Postseason Possibilities … or not?

[lehigh90Participant]

Was trying to figure out what possibilities exist for Lehigh in the postseason should they fail to win the PL Championship. Hopefully, my quick research is correct, here.

1) NIT (32 teams) – If Lehigh won the PL regular season, they would get an automatic bid (rule change in 2006). That seems just about impossible. So, they would need to get an at-large bid. Last PL team to get an NIT at-large bid was Holy Cross in 2005. In NIT history, PL teams have 29 total NIT bids (HC 12, Army 8, Lafayette 5, American 3, Navy 1). And, technically, the only NIT bid ever for a “true” PL team was the Holy Cross ’05 bid. All of the others pre-date the PL. So, NIT looks unlikely.

CBI (16 teams) – First played in 2008. No PL team has ever played in the CBI in its history. So, CBI looks unlikely.

CIT (24 teams) – First played in 2009. No PL team has ever played in the CIT in its history. So, CIT looks unlikely. Also, I see no mention of this tournament occurring in 2012. There is nothing on their website other than a 2011 recap.

That is 72 teams past the NCAA field, so you would think Lehigh would certainly be on the radar for these 3. What would appear to hurt the PL teams for these tournaments is the home court games. Since PL teams draw so poorly at home, outside of Bucknell, I would think this hurts them in the eyes of these tournaments. They want a guaranteed crowd at the home court sites. Although, some lesser teams have played quite a bit in these tournaments recently. Rider comes to mind. They played in the CIT in 2011, CBI in 2008, and NIT in 1998. I would think with the size of their gym, they played on the road.

So, to me, it looks like Lehigh wins at Sojka on March 7, or there is no postseason. It’s been done before, obviously, so we hope for that. Or, maybe we get lucky and Bucknell gets knocked off in first or second round, we host the PL final, then Bucknell gets automatic bid to NIT.

[Bison137Participant]

BTW, the year Holy Cross got the NIT bid, they had an RPI of 66 and had the league’s best regular season record.

[ngineerParticipant]

Unless in the NCAA or the NIT, forget the rest. The NIT for historical reasons still carries some cache, but dimininshing. The others have no meaning and only unnecessarily extend a season too long for kids with real academic loads. Just more use of the kids for someone to make money.

[LU65Participant]

ngineer, I’m with you on the “other” events, namely the CBI and CIT. But, believe the NIT would show interest a 25-8* Lehigh club sporting CJ, a national draw.

* were we to win out yet lose the finale to BU

[vanParticipant]

Where is the love? Don’t think they could beat the buffs again?

[RichHParticipant]

We have some games to win before any options become available. Lets win ’em all and we wont have to speculate

[StablerBumParticipant]

I personally think that the program should play in any postseason tournament that they are invited to. Not just because I want to continue watching the team, but because this is a jr. dominated team and the experience of playing quality opponents and continuing to practice could pay HUGE dividends for next season. It might also generate some momentum with the local fans and media that could carry into next year. The one downside is missing class and the academic workload – but I would be shocked if all the players wouldn’t vote to continue the season if given the choice.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 11 months ago by  StablerBum.

[Bison137Participant]

Quote: ” But, believe the NIT would show interest a 25-8* Lehigh club sporting CJ, a national draw.”

There’s an outside chance the old NIT might have had some interest – although it still would have been a stretch. However since the NIT was bought by the NCAA a few years ago, they have adopted the same selection system as the NCAA. Thus a team from a mid-major conference with an RPI above 100 and a a SOS above 300 now has no shot from the selection committee unless they abandon the system they have used the last few years.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 11 months ago by  Bison137.

[lehigh90Participant]

I would love to see them play in CIT or CBI. You would see them against some legitimate programs from better conferences (obviously lower echelon this season), it might be a chance for alumni outside of the area to see them play in a locale close to them in a full gym, and if, by chance, they get on a run, they could win the thing, which is a huge springboard for next season. Also, would help in recruiting. I don’t care what tournament it is, if Lehigh won it, it is a huge deal for the program and the kids involved. Certainly a nice reward for the kids in the program and the coaching staff. These tournaments are “who cares” events for the top 60 programs in the country, but they are a big deal for everyone else. I would be thrilled if Lehigh brought home a CBI or CIT title. I wonder what the school’s reaction would be to a bid? Would they say great, go and play, or no way, too expensive and too much time away from school. I wonder how much you get paid to play in these tournaments.

If you look at who has won or done well in these tournaments, they are legitimate programs. CBI, last 4 years, won by Tulsa, Oregon State, VCU, Oregon with runner ups from Bradley, UTEP, St. Louis, and Creighton. Certainly was a springboard for VCU. They won in 2010, and went to the NCAA Final Four in 2011. And, also for Creighton. Runner up in 2011, and in 2012, they are 24-5 and were ranked a lot of the season.

CIT, is a little weaker, won by ODU, Missouri St, and Santa Clara, with runner ups from Bradley, Pacific and Iona. Also, a springboard for Iona, who was runner up last season, and 22-6, top of the Metro this season. Can’t say it was a springboard for Santa Clara, as they are 0-14 in the West Coast this season.

I wouldn’t see Lehigh getting a home game, but I would love to see a Lehigh/Maryland or Lehigh/UConn type of game. I would go to something like that, for sure.

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