What to say about the Great West? There’s only five teams competing this season because host Chicago State’s APR is too low to qualify for postseason play. That makes this a true neutral site tournament, a first for the GWC, which has had Utah Valley host in years past. Of course hosting hasn’t helped the Wolverines in the past anyways. Now departed South Dakota won in 2010 and North Dakota won the tournament title, and the automatic CIT bid that goes with it, in 2011. Utah Valley’s two losses in those two tournaments came by a combined five points.
Tag: North Dakota
NJIT’s quest for .500: So far, so good
Throughout the season I’ll be checking back in on the NJIT Highlanders as they attempt to finish .500 or better this season. After tonight’s 54-52 upset victory over Army Jim Engles’ squad is now 3-3 on the season. They’ve certainly got a chance of staying even for the season.
Great West Predictions
You won’t find Great West predictions almost anywhere, not even in this awesome recap of media days by Ballin’ is a Habit, but you will here! The six-team league released its preseason coaches poll on Monday. And N.J.I.T. was picked third. How can this be?
Great West a conference in transition
Where is the Great West going to go? That must be what the administrators of the conference that spans six different states across the entire country must be wondering at the moment. It’s a conference without a base, and thus without an identity and a will to stay together and survive.
2011-12 season must be considered a success for Great West
This season the Great West Conference wasn’t the worst conference in college basketball according to Ken Pomeroy, no, that distinction fell to the SWAC. But this isn’t an opportunity to rag on small Division I conferences that don’t have many financial resources, rather, it’s an opportunity to look at the successes that the conference had this season as it tries to establish itself in college basketball circles.
The GWC was created for scheduling convenience, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Having seven members that you can schedule 12 home-and-home contests, even if it means flying from Newark, NJ to Orem, Utah, is a valuable commodity in college basketball circles. Unfortunately, as the Dakota schools move onwards, the conference is going to suffer. South Dakota will be joining the Summit League after the 2010-11 athletic schedule wraps up. The loss of the Coyotes means the loss of the program that won the original conference tournament and earned a bid to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
Unfortunately the second team to win, North Dakota, will also be leaving in 2012 for the Big Sky Conference. The Fighting Sioux won the Great West Conference Tournament this season with a 77-76 double-overtime victory over South Dakota and went on to lose to Air Force in the first round of the CIT. The loss of these two teams in going to deal a big blow to the conference’s hopes of establishing a legitimate timeline for becoming an NCAA Tournament automatic qualifier and for developing respect around the nation.
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