan]

ASUN regular season champion Kennesaw State got all they wanted tonight on their home court from upstart No. 9-Seed Queens, winning by one.

Coach Mills alluded to the fact today in a radio interview that he HATES the tournament format where the better seed waits until two other lower seeds decide the day before who advances (ala North Dakota vs. Denver on Friday, for the right to play ORU on Saturday). 

Says it's no advantage at all not knowing who your opponent is until 24 hours before you play, while your opponent gets a day to work out the kinks and get familiar with the arena, knowing ahead of time who they will face (ORU) in the next round.

Said if the league were to call right now and say they were moving ORU's game to the first-round on Friday, "we would be on the next plane out of town."

[Otis 83]

7 hours ago, theeagleman5 said:

Let's go FLAMES!!!! 

Liberty beats the Bellamy Brothers by 20. 

[theeagleman5]

TheEagleman is very pleased with the Liberty Flames tonight.....but a tough night for Queens.....

[Otis 83]

18 minutes ago, theeagleman5 said:

TheEagleman is very pleased with the Liberty Flames tonight.....but a tough night for Queens.....

Tonight they are NOT the champions.  Kennesaw was a mountain they were not able to summit. 

[Otis 83]

Chalk held in the ASUN tournament....Liberty v. Kennesaw on Sunday for the autobid.

[ORUTex]

Go Liberty! There's always a summary or two that includes a team's record against other tournament teams, and it would be nice to have a win in there.

[Keenan Henderson]

Liberty tied for the conference championship and now has to go on the road to win the automatic bid.  Tough game for Liberty but hopefully they get the W.

[GoldenEagleFan]

My question… what would the outcry from the north look like if the tournament was held in OKC?