SMS wins women's NIT

[MustangStealth]

For what it's worth, we lost to the eventual champions. They won the championship the same way they beat us, a ton of 3s.

[OldPony]

Could that possibly be the same little school in Springfield Mo that made so many on this board criticize our beloved SMU girls because they lost to them? That no where school with no athletics? My oh my.

[mustangbill67]

As I drove through the campus of SMS last Saturday night (I have family ties in Springfield), I commented that this is truly a "no where" school. In any event they did have an outstanding team who I understand lost in the first round of the MVC tournment although seeded number 1 and ended up in the WNIT. They played every WNIT game on campus in Springfield including the championship. Quite an advantage. The reason: 11,000+ rural Missourians showed up for every game. I have nothing personal against SMS. I just wonder why SMU with all it has going for it (campus, city and academics) does not seem to compete with the SMS's of the world for athletes.

[abezontar]

maybe because recruits actually want someone to come watch them play

[OldPony]

Abe- You broke the code. The guys we recruit are the same way. People want to play in front of exuberant crowds. If this tourney had been played at SMU, the draw would probably been less than 1/2 of what it was in Springfield. Why Dallas won't turn out for SMU basketball, I don't know. Even when we've had very good teams, we had to use fans from the opponents to draw well. This is actually something that a concerted effort by the students could change but from history, it doesn't look likely. Wouldn't it be great if the students went and raised hell for an entire season, win or lose? The atmosphere and the recruiting would turn around immediately. Don't wake me from this dream for a while.

[The XtC]

[quote="OldPony"]Could that possibly be the same little school in Springfield Mo that made so many on this board criticize our beloved SMU girls because they lost to them? That no where school with no athletics? My oh my.[/quote]

Yes, it was that same little commuter school with the ugly buildings. They apparently also had better athletes than Gonzaga, Texas A&M, Iowa, Kentucky, and West Virginia, thats who they beat on their way to the title.

Bill, I'm really surprised at you. Didnt you post an article in the Other Sports forum about a soccer recruit SMU lost, because he wanted to play at a school that actually supported its team? The same principle applies here. Good players dont want to play in obscurity. The 11,000+ fans you mentioned are a big part of how SMS attracts recruits, and it gives them a homecourt advantage on game day. Teams that are well supported tend to perform better. The feeeling that they are the center of attention, that people actually care about what they are doing, affects everything a team does, both on gameday, and in preparation for game day. Therein lies the bottom line.

Incidentally, SMS didnt have better athletes than SMU. They had better shooters. They were one of the countries best perimeter shooting teams, and thats what they rode to the championship.