In Today's Climate, Would SMU have made it in 93?

[bagice]

Looking at how everything has shifted to formulas and RPIs, it made me wonder if SMU would have still been included in the 93 field since we lost the opening round of the SWC tourney and the league was pretty weak that year.

I remember being so nervous that Sunday waiting for the selection show, back in the good ole days where there was not a ton of talk of who was in or out and the selection process was much more "back room deals" and gut feelings.

Ultimately, they rewarded SMU for winning the conference outright, but my guess is that if they selected like they do today, we would have been left out.

Not really a knock on the current process, just a question.

[George S. Patton]

Looking at how everything has shifted to formulas and RPIs, it made me wonder if SMU would have still been included in the 93 field since we lost the opening round of the SWC tourney and the league was pretty weak that year.

I remember being so nervous that Sunday waiting for the selection show, back in the good ole days where there was not a ton of talk of who was in or out and the selection process was much more "back room deals" and gut feelings.

Ultimately, they rewarded SMU for winning the conference outright, but my guess is that if they selected like they do today, we would have been left out.

Not really a knock on the current process, just a question.

Wow, that was 16 years ago, five months before I met my wife. Times have definitely changed, haven't they?

[PonyTime]

Such a different world back then. There was not as much of a seperation between the have and have not conferences back then. Teams did not play as many games and teams did not set their schedules in the same manor as these days. All of the mega conferences did not exist.

SMU was 20-7 going into the tourney with three of those losses to NCAA Tourney teams (Arkansas, Vandy and Tulane) and losses to OK St, Rice, Houston and TCU. They beat TX Tech (the conference tourney champs) twice.

mason was POY in the SWC. I think that everyone was pretty confident that SMU was in that year. The loss to TCU in the first round did not really make much of a difference. There was no other team in the SWC that they could have picked over SMU - I guess if you assume that the SWC would be a one team conference for hoops - then Texas Tech would have to be that team. But the SWC had enough power at that time to ensure that there would be two teams.

[bagice]

Thanks for highlighting the season there, my memory was pretty fuzzy, guess we had a better year than I thought.

I remember still being nervous on Sunday and some of the clowns on ESPN upset that a middle to bottom of the pack team in the ACC or Big East didn't get in. I do remember them saying that SMU was one of the last at large teams in.

I still have that game against BYU on tape and watch it every couple of years, we should have won that game easy. Everyone for SMU was so tight and nervous at the beginning but we had so many more athletes than them, just too nervous in the big dance.

SMU nearly got back even at the end, but some key shots didn't fall.

[George S. Patton]

Thanks for highlighting the season there, my memory was pretty fuzzy, guess we had a better year than I thought.

I remember still being nervous on Sunday and some of the clowns on ESPN upset that a middle to bottom of the pack team in the ACC or Big East didn't get in. I do remember them saying that SMU was one of the last at large teams in.

I still have that game against BYU on tape and watch it every couple of years, we should have won that game easy. Everyone for SMU was so tight and nervous at the beginning but we had so many more athletes than them, just too nervous in the big dance.

SMU nearly got back even at the end, but some key shots didn't fall.

I think we were a 10 seed and lost at the Rozemont Horizon in Chicago?

I think that was the same year and place when Cal with Jason Kidd knocked off Duke in an incredible second round game.

[LA_Mustang]

I think that was the same year and place when Cal with Jason Kidd knocked off Duke in an incredible second round game.

Coach Bozeman finally made it back to the tourney this year with Northeastern West Morgan St

[The XtC]

mason was POY in the SWC. I think that everyone was pretty confident that SMU was in that year.

Mike Wilson was first team All_SWC, and Tim Mason was 2nd. I dont remember either of them being player of the year. I wasnt very confident after losing to TCU in the first round of the conferene tourney, I thought that put us into the NIT. But at that time, we actually were in a high profile league, or at least much more so than now. Houston still had a strong reputation and was ranked at one point in that season. Texas had a down year, but they were usually an NCAA team, they absolutely crushed us the next year and year after. Texas Tech had alot of talent, as well, and Billy Tubbs was bring his show to TCU. Even Rice was good that year, they made it to the NIT. And most importantly, we were still drawing alot of people, in large part because of our conference. Now we're the last place team in a one-bid conference. We had a much higher profile, when the SWC was still intact.

[PlanoStang]

BCS PREDJUDICE is factoring in nowdays for BBall too


LET THE LAWSUITS BEGIN

[bagice]

BCS PREDJUDICE is factoring in nowdays for BBall too


LET THE LAWSUITS BEGIN

Tough issue in Basketball, unlike football, the power conferences can always point to the fact that they let the Alabama States and the Stephan F. Austin's of the world into their big dance. This really hurts the mid major conferences more than anything, considering the number of automatic qualifiers. When you go by RPIs and strength of Schedules, the power conferences are the better and more deserving teams, for instance, Baylor and Texas A@M could have probably beaten every team in C-USA, save Memphis, but were not near the top of the Big 12.

After automatic qualifiers, hard to argue that they chose the next best teams, by the formula. Arizona being the exception, how they made it at under 20 wins and such a low RPI is beyond me, but oh well.

The bigger questions is if some team was beaten by 7 other teams in their conference, why would they deserve an at large bid over a team that finished second or third in a Middle of the road conference. You autimatically know of 6-7 teams that are better than this team over the period of the season, why bother.

The biggest question is scheduling, they always point to RPI and strength of schedule, yet the power teams refuse to play these smaller schools, especially on the road, so not many have a chance to get their strength of schedule up...thats the dirtiest part of the deal.

If the big boys won't play the good teams from the smaller conferences, they should not put much weight in that and look at conference standings as a bigger factor.

[Peruna88]

Only 4 non-BCS at large entries.

[bagice]

Only 4 non-BCS at large entries.

Yep, it is a problem, just not sure how to fix it.... The number 6 or 7 team from a Power Conference ain't gonna win it anyway....they played the big boys and consistently lost...Give the little guys a chance to play the big guys and lets see what happens.

A real shame that SDSU or St. Marys was not included.

[bagice]

mason was POY in the SWC. I think that everyone was pretty confident that SMU was in that year.

Mike Wilson was first team All_SWC, and Tim Mason was 2nd. I dont remember either of them being player of the year. I wasnt very confident after losing to TCU in the first round of the conferene tourney, I thought that put us into the NIT. But at that time, we actually were in a high profile league, or at least much more so than now. Houston still had a strong reputation and was ranked at one point in that season. Texas had a down year, but they were usually an NCAA team, they absolutely crushed us the next year and year after. Texas Tech had alot of talent, as well, and Billy Tubbs was bring his show to TCU. Even Rice was good that year, they made it to the NIT. And most importantly, we were still drawing alot of people, in large part because of our conference. Now we're the last place team in a one-bid conference. We had a much higher profile, when the SWC was still intact.

This is a bit more how I remember it. I know we were lucky to beat Rice that last week, had a big comeback to force overtime, then we got lucky when Rice got upset last game by a cruddy Tony Barone A@M team to give us the title outright.

I also remember Houston getting the most press, many felt they would get the at large bid over us, however, you could not ignore the fact that we beat them twice and won the conference. Houston did have some high profile wins, but they ended up going with us.

Really funny when you think that Rice and SMU were battling for the SWC crown ahead of Texas, Houston, A@M, Texas Tech and Baylor...oh how times have changed....and this was just last decade, in the 90s...

[George S. Patton]

Only 4 non-BCS at large entries.

Yep, it is a problem, just not sure how to fix it.... The number 6 or 7 team from a Power Conference ain't gonna win it anyway....they played the big boys and consistently lost...Give the little guys a chance to play the big guys and lets see what happens.

A real shame that SDSU or St. Marys was not included.

The only one you can make a case for is St. Marys. This just wasn't a good year for the mid-majors. It's a cycle. Look at the mid-american conference. Usually, it can find a way to sneak a second in there. It was a bad league this year and Akron is the only to represent it.

Missouri Valley was down as well. Illinois State, Creighton and Northern Iowa were solid but nothing exceptional.

[PonyTime]

mason was POY in the SWC. I think that everyone was pretty confident that SMU was in that year.

Mike Wilson was first team All_SWC, and Tim Mason was 2nd. I dont remember either of them being player of the year. I wasnt very confident after losing to TCU in the first round of the conferene tourney, I thought that put us into the NIT. But at that time, we actually were in a high profile league, or at least much more so than now. Houston still had a strong reputation and was ranked at one point in that season. Texas had a down year, but they were usually an NCAA team, they absolutely crushed us the next year and year after. Texas Tech had alot of talent, as well, and Billy Tubbs was bring his show to TCU. Even Rice was good that year, they made it to the NIT. And most importantly, we were still drawing alot of people, in large part because of our conference. Now we're the last place team in a one-bid conference. We had a much higher profile, when the SWC was still intact.

Not that Wikipedia is the best source - but here is what they have for 1993 ... notice - this was also the year that Rhonda started to field good teams...

1993 • SMU earns the last of its 13 Southwest Conference men’s basketball titles. Senior guard Mike Wilson is named the SWC Player of the Year by the Associated Press. The Mustangs advanced to the NCAA Tournament to face Brigham Young in the opening round in Chicago. • The women’s basketball team recorded its first 20-win season (20-10) and established itself as a legitimate national contender. SMU, making its first postseason tournament appearance, advanced to the third round of the 1993 National Women’s Invitation Tournament in Amarillo, Texas. •

[The XtC]

In those days the woments NIT only invited 8 teams,so the 3rd round was the championship game. We lost to Arkansas. Beat a UNLV team that was ranked in the top-25, in the first round. The womens NCAA tournament only took 48 teams so we were in the top 56.