Gotta disagree and defend a conference from my part of the country. The
Missouri Valley Conference was ranked ahead of the Big 12 and 1 or 2 other
"major" conferences by most computer polls all of last year, placing it 8th
or 9th out of 30+ conferences, and has arguably been the best "mid-major"
conference the past few years.
 
They qualified 3 teams for the tournament, and the teams went a combined 3-3
in the tournament, with only Evansville losing in the first round. Creighton
made it to the 2nd round and had wins over Iowa, Oklahoma State in the
regular season and Louisville in the tourny, and Southwest Missouri State
made it to the Sweet 16 and had won the Missouri State Chamionship (beat all
other Div I teams in Misery-err-Missouri, including Mizzou).
 
I would say that the Mo Valley conference is more like the ECAC than the
MAAC in that they probably won't win a national title but can still compete
with the big boys on any given day. And I don't see anyone calling for the
ECAC to lose their auto-bid to a mediocre HE, CCHA, or WCHA team.
 
>> Look at the basketball tourney, those questions still come up. Does
>> Southwest Missouri State at 23-2 or Michigan at 17-13 deserve to be in.
>>
>> Looking at last year, I think that a team like QU deserves that spot for
>> their play over an at-large like Denver.
>>
>The answer to the first question should be with out a doubt yes, your
>talking about a big ten school opposed to a team SMSU that plays in a second
>tier league. Same goes for QU, until they prove they can beat someone like a
>BU or BC or Michigan, Minnesota, UND Wisconsin or some one other than a
>second tier team I say no.
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      Ben Flickinger
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Sports Editor of the North Star - Student Paper of Omaha North High School.
To all the CCHA teams, UNO welcomes you to the Bullpen. Now get ready to lose.
Everyone can have a bad century or two. Cubbies are gonna rule the 21st Century.
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QOTW: "Scott Bullett, as he takes left field, is getting congratulations
from everybody. He and his daughter are parents now of a new baby." (Harry
Caray)
 
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