In defense of the tourney format, at least the Big 10 "knows its place" and doesn't take 8 teams, probably half of those don't deserve to play in a conference tourney.
This format protects the top two teams from being upset, and thus maximizing the chances for at-large bids (note the MVC, the sixth best conference, has had the 1, 2, & 3 seeds knocked out).
With the strength of the current teams in the B1G, you could probably go one futher and make this a four team tourney and no one would notice.
Interesting take, but you couldn't have credibly selected four teams this year. An eight team bracket is the best solution and still shields the top two seeds by pitting them against the lowest available seeds. Eight-team tourney this year:
(1) Purdue vs. (8) Minnesota
(4) Nebraska vs. (5) MichSt
(2) Indiana vs. (7) Illinois
(3) PennSt vs. (6) OhioSt
"If you aren't fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm." Vince Lombardi
Interesting take, but you couldn't have credibly selected four teams this year. An eight team bracket is the best solution and still shields the top two seeds by pitting them against the lowest available seeds. Eight-team tourney this year:
(1) Purdue vs. (8) Minnesota
(4) Nebraska vs. (5) MichSt
(2) Indiana vs. (7) Illinois
(3) PennSt vs. (6) OhioSt
Agree. This conference absolutely has to get better in baseball if any team wants to be national recognized on a consistant basis.
"I told him to be patient, that these things have a way of working themselves out." -- Tom Osborne to Steve Taylor when Taylor voiced concerns about the direction of the football program under Bill Callahan and Steve Pederson.
Purdue defeats Indiana 3-0 in the winners bracket game and is one win away from the title. Indiana plays Michigan St in an elimination game tomorrow afternoon.
"Baseball happens to be a game of cumulative tension but football, basketball and hockey are played with hand grenades and machine guns." John Leonard
For those that like to dream big (think delusions of grandeur), five more wins and the Huskers are B1G tournament champs, earn an automatic berth in the NCAA playoffs, and will get to 40 wins on the season.
The jury has been out for some time for some of us, CBob. Quote by THOTDOC
#2 Indiana defeats #5 Michigan St 4-3, in 11 innings on Saturday afternoon, advancing to face No. 1 Purdue under the lights in the tournament championship
"Baseball happens to be a game of cumulative tension but football, basketball and hockey are played with hand grenades and machine guns." John Leonard
Purdue scores in the top of the 9th in a wild play where the runner off 3rd got caught in a rundown and the next runner came hard into 3rd and the ball was thrown away and that runner scored and then another runner came into third at the 3rd baseman's legs and was thrown out but a bench's clearing brawl ensued (yet no one was thrown out). Purdue is 3 outs away from the B1G title.
"Baseball happens to be a game of cumulative tension but football, basketball and hockey are played with hand grenades and machine guns." John Leonard
I'm going to guess Purdue is the lone Big Ten representative in the NCAA Tournament. Indiana had a 77 RPI coming into today. Michigan State was 43 -- but they probably needed to make the championship game (even in a loss there) to make the NCAA Tournament.
I would guess one bid league also. A 5th place finish in the regular season, and a 3rd place showing in the tourney, probably doesn't rate an at-large.
"I told him to be patient, that these things have a way of working themselves out." -- Tom Osborne to Steve Taylor when Taylor voiced concerns about the direction of the football program under Bill Callahan and Steve Pederson.
I'm going to guess Purdue is the lone Big Ten representative in the NCAA Tournament. Indiana had a 77 RPI coming into today. Michigan State was 43 -- but they probably needed to make the championship game (even in a loss there) to make the NCAA Tournament.
I think that is correct. Michigan St needed to make the championship game and they lost to Indiana twice.And the announcers were clear that it was do or die for Indiana. They played extremely well the last three weeks (starting with sweeping the doubleheader against the Huskers), but they were barely a .500 team before then
"Baseball happens to be a game of cumulative tension but football, basketball and hockey are played with hand grenades and machine guns." John Leonard
I wonder what the ratio of staff to paid attendance was at the whole series? Every time I caught the husker games on BTN2GO attendance looked pathetic at best. There was even one shot of a guy watching from a screen outside the park (knothole section) and my only thought was, he probably could have gotten seats behind home plate for free.
It will be interesting to see if attendance goes up next year in Minn... and how that compares to what will happen in Omaha. If my calculations are correct, Omaha will be declared the permanent home of the B1G shortly after attendance numbers from the last game of the 2014 tourney become official
I haven't caught many innings this season, but I've been watching the tourney replays today. Oh boy. The critics were right, the B1G does not have a lot of talent in baseball.
Originally Posted by Fromunda Cheese
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