It seems to me that a lot of bitchin’ and moanin’ is going on in the NCAA Tournament circles about a team like Niagara being relegated to the play-in game (64 vs. 65). I’m aware of the argument that there are worse teams in the field of 65 that probably should have been a 16 seed or even in the play-in game, but that’s life. That argument can be made every year.
If you really want to complain about an injustice, let’s talk about Drexel – what do they have to do? They went 23-8, had 13 road wins, beat Syracuse, Creighton and Villanova. What more does a team have to do? I can understand Syracuse being left out because they had a terrible record against the top 50 RPI.
Look, the whole idea of the play-in game is ridiculous. It’s akin to letting the Christians fight each other for the right to face the lion. But, it’s here and it’s a fact of life, so we accept it and move on.
Here’s how I view the play-in game: It’s a chance for two relatively obscure schools to play on national television with no competition from any other NCAA Tournament games (though, the NIT starts tonight). When it comes to the Big Dance, it’s the only show in town, folks!
What happened to an invitation to the dance being an honor? Especially for the smaller schools. Now, even when they get in, it seems that too many complain about being seeded too low. Well, someone has to be the 15 and 16 seeds, so just smile, say “we’re just glad to be here” and think of it this way: if you can’t beat the No. 1 or No. 2 seed, then you probably don’t have a shot at the title.
