Denver (22-10) decided to end its 2011-2012 season after learning it would not be selected for the NIT.

While DU was on the NIT bubble , it's 22 wins were better than 19 of the 32 teams that were selected, As well, DU's 10-3 out of conference record with a tough schedule, including a 4-3 vs top 100, and 3 wins over NCAA tourney teams St. Mary's, Southern Miss and WKU were not enough to get a bid.

The University is sending a message to the coaches and players that third tier tourneys are not acceptable post-season options, as DU
has invested a lot into bringing basketball into relevance here in Denver. Also NCAA tourney appearances by locals Northern Colorado (2011), CSU (2012) and CU (2012) have clearly put more pressure on DU to reach the dance.

I wonder is this is a good strategy? There are benefits to playing in the CBI or CIT, but clearly some drawbacks, too.

If you were Denver's AD, or coach, would you deny your team a third-tier tourney appearance?

I wish we had turned down the CIT a few years back, those tournaments are ridiculous, I might be able to tell you who won two of the last ten NITs, the CBI? The CIT? Give me a break, I hope both tournaments are defunct within the decade.

The CBI isnt a terrible tournament if your fans will show up. Oregon went through it and won a couple years ago with fairly large crowds present. However, you also have to pay to host, which no school likes.

IMO, I think this is a bullsh** move by your AD. It's all well and good to send a message to your program. But you have a senior laden team and they helped turn the program around I think its kind of silly.

Plus, you have been averaging over 5K for games. And you can bid for a home game and make $ for your program. I don't get it.

Can't blame the admin for believing that the program is good enough to not need to buy its way into the post season.

I don't like this decision because it probably is a real bummer to the players who only lost ten games and if they are seniors may never get to play team ball again.

And Denver is chasing it's tail if they think throwing money at the program is going to automatically translate into success because CSU and Colorado can probably throw even more money into theirs.

(03-12-2012 02:49 PM)puck swami Wrote:  Denver (22-10) decided to end its 2011-2012 season after learning it would not be selected for the NIT.

While DU was on the NIT bubble , it's 22 wins were better than 19 of the 32 teams that were selected, As well, DU's 10-3 out of conference record with a tough schedule, including a 4-3 vs top 100, and 3 wins over NCAA tourney teams St. Mary's, Southern Miss and WKU were not enough to get a bid.

The University is sending a message to the coaches and players that third tier tourneys are not acceptable post-season options, as DU
has invested a lot into bringing basketball into relevance here in Denver. Also NCAA tourney appearances by locals Northern Colorado (2011), CSU (2012) and CU (2012) have clearly put more pressure on DU to reach the dance.

I wonder is this is a good strategy? There are benefits to playing in the CBI or CIT, but clearly some drawbacks, too.

If you were Denver's AD, or coach, would you deny your team a third-tier tourney appearance?

I wonder if Denver AD and coach asked their senior players if they wanted to play?

(03-12-2012 02:49 PM)puck swami Wrote:  Denver (22-10) decided to end its 2011-2012 season after learning it would not be selected for the NIT.

While DU was on the NIT bubble , it's 22 wins were better than 19 of the 32 teams that were selected, As well, DU's 10-3 out of conference record with a tough schedule, including a 4-3 vs top 100, and 3 wins over NCAA tourney teams St. Mary's, Southern Miss and WKU were not enough to get a bid.

The University is sending a message to the coaches and players that third tier tourneys are not acceptable post-season options, as DU
has invested a lot into bringing basketball into relevance here in Denver. Also NCAA tourney appearances by locals Northern Colorado (2011), CSU (2012) and CU (2012) have clearly put more pressure on DU to reach the dance.

I wonder is this is a good strategy? There are benefits to playing in the CBI or CIT, but clearly some drawbacks, too.

If you were Denver's AD, or coach, would you deny your team a third-tier tourney appearance?

CIT and CBI generally cause red ink in an athletic department - unless a school can attract at least 4000 in attendance on short notice.

The AD may not say so publicly, but the decision is most often about what the budget allows.

(03-12-2012 03:03 PM)slappycajun Wrote:  IMO, I think this is a bullsh** move by your AD. It's all well and good to send a message to your program. But you have a senior laden team and they helped turn the program around I think its kind of silly.

Plus, you have been averaging over 5K for games. And you can bid for a home game and make $ for your program. I don't get it.

Season tickets sales are often responsible for published attendance figures, not necessarily people in the seats.

Unless there is a huge demand locally, two day advance notice simply isn't going to sell many tickets. Metro Denver fans are too sophisticated and have too many other options to be excited by the CIT, while some places like Lincoln (NE) or Stillwater (OK) or Laramie (WY) can just announce the game and it sells well.

Take the extra practice time. Get ready for next year.

Those tournaments are good things for mid major basketball. I say, keep playing if you get an invite.

Shows the school isn't committed to being a legit division I program. If you aren't in the bracketbuster and aren't in these kind of tournaments how is the program gonna get noticed. MAC schools play these games because it becomes a recruiting advantage to perhaps tell recruits you won a top midmajor post season tournament. If you strive to be a top 100 program you pony up the cash.

It's not that Denver doesn't have the money - they do. Money is not an issue.

And it's not that they aren't committed to being a serious hoops program -they are. They've spent millions to upgrade the Program to a top 100 level.

I think that by not accepting a CBI/CIT bid, the DU administration is telling the team that they expected a higher level performance than the team delivered. DU was an 8-point favorite over WKU. The expectation was that this DU team should have advanced to the SBC final, and with the top 2 seeds falling out, they had the inside track to win the SBC/NCAA autobid as the highest remaining seed. DU played decently against WKU, but not well enough to win.

DU also pulled its women's program out of WNIT consideration after losing to lower-seeded FIU in the SBC tourney.

The Pioneer adminitration is taking a hard line when it comes to hoops expectations. I think both programs underperformed in Hot Springs and this is a warning shot across both programs that the goal/expectation in Year 5 is an NCAA berth.

(03-15-2012 11:55 AM)puck swami Wrote:  It's not that Denver doesn't have the money - they do. Money is not an issue.

And it's not that they aren't committed to being a serious hoops program -they are. They've spent millions to upgrade the Program to a top 100 level.

I think that by not accepting a CBI/CIT bid, the DU administration is telling the team that they expected a higher level performance than the team delivered. DU was an 8-point favorite over WKU. The expectation was that this DU team should have advanced to the SBC final, and with the top 2 seeds falling out, they had the inside track to win the SBC/NCAA autobid as the highest remaining seed. DU played decently against WKU, but not well enough to win.

DU also pulled its women's program out of WNIT consideration after losing to lower-seeded FIU in the SBC tourney.

The Pioneer adminitration is taking a hard line when it comes to hoops expectations. I think both programs underperformed in Hot Springs and this is a warning shot across both programs that the goal/expectation in Year 5 is an NCAA berth.

FIU women may have been a lower seed, but it was not an upset. They are good-- with over 20 wins this season.

No shame, really, in losing to them.

Still cannot believe they lost twice to FAU.