"It really hit us last week," KU fifth-year senior Angus Quigley said. "Going down to our instate rival that’s right up the road, that really hurt. We pride ourselves on at least beating our rivals.

"It’s tough. We’ve cried."

in a few weeks. Hopefully augmented by additional tears for having bowl hopes squashed.

And seriously, ManMountain, you make a 5th year senior move from RB to LB? I’d be crying that I let Jabba recruit me….

I would think you’d have the biggie’s tripping over themselves to play the doormats of the mid-majors, leaving the teams like Gonzaga, Bulter, and well, who ever is good that year to take the worst of the high schools. Then, you still have the SOS mess because ‘Zaga played a crappy Iowa instead of a resurgent Purdue, while kU brought Drake in and creamed them. For something like that work, it’d have to be completely up to fate. Get two buckets and draw names. If Mizzou picks Manhattan one year and a stocked George Mason the next, then such is the way.

On the other hand, I like the fact that Alden and Anderson bring in the other schools in the state to play. Get’s them on TV. Hell, keep them an extra day and have a clinic or something.

I actually think they are kind of fun…two tune up games before you open up your schedule. I dont think they are that big of deal.

The problem with Bilas’ idea is that it’s not exactly fair to define major as those six conferences and mid-major as the conferences he listed. Bucknell is a quality mid major, usually, but they are in the Patriot League, a low major.

That said, if we dropped the exhibitions, I would like to see an expansion of smaller (not necessairly 12-16 teams) tournaments that would involve some of those mid major teams and have those be the opening weekend of hoops. But, I’d have a provision — you actually have to BRACKET them. None of this Gazelle-style situation where teams automatically advance even if they lose.

I do think there are some reforms they could do to get people excited about basketball earlier, and I think early season tournaments that are NIT-style and Maui-style are the way to go. I could go into that more but I think there are some possibilties there.