NCAA: Why Holding Postseason Conference Tournaments Hurts Mid-Majors

The madness has got to stop.

No more conference tournaments.

The NCAA Tournament that starts in March actually is fulfilling. However, the conference tournaments that prelude the pageantry of the Final Four are not.

At least not for many small college basketball programs the last few years.

The best teams from the mid-majors are usually left sitting in their dorms studying for mid-terms, while underachievers move on to the annual first-round drubbing at the hands of one of the No. 1 seeds.

Jackson State's stellar 17-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference record and 19-11 overall record will mean nothing once the SWAC Tournament starts (March 10-13 in Shreveport, L.A.).

The Tigers would be one loss away from heading home for the rest of the season if they falter in the conference tournament.

From 2004-2007, Delaware State University posted one of the greatest stretches of regular season dominance in modern Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference history. The Hornets were a combined 46-8 and went into the MEAC Basketball Tournament as the top seed each year.

The 2004 season would be the only year that the Hornets would win the MEAC championship and receive an automatic bid to the NCAA national tournament, eventually losing to number one seed Duke University by only 11 points.

In a rare twist, 20-loss Coppin State won the MEAC Tournament. That's right, 20.

No 20-loss team deserves to be in the same postseason bracket as high school programs, let alone the best 64 college basketball programs in the country.

Oakland University, who finished the 2005 regular season with a 7-9 record in Mid-Continent play, won the conference tourney and gained an NCAA birth.

Many believe that the chances of a small college program upsetting a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament are slim to none, so it might not matter anyway, right?

Mid-majors get an automatic bid to the NIT. That is only accomplished by winning the regular season title.

Considering that those being part of a league that feature a poor RPI weigh heavily against those that don't participate in major conferences, it is time for the powers that be to think about scrapping the season-ending dog-and-pony shows and let the regular season champ represent the conference in the largest amateur basketball party in the world.

Continuing this practice only makes the regular season meaningless. Many college coaches believe the regular season schedule accurately reflects who the best teams are versus a four-day conference tournament.

If Syracuse—the Big East regular season champion—can afford to lose in their conference tournament and still make the field of 65, then a mid-major regular season champ should be afforded that same luxury.

What the NCAA is allowing are teams from major conferences not to be ranked, win their conference regular season or conference tournament and still make the NCAA Tournament. For some bubble teams, all that is needed is one or two wins in the postseason tournament to secure a spot. A mid-major regular season champion in a one bid league has to win the conference tournament or else their dream of a national title is over.

Duke lost to 5-11 NC State (conference record), Ohio State lost to 7-10 Michigan  (conference record), and Kentucky lost to 6-10 South Carolina (conference record).

Should those elite teams not make the NCAA Tournament if they don't win the ACC, Big Ten, or SEC conference tournaments?

Of course they are going to the Big Dance. But my point in bringing those programs up is because they all had off nights against inferior opponents.

The Tar Heels lost in the ACC Tournament just a season ago to Florida State, but went on to win the national title.

So to say a mid-major regular season champion shouldn't get a mulligan after potentially losing in the conference tournament is shortsighted at best.

Take this into consideration as well: If the conference tournament matters so much, you can't have the average teams in the league participating in them.

It makes no sense in terms of competitive structure. In essence, what these leagues are saying is that their mediocre programs should have the same right to advance to the NCAA tournament as the regular season conference champion such as the Big East has done in inviting all 16 schools. So that means one-win DePaul will get another shot at playing for a national title. 

But because having another revenue source available for leagues by holding a conference tournament is too good to pass up, the postseason practice will not depart any time soon. Currently, the Ivy League is the only conference which does not have a postseason tournament. 

Mid-major front runners beware.