By Evan Troxel (Associate Editor of Sports Content)
For this article I am going to type about NCAA Men’s Division 1 Basketball for this season (2010-2011). I will be talking about the 2010-2011 Nebraska Cornhuskers Basketball season, the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Tournament, and the NCAA Division 1 Men’s National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
The Nebraska Cornhuskers Basketball Team completed the season with 19 wins and 13 losses. That is good and I’m looking forward to next season when Nebraska goes up against Big 10 Conference competition. I think Nebraska will finish with a better winning percentage in games against their conference teams next season being in the Big 10 as opposed to being in the Big 12 this season. Now we will briefly review Nebraska’s season.
Nebraska started the season off with two wins, two losses, and then went on an eleven game winning streak for a record of 13-2. Next, the Cornhuskers lost two straight then won two out of their next three games for a record of 15-5. The Huskers then lost three straight, won three more games, lost two more, and ended up winning for the last time this season against Missouri for a record of 19-10. Nebraska then lost to Colorado in the regular season finale, Oklahoma State in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament, and Wichita State 76-49 in the NIT.
I wish the Tournament was simply the top 64 Teams with the best winning percentage and the fewest amount of possible losses and most amount of possible wins. I also think it’s fair to say that any team(s) who ties (via winning percentage and/or most wins and/or fewest losses) with another team(s) for the 64th spot should get into the Tournament.
Perhaps for one conference only three teams should be allowed to get into the NCAA Tournament. For example let’s use the Big 12. Let’s say Kansas has the best overall record during the regular season at 28 wins and 2 losses and they lose two games to Big 12 opponents. They would be in my opinion crowned the overall regular season conference champion. Next, let’s say that Texas for instance finished Big 12 Conference play with a perfect record but their overall record was 27-3. Texas would be the regular season conference champion because they had the best record only in conference games. Finally, we’ll say that Nebraska had a 19-11 record and they lost more games in the conference games than Kansas and Texas did. However, we’re going to say that Nebraska ends up winning the Big 12 Tournament. Nebraska would then be called the Big 12 Tournament Champions.
With the format I just explained in the previous paragraph and then the teams with the best winning percentages after that I think would make a great 64 Team NCAA Tournament. Obviously, if for example, Kansas had the best overall regular season record and the best conference record and Nebraska won the Big 12 Tournament then only two teams from the Big 12 would go to the NCAA Tournament if no other teams in the Big 12 had great winning percentages.
I don’t understand how the Michigan State Spartans got into the NCAA Tournament when they had fourteen losses before the Tournament even started. Nebraska only had twelve losses before they lost to end their season in the NIT. When you closer look at the records a person will see why Michigan State earned the right to get into the NCAA Tournament and Nebraska didn’t. Nebraska had a record of 19-11 and Michigan State had a record of 17-13 at the end of the regular season. In the Big 12 Tournament, Nebraska lossed in the opening round for a record of 19-12 and in the Big 10 Tournament Michigan State won two more games before losing to Penn State for a record of 19-14.
A person at this point would still think based on winning percentage that Nebraska is better. I would have to agree if Michigan State this season would have lost in the opening round of the Big 10 Tournament and their record would have been 17-14. But Michigan State didn’t. By winning two games in the Big 10 Tournament Michigan State proved they were worthy to go to the NCAA Tournament and they ended up playing two more games than Nebraska did this season. Without two losses for Michigan State their record would have been the same as Nebraska’s heading into the heart of March Madness.
Now, I am going to talk about this season’s NCAA Tournament and the NIT. Higher seeded teams in Round 2 of the NCAA Tournament this year finished with a record of 25-7. In Round 3, higher seeded teams finished with a record of 10-6. In the Regional Semifinals so far higher seeded teams have a record of 1-3. Overall in the NCAA Tournament higher seeded teams have a record of 36-16. In the NIT, higher seeded teams in round 1 finished with a record of 13-3. In round 2 the record was 4-4 and in round 3 it was 4-0. Overall in the NIT, higher seeded teams have a record of 21-7.
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