Here we are down to the final Sunday, where most conferences are showcasing conference championship games. Basketball conference tournaments are grueling affairs, and what do they accomplish?
Of course, we all know it is about even more TV time for college hoops, and it’s all about the money. For the top seeds in the tournament, there is everything to lose, and very little to gain. Yes, the tournaments give the lowly dregs of the conference a glimmer of hope to upset the big boys and “steal” a NCAA bid from a more worthy team, teams that have spent an entire season, trying to stack up enough wins to impress the committee heads.
Yes, it is a great honor to get to the big dance, but what does it really accomplish for these teams? For the worthy teams who are knocked out of the Dance because of upsets, it is a bitter disappointment. For the teams that slip in because of an upset in the conference tournament, it is a 12th or 13th seed, and an upcoming brutal beating at the hands of a Florida or Auburn in the March Madness holocaust.
Let’s look at a few teams. Tennessee, for example, just pulled a quality upset over the much coronated #1 team for most of the season, but now they must face a Florida team, that is undoubtedly the most dangerous team in the nation. Good luck with that.
Now we get to Memphis, the most ignored and underrated team in the nation. With every win they eek out, they slide a little further. Memphis is currently ranked 16th in the AP poll, but is performing poorly with the computer metrics.
“We currently rank Memphis as the #55 team in the country” -Team Rankings (Pool Genius)
Unreal! Memphis has defeated Uconn, Michigan State, Clemson, Missouri, Ole Miss and UAB (twice), with a record of 28-5.
After making to the conference finals, they have two injuries to point guards and are facing a seething UAB team that they have already beaten 2 times this season. Even though they are slight favorites, I see not much chance of a 3rd victory for Memphis over a quality team, in one season. I hope I’m wrong about both Memphis and Tennessee today.
Anyway, these tourneys are fun to watch, but accomplish little to nothing for deserving teams.
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