IUPUI fan's memory of last year's tournament

[tmh8286]

Although there's no mention of ORU in the writeup, Kyle quotes an IUPUI fan writing about their loss last year in the conference tournament:

"Bill is an IUPUI fan who went through the cycle we speak of often here on the site. In 2007-08, his Jaguars were 15-3 in the BLC and 26-7 overall, and anticipation and NCAA hopes built up slowly as the regular season wound on through the winter, cementing the emotional involvement of the fans in IUPUI Gym a/k/a "The Jungle." But in March, the team fell a heartbreaking seven points short of a return to the Big Dance after five years away."

It came at the end of last year's Badlands Tournament: Both IUPUI squads lost in The Summit League (yes, they have us capitalize the "The"), and I realized that in the mid-majors, windows to reach the NCAAs open and shut in an instant. For the Jaguars, there would be no falling back on an at-large bid, despite the excitement George Hill brought to an arena.

That window of putting up a banner in The Jungle was gone, and it was back to the upper half of the Badlands (at least this year). For most mid-major conferences, teams get one or two shots at a title before having to reload for another shot. Watching both IUPUI teams finish in the middle of the conference this season only reinforces that the chances to reach the NCAA are fleeting and must be seized when they are presented.