Big weekend in race for NCC title

[jackmd]

Mens Basketball Standings
NCC Overall

North Dakota State 7 3 (15 9)
South Dakota State 7 3 (23 3)
Nebraska-Omaha 6 4 (16 7)
Minnesota State 5 5 (17 7)
St. Cloud State 5 5 (15 8)
South Dakota 5 5 (15 7)
North Dakota 4 6 (14 10)
Augustana 1 9 (5 18)

Current standings above. N.D. schools are down south this weekend with the MN schools in S.D. Last weekend of the season MN schools are in N.D. and we travel south.

It will be tough for the Bison to sweep this weekend (could lose both as UNO/USD are playing well) but a split leaves you at 8-4. This puts the Biosn in good position to finish the year with 2 wins at home and a 10-4 record (good chance for at least a share of the title).

SDSU needs a sweep this weekend. That puts us at 9-3 and SCSU and MSU at 6-6 (assuming they both beat Augie, either way they are both out of the conference title race if SDSU wins). Then we go on the road needing 2 wins to win the title outright. That is a tough task, but I think the Jacks can do it.

If UNO wins both (could easily happen) they would also be 8-4. Then, they would need a sweep at home over SDSU and Augie (assumed) to finish 10-4. They probably have the best remaining schedule, 4 games at home. Granted NDSU and SDSU are coming to town. I would really like to see UNO lose at least 1 game this weekend.

If USD sweeps they move to 7-5, meaning they would need a sweep the last weekend and as well as losses by NDSU, SDSU and UNO to tie for the league title (all but impossible).

My point, it seems like every weekend the NCC schools are playing their biggest game of the year!! This just isn't the case in the RMAC, NSIC, or almost all other conferences in the nation.

Sure will be an exciting weekend and I'm looking forward to it.

[mustangfan]

Why isn't that the case in any other leagues? The NSIC teams are playing huge games for seeding, etc. Yes, the NCC is better top to bottom, but outside of the NCC, no one cares about the 5th seed or the 3rd seed in the NCC, just like no one cares about the NSIC's lower seeds.

[jackmd]

My point is riddled with potential faults but let me try to explain.

Lets look at the RMAC as an example. Metro and UNK only face a serious test when they play one another. The outcome of the remainder of their games is predictable. Sure, playing on the road is more difficult, but not nearly so when your playing the middle of the pack in the RMAC as compared to the NCC. Metro and UNK know (and have known for sometime) that they are in the regional and now are playing only for seeding. Granted some of the teams they play are trying to qualify for the conference tourney so they do have some motivation.

This year, I think you can extend the same argument to the NSIC. I've seen SWMS, NSU, Bemidji, UMD and Winona St. play and I have been much less than impressed with all of them. If you are speaking only to seeding within the conference for the conference tourney than your point is valid. I was extending the argument to seeding or selection to the regional, which, for the vast majority (all but 2) of the NSIC teams is irrelevant this year. As I think you pointed out in a previous post, unless a team other than NSU wins the NSIC tourney there is probably only 1 spot in the regional for the NSIC.

On the other hand, the NCC could potentially place 5 teams in the regional and every game counts for those teams on the bubble. SDSU is in but we all recognize the advantage that would come with hosting the regional. In order for that to happen SDSU needs to host the NCC tourney and probably win it. Therefore, every single game remaining is absolutely critical for the top 6 teams in the NCC.

With the exception of seeding for the conference tourney and a shot at the automatic bid I don't think you can say that for the NSIC or the RMAC. How many conferences have 75% of their teams (6 of 8) still vying for post-season selection? I would bet its not many. Maybe I'm wrong.

[JBB]

Thats the nature of D2. There is a huge disparity in the quality of the competition but it all counts the same. The SSI in both BB and football reinforce this and actually magnify those differences with a convuluted reward system. Its not a rating system as much as a welfare system for smaller, weaker programs.

[89rabbit]

Amen, Brother! Preach on! ;D

Go State!