Conference Tournament Time

I recently watched a Big South conference tournament championship game between Coastal Carolina and Winthrop.  This was the first time I decided to randomly watch a title game between two small conferences.  And I realized how great the NCAA basketball format is.  

Who cares that not everybody has a chance at winning it all, realistically?  Because every team has a chance to make the tournament by just winning three games in early March.  You could be 16-16 Mercer (who lost by the way) and make your way into the tournament or you could be 28-6 Coastal Carolina and not make the tournament.  

As a coach of a small conference, the goal is to peak at the end of the season and that's how teams like Winthrop seem to win every year.  They aren't always the best all season, but they are the best by March.  

But to my point, when I watched that Big South championship game, I saw how much those players worked for what seems to me a worthless accomplishment and a likely one-and-done in the tourney to me.  But like the saying, "One man's trash is another man's treasure."  Doesn't totally fit only because winning those tournaments aren't "trash"  

But there is always that hope that they can become the next George Mason.  And that's why they fight like they do.  

Are the odds against them?  Extremely, but that doesn't stop them.  Being a fan of a big school, I will never totally grasp what this feeling is like.  But just catching a glimpse of it from their perspective is truly incredible.  

You get national recognition.  And in some cases, your conference turns from small to mid-major because of one tournament like Missouri Valley Conference (remember when they had 4 teams in the tournament?) and sometimes one player is able to lead his team every single year (Eric Maynor of VCU).  

The difference between the 10th seeded team in the Big South and the 1st seed in the Big South is not a huge difference.  At least, its not as big a difference between Kansas and Nebraska, not even close.  

In the Atlantic Sun, FOUR teams shared the lead for first place regular season title and who made the championship?  The 5th seeded East Kentucky State and the 6th seeded Mercer.  So yeh hope abounds for all.

So relish in this time of year for sports because it is the only sport that gives true hope to almost every team in the nation.  Cause it only last about 7 days and then we turn to the powerhouse conference tournaments and mid-majors.  Those don't have the same qualities given their imminent tv deals, national exposure, and NBA future for some.

But small conference tournament equals hope for all teams and their small fanbases who compete for it.