Lets go Rockets! Let's navigate this gambit!

Created a bracket with a little of our own flair:

Makes no sense- Green Bay was on the list of last 4 out- yet they are a 4 Seed and Illinois is a 2 Seed.

The NIT has a pathetic committee.

Shows how much the NIT cares about the Mid Majors at all.

Who cares...they would have to beat another 1 seed if they are the best anyways. So they'll have to beat a 5 seed then a 1 seed to prove themselves. Most of these teams are pretty dang close in tallent. UWGB lost to EMU, they aren't world beaters.

(03-18-2014 11:53 AM)UofToledoFans Wrote:  Who cares...they would have to beat another 1 seed if they are the best anyways. So they'll have to beat a 5 seed then a 1 seed to prove themselves. Most of these teams are pretty dang close in tallent. UWGB lost to EMU, they aren't world beaters.

You completely missed the point.

(03-18-2014 12:02 PM)rocketinchitown Wrote:  

(03-18-2014 11:53 AM)UofToledoFans Wrote:  Who cares...they would have to beat another 1 seed if they are the best anyways. So they'll have to beat a 5 seed then a 1 seed to prove themselves. Most of these teams are pretty dang close in tallent. UWGB lost to EMU, they aren't world beaters.

You completely missed the point.

No I get it....like it's a travesty Illinois got the 2 and they don't really deserve it, but they are from the big 10 so they always get the better seed, UWGB should be a 1 seed blah blah blah.

I agree with a lot of it, but the NIT can be political. They aren't the NCAA tourney. You either play post season ball or you don't. They choose who to invite, unless you won the regular season. UWGB won the regular season, and were guaranteed the invite. They blew their conference in the semi's and now are in the NIT. Illinois upset MSU, Minnesota, and Iowa this year, and lost to Michigan by 1 in the quarters of a good basketball league. Illinois is a pretty good team....I don't think it's clear who the better team is and actually I think Illinois is better and would beat UWGB. Illinois is the one playing a road game.

Illinois chose to play the road game. We'll see if Illinois is in fact decent. Most pretty good teams don't lose 8 straight games.

I understand they choose who they want and at the end of the day they stack the deck to make it so the bigger schools will win in hopes of having a bigger crowd in NYC.

I just don't think its fair- but fair isn't a term used in the NCAA.

(03-18-2014 12:43 PM)rocketinchitown Wrote:  Illinois chose to play the road game. We'll see if Illinois is in fact decent. Most pretty good teams don't lose 8 straight games.

When you play a ranked team once a week, it's still good to come out 17-14. WMU lost to a Northwestern. OU lost to Ohio State.

(03-18-2014 12:43 PM)rocketinchitown Wrote:  Illinois chose to play the road game. We'll see if Illinois is in fact decent. Most pretty good teams don't lose 8 straight games.

I thought I heard somewhere is that Illinois is starting major renovations to their arena and that's why they are on the road.

(03-18-2014 12:43 PM)rocketinchitown Wrote:  Illinois chose to play the road game. We'll see if Illinois is in fact decent. Most pretty good teams don't lose 8 straight games.

I wouldn't take Illinois lightly. At the end of the season they beat Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska and lost to Michigan by one in the Big Ten Tournament.

The arena that Illinois plays in is being renovated, so they were forced to play on the road.

Also, 8 seed Robert Morris won tonight 89-78 at 1 seed St. John's in the NIT. That was a quality team that we beat. Not that it did us any good in terms of an at-large bid to the Big Dance, but it shows that we did have some quality teams on our schedule.

Hmmm...

Jeff Ratliff ‏@JeffRatliffNWS Wrote:Nap grad Jordan Lauf will make his first start of the season for toledo rockets in their nit opener at so miss tomorow. Good luck jordan.

(03-18-2014 11:51 AM)rocketinchitown Wrote:  Makes no sense- Green Bay was on the list of last 4 out- yet they are a 4 Seed and Illinois is a 2 Seed.

The NIT has a pathetic committee.

UWGB got whooped by 15 to Belmont. Good thing committee left em out.

(03-18-2014 09:21 PM)MidnightBlueGold Wrote:  Hmmm...

Jeff Ratliff ‏@JeffRatliffNWS Wrote:Nap grad Jordan Lauf will make his first start of the season for toledo rockets in their nit opener at so miss tomorow. Good luck jordan.

Uh oh. Please tell me something did not leave! Its that time of year again!

(03-18-2014 05:36 PM)DetroitRocket Wrote:  

(03-18-2014 12:43 PM)rocketinchitown Wrote:  Illinois chose to play the road game. We'll see if Illinois is in fact decent. Most pretty good teams don't lose 8 straight games.

I wouldn't take Illinois lightly. At the end of the season they beat Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska and lost to Michigan by one in the Big Ten Tournament.

I don't think I'd take any team in the Big 10 lightly.

(03-18-2014 10:33 PM)T4C8 Wrote:  

(03-18-2014 09:21 PM)MidnightBlueGold Wrote:  Hmmm...

Jeff Ratliff ‏@JeffRatliffNWS Wrote:Nap grad Jordan Lauf will make his first start of the season for toledo rockets in their nit opener at so miss tomorow. Good luck jordan.

Uh oh. Please tell me something did not leave! Its that time of year again!

My guess is he takes Drummond's spot. He looked a little off in cleveland...

(03-19-2014 05:21 AM)Rocket_Fanatic Wrote:  

(03-18-2014 10:33 PM)T4C8 Wrote:  

(03-18-2014 09:21 PM)MidnightBlueGold Wrote:  Hmmm...

Jeff Ratliff ‏@JeffRatliffNWS Wrote:Nap grad Jordan Lauf will make his first start of the season for toledo rockets in their nit opener at so miss tomorow. Good luck jordan.

Uh oh. Please tell me something did not leave! Its that time of year again!

My guess is he takes Drummond's spot. He looked a little off in cleveland...

My guess too. Last 3 games the trainer has been working on him on the bench, and he took a bad fall late in the WMU game.

In the past however, it's been Jon Jon that's started in his place.

(03-18-2014 03:39 PM)utpotts Wrote:  

(03-18-2014 12:43 PM)rocketinchitown Wrote:  Illinois chose to play the road game. We'll see if Illinois is in fact decent. Most pretty good teams don't lose 8 straight games.

I thought I heard somewhere is that Illinois is starting major renovations to their arena and that's why they are on the road.

Yes. The just started the first of a three phase project. It began the day after their last regular season game.

(03-18-2014 09:32 PM)UofToledoFans Wrote:  

(03-18-2014 11:51 AM)rocketinchitown Wrote:  Makes no sense- Green Bay was on the list of last 4 out- yet they are a 4 Seed and Illinois is a 2 Seed.

The NIT has a pathetic committee.

UWGB got whooped by 15 to Belmont. Good thing committee left em out.

I did see that. Belmont is a good program. They did beat UNC this year at UNC I believe.

Good that #1 St Johns got left out by losing to Robert Morris. Maybe St Johns was incredibly overrated to begin with- or the Big East was.