Quick turn-around: UP @ Pepp, Saturday, 2pm

Thanks for responding folks,

Yeah, unfortunately it would take a "miracle" to gain entrance into the NCAA's. I just thought our RPI strength might help somewhere........ It's a shame with the NIT tourney selection committee is so worried about how many seat's a team can fill. But, I understand it's an honor to be selected for improving teams especially. I personally think there would be a fairly decent sized crowd 3-4 thousand if the Pilot's season panned out and local support picked back up. One thing which is kinda cheesy but announcer's and ESPN TV audience's like to see is the Pilot's have Jack Sikma's son (Luke), Rick Ravio's son and Derek's brother (Nik). I'm sure both those guy's really luv that when their trying to establish their own identity's .It's just another drawing card that along with a winning record and ticket sales that could get a NIT bid if the Pilot's continue to improve.

I believe the NIT will automatically take any regular season league champion that doesnt win their conference tourney (and the automatic bid to the NCAA) or get an at large... but that shouldnt effect us.

Other than that, is all about $$$ and interest. I doubt we would get a home game due to a relatively small facility/following and lack of "name recognition"... But if we end up in the Top 100 RPI (holy cow its awesome to be even pondering that), a road game is possible...

First things first. We need to beat USD on Thursday.

PilotNut wrote:First things first. We need to beat USD on Thursday.

AMEN! Let's not get too excited here. If we are tied for second place on Friday morning, then we can start talking a little more.

PilotNut wrote:Other than that, is all about $$$ and interest. I doubt we would get a home game due to a relatively small facility/following and lack of "name recognition"...

Uh yeah... during the UW/UCLA broadcast they mentioned UW's loss to Portland State to start off the season several times...

Regarding the NIT, which should be re-named the ECIT (East Coast Invitational Tournament), I should only have to point to 1995 - Rob Chavez's first team. That year, the NIT had no business snubbing us... but they did anyway.

DaTruRochin wrote:Uh yeah... during the UW/UCLA broadcast they mentioned UW's loss to Portland State to start off the season several times...

Hmmm. Seems to be a theme recently, national media confusing us with our neighbors downtown.

up7587 wrote:

DaTruRochin wrote:Uh yeah... during the UW/UCLA broadcast they mentioned UW's loss to Portland State to start off the season several times...

Hmmm. Seems to be a theme recently, national media confusing us with our neighbors downtown.

It doesn't help when they make the tournament... And a good portion of the media STILL can't pronounce Gonzaga, I wouldn't expect the slip to end any time soon...

There have been many times in my life when I told someone (both inside and outside the city of Portland) that I went to the University of Portland and they said something to the effect of "Oh, Portland State, same thing right?" I think we need some kind of ad campaign that says "UP, kind of like PSU, only 100times better"

I think that happens to every Pilot...

DaTruRochin wrote:

PilotNut wrote:Other than that, is all about $$$ and interest. I doubt we would get a home game due to a relatively small facility/following and lack of "name recognition"...

Uh yeah... during the UW/UCLA broadcast they mentioned UW's loss to Portland State to start off the season several times...

Maybe somebody should write the broadcasters an e-mail. Who was it FSN?

You're right there doesn't seem to be any criteria for how NIT teams are chosen. In a perfect world, it would be nice if the bubble teams and the teams that have an RPI between 65-98 could make it since they take about 32 teams, but, it doesn't sound like it works that way at all. They like the biggest name schools who can fill the seats who didn't make the tourney it sounds like.