Is it time to leave the SoCon?

[Roundball]

There are times in the past where a SoCon team would've gotten an at-large if they didn't win the tournament: Wofford with Magee, Davidson with Steph.

The NIT and other tournaments prefer big schools for fans and money, and honestly that bid doesn't mean too much. The NCAA takes the 68 best teams. I really don't think the SoCon's lack of an NIT bid or two NCAA bids has anything to do with the conference, but more with each individual team's performance. If Furman had beaten UNC, Belmont, Mississippi State, and Chattanooga once during the season I think they would've had a pretty good shot for an NCAA at-large.

All speculation, until its a thing its not, we do know that we got robbed of an NIT bid, we do know UNCG got robbed of NCAA at large bid a couple years ago, we do know Steph missed NCAA tourney his junior year (after elite eight run), ect. ect.
So going off what we know its not a good look for the SoCon at all, to this point it has been a major problem for the league

And, didn’t ETSU get denied the auto-bid to the NCAA in 2020 because the tournament was canceled? That team could have made a nice run and made some $ for the SoCon, and given the conference some great national attention. We need to pull hard for Chattanooga.

[Affirm]

If we won the championship game vs Chattanooga, they would have gotten an at large bid....but i feel someone should be lobbying for a second bid using this season as an example. There is no question we should have gotten an at large bid or at least an NIT bid. If we don't get a push from this conference, then we should consider leaving it. Why get stuck in a conference that doesn't believe in itself? Hopefully others agree....

Agree.

[FUpaladin08]

UTC had a very soft schedule. I don’t see them in the NCAA tournament without winning in Asheville. Furman is doing exactly what is needed to be considered for post season tournaments when they fall short. Playing strong OOC and winning some of those is what it takes, not settling to be 3rd best in another conference.

[FUBeAR]

There are times in the past where a SoCon team would've gotten an at-large if they didn't win the tournament: Wofford with Magee, Davidson with Steph.

The NIT and other tournaments prefer big schools for fans and money, and honestly that bid doesn't mean too much. The NCAA takes the 68 best teams. I really don't think the SoCon's lack of an NIT bid or two NCAA bids has anything to do with the conference, but more with each individual team's performance. If Furman had beaten UNC, Belmont, Mississippi State, and Chattanooga once during the season I think they would've had a pretty good shot for an NCAA at-large.

Interesting opinions about the at-large bids that the SoCon woulda had…but in the 83 years of the NCAA Tournament, how many At-Large bids has the SoCon ACTUALLY received?

Pretty sure FUBeAR knows the answer to that query.

#NotMyHero

[Affirm]

If we won the championship game vs Chattanooga, they would have gotten an at large bid....but i feel someone should be lobbying for a second bid using this season as an example. There is no question we should have gotten an at large bid or at least an NIT bid. If we don't get a push from this conference, then we should consider leaving it. Why get stuck in a conference that doesn't believe in itself? Hopefully others agree....

Agree.

[Affirm]

There are times in the past where a SoCon team would've gotten an at-large if they didn't win the tournament: Wofford with Magee, Davidson with Steph.

The NIT and other tournaments prefer big schools for fans and money, and honestly that bid doesn't mean too much. The NCAA takes the 68 best teams. I really don't think the SoCon's lack of an NIT bid or two NCAA bids has anything to do with the conference, but more with each individual team's performance. If Furman had beaten UNC, Belmont, Mississippi State, and Chattanooga once during the season I think they would've had a pretty good shot for an NCAA at-large.

Interesting opinions about the at-large bids that the SoCon woulda had…but in the 83 years of the NCAA Tournament, how many At-Large bids has the SoCon ACTUALLY received?

Pretty sure FUBeAR knows the answer to that query.

#NotMyHero

Unfair question because the first 40 or so of those 83 years were when only the conference champions could go to the NCAA.

[Affirm]

UTC had a very soft schedule. I don’t see them in the NCAA tournament without winning in Asheville. Furman is doing exactly what is needed to be considered for post season tournaments when they fall short. Playing strong OOC and winning some of those is what it takes, not settling to be 3rd best in another conference.

For what it’s worth, please note that UTC has won the SoCon Tournament 12 or 13 times since Furman has - so if UTC has traditionally played soft schedules (?) it has been no problem for them.

[FUBeAR]

If we won the championship game vs Chattanooga, they would have gotten an at large bid

Don’t know…but don’t think that is accurate.

The ESPN Announcers, employed by ESPN (one of the networks that are actually in control of NCAA D1 collegiate athletics) said on the broadcast…about 50 times… ‘…the SoCon is a 1 bid league. It’s win tonight or go home. The loser of this game will not be playing in the Big Dance’ (etc., etc., etc.)

Besides winning more games…that’s the BS that has to change…it’s the same kind of BS the SoCon has dealt with in the FCS Football Playoffs since 2014.

FUBeAR is ready to lead the bellhops to fire on Ft. Sumter…or whatever we (the SoCon) need to do to initiate secession from the anachronism known as the NCAA

I heard the same thing all through the game. And the fact is, UTC looked awful in that game, so I’m not so sure they would have been bailed out if they lost.

But what happens after you secede? 160 years ago a sane South Carolinian lamented that SC was too small to be a country and too large to be an insane asylum. Later half the conference seceded with them so it worked out (sort of). If we and Citadel seceded, where would we go? The conferences with more bids are perceived to be better. If the perception is right, we’d have a much harder time placing high in the conference. It might be better to go to a super crappy 1 bid conference that we can always win. The SoCon is sort of the worst possible deal. Not good enough to get an extra bid, but good enough that the tournament will always be an adventure- unless we get better and modify our approach somewhat.

The whole SoCon secedes; not just FU and the bellhops. Only mentioned the baby blue boys in ChuckTown cuz they are known secession instigators.

Then we do our own creative things for the post-seasons, look to get other conferences/schools to join us in our New World Order. Maybe Uncle Jerry from Woffy finances the whole deal to replace the annual March Madness check that 1 stinkin’ autobid gets us.

It may be painful & financially challenging (at first), but we (FU & SoCon) just can’t keep accepting the reaming we are getting from our NCAA overlords with regard to post-season play in FCS Football and Men’s Hoops. Possibly Women’s Hoops too…don’t follow it nationally well enough to know.

#FreeTheSoCon

[FUBeAR]

There are times in the past where a SoCon team would've gotten an at-large if they didn't win the tournament: Wofford with Magee, Davidson with Steph.

The NIT and other tournaments prefer big schools for fans and money, and honestly that bid doesn't mean too much. The NCAA takes the 68 best teams. I really don't think the SoCon's lack of an NIT bid or two NCAA bids has anything to do with the conference, but more with each individual team's performance. If Furman had beaten UNC, Belmont, Mississippi State, and Chattanooga once during the season I think they would've had a pretty good shot for an NCAA at-large.

Interesting opinions about the at-large bids that the SoCon woulda had…but in the 83 years of the NCAA Tournament, how many At-Large bids has the SoCon ACTUALLY received?

Pretty sure FUBeAR knows the answer to that query.

#NotMyHero

Unfair question because the first 40 or so of those 83 years were when only the conference champions could go to the NCAA.

Your humor kills FUBeAR

In the odd circumstance that you were not joking about the “fairness” of the question, please substitute “47” for “83” and reflect upon the answer to the question similarly.

[Affirm]

If we won the championship game vs Chattanooga, they would have gotten an at large bid

Don’t know…but don’t think that is accurate.

The ESPN Announcers, employed by ESPN (one of the networks that are actually in control of NCAA D1 collegiate athletics) said on the broadcast…about 50 times… ‘…the SoCon is a 1 bid league. It’s win tonight or go home. The loser of this game will not be playing in the Big Dance’ (etc., etc., etc.)

Besides winning more games…that’s the BS that has to change…it’s the same kind of BS the SoCon has dealt with in the FCS Football Playoffs since 2014.

FUBeAR is ready to lead the bellhops to fire on Ft. Sumter…or whatever we (the SoCon) need to do to initiate secession from the anachronism known as the NCAA

I heard the same thing all through the game. And the fact is, UTC looked awful in that game, so I’m not so sure they would have been bailed out if they lost.

But what happens after you secede? 160 years ago a sane South Carolinian lamented that SC was too small to be a country and too large to be an insane asylum. Later half the conference seceded with them so it worked out (sort of). If we and Citadel seceded, where would we go? The conferences with more bids are perceived to be better. If the perception is right, we’d have a much harder time placing high in the conference. It might be better to go to a super crappy 1 bid conference that we can always win. The SoCon is sort of the worst possible deal. Not good enough to get an extra bid, but good enough that the tournament will always be an adventure- unless we get better and modify our approach somewhat.

The whole SoCon secedes; not just FU and the bellhops. Only mentioned the baby blue boys in ChuckTown cuz they are known secession instigators.

Then we do our own creative things for the post-seasons, look to get other conferences/schools to join us in our New World Order. Maybe Uncle Jerry from Woffy finances the whole deal to replace the annual March Madness check that 1 stinkin’ autobid gets us.

It may be painful & financially challenging (at first), but we (FU & SoCon) just can’t keep accepting the reaming we are getting from our NCAA overlords with regard to post-season play in FCS Football and Men’s Hoops. Possibly Women’s Hoops too…don’t follow it nationally well enough to know.

#FreeTheSoCon

Humor I guess.

[Affirm]

There are times in the past where a SoCon team would've gotten an at-large if they didn't win the tournament: Wofford with Magee, Davidson with Steph.

The NIT and other tournaments prefer big schools for fans and money, and honestly that bid doesn't mean too much. The NCAA takes the 68 best teams. I really don't think the SoCon's lack of an NIT bid or two NCAA bids has anything to do with the conference, but more with each individual team's performance. If Furman had beaten UNC, Belmont, Mississippi State, and Chattanooga once during the season I think they would've had a pretty good shot for an NCAA at-large.

Interesting opinions about the at-large bids that the SoCon woulda had…but in the 83 years of the NCAA Tournament, how many At-Large bids has the SoCon ACTUALLY received?

Pretty sure FUBeAR knows the answer to that query.

#NotMyHero

Unfair question because the first 40 or so of those 83 years were when only the conference champions could go to the NCAA.

Your humor kills FUBeAR

In the odd circumstance that you were not joking about the “fairness” of the question, please substitute “47” for “83” and reflect upon the answer to the question similarly.

I’m trying to be serious, actually.

[FUpaladin08]

UTC had a very soft schedule. I don’t see them in the NCAA tournament without winning in Asheville. Furman is doing exactly what is needed to be considered for post season tournaments when they fall short. Playing strong OOC and winning some of those is what it takes, not settling to be 3rd best in another conference.

For what it’s worth, please note that UTC has won the SoCon Tournament 12 or 13 times since Furman has - so if UTC has traditionally played soft schedules (?) it has been no problem for them.

Well the point being that UTC’s soft schedule would not have turned into an at large bid. Not denying they win, just saying they had to win the SoCon with their schedule.

[Affirm]

UTC had a very soft schedule. I don’t see them in the NCAA tournament without winning in Asheville. Furman is doing exactly what is needed to be considered for post season tournaments when they fall short. Playing strong OOC and winning some of those is what it takes, not settling to be 3rd best in another conference.

For what it’s worth, please note that UTC has won the SoCon Tournament 12 or 13 times since Furman has - so if UTC has traditionally played soft schedules (?) it has been no problem for them.

Well the point being that UTC’s soft schedule would not have turned into an at large bid. Not denying they win, just saying they had to win the SoCon with their schedule.

Even though they were regular season #?

[Flagman]

This year proves that the only SoCon team to make the NIT will be the regular season champ who loses the tournament.

[DungeonRealm]

This year proves that the only SoCon team to make the NIT will be the regular season champ who loses the tournament.

We did get an at-large to the NIT in 2019, and a home game at that
As did UNCG in 2019