Poll: Would you rather win the conference tourney, or make it to R32 in the national tourney?

[FeedBreece]

I feel strong about this. I think conference tourneys are overrated, and a hindrance at times to how you will perform in March Madness. (See Iowa)

Even if you win the tourney, how much does that get remembered? I feel like in basketball, first place finisher in the regular standings will still be recognized more. They just remember KU finishing first most years. I’m also not exactly hanging banners for winning the conference tourney in 2019 when we lost in round 1.

It feels far different in football due to the fact that it’s one game with the two top regular season finishers facing off weeks beforehand. No one considers Okie State the conference champion for finishing first, we saw them lose to Baylor head to head.

If basketball went to this format, I would probably feel differently. You literally can be as bad as you want to be eligible for the tournament. It’s great if you need it in order to get into March, but otherwise other than boosting some seeding, I don’t see it’s value.

 

[mynameisjonas]

Round of 32. not even close.

 

[HFCS]

Conf tourney but just barely. Sweet 16 way above conf tourney. I ranked it all out in another thread.

Nat Champs
Title game
Final four
Elite eight
Outright conf champs
sweet 16
Shared conf champs
Conf tourney champs
Round 32
Round 64
NIT champs
Pig loser
Other nit bid
Whatever cit is called now

Have experienced most other than top 3 since ‘00 and that’s ranking for me.

 

[CloneGuy8]

Conference tournaments are fun, but its all about the big dance.

 

[CYCLNST8]

God it would be so amazing for this team of misfit toys under a first year coach in a brutal conference following an absolute turd of a season to reach the Sweet Sixteen. They could easily get trounced by a hostile Milwaukee crowd, but everything at this point is just gravy. Expectations VASTLY exceeded.

Conference tourney titles ring so hollow after a first round exit.

 

[singsing]

Big12 tourney by far! If you vote the other way you've never been to KC and experienced it when ISU wins. Sweet 16 is a different story because of the media attention it gets.

 

[cygrads]

Conference tournaments are fun, but its all about the big dance.

Agree, conference tournaments are fun and there's some bragging that comes with it but it's candy vs steak and give me steak!

 

[Mr Janny]

Maybe, MAYBE if your team was like the 10 seed in the conference tournament, and had zero shot of making the NCAA's other than winning the conference tournament, but even then, you'd probably trade it for advancing to the round of 32.

 

[cycloneworld]

Conference tourneys are fun for the weekend and are fun to look back on. But, generally, are meaningless.

Now if you asked me regular season title vs. Round of 32…that’s a more interesting question.

 

[20eyes]

Conference tournaments are fun, but its all about the big dance.

Agreed, super fun...especially for ISU fans in KC...but everyone knows they carry a huge asterisk since they're not the regular season championship. That's not to minimize how important it is for the program, it's huge. But you're 100% right.

 

[cyfanatic13]

It's very close, I can see either choice. Like others have said once you start talking sweet 16, it's not even close. Being down in KC for the last couple it is a blast though.

The selection committee clearly has their choice though as they didn't give a **** about conference tourneys this year

 

[FeedBreece]

Maybe, MAYBE if your team was like the 10 seed in the conference tournament, and had zero shot of making the NCAA's other than winning the conference tournament, but even then, you'd probably trade it for advancing to the round of 32.

Yes, this is the only exception to that where you need it to get in.

Honestly? I never have loved the idea of being able to get in that way. Feels like it rewards a team for being awful all season.

I honestly have the take it should be one championship game in KC, 1 vs. 2. Maybe have a semifinal with the top 4.

 

[8bitnes]

Maybe, MAYBE if your team was like the 10 seed in the conference tournament, and had zero shot of making the NCAA's other than winning the conference tournament, but even then, you'd probably trade it for advancing to the round of 32.

Not in the big dance without the conference tourney in your scenario. So, how does the "even then" happen?

 

[keepngoal]

too many variables to make it an either or case.

Seed in either tourney
Year expectations (pre,during,post)

take a year we wouldn't have an at-large bid... that conference tourney is more important. then see above changing variables.

 

[dahliaclone]

For purely selfish reasons, I love KC when we win the title. It is just a blast.

Can we say a tie for KC champs and Round of 32? Because they are honestly tied. NO QUESTION a Sweet 16 is better though.

 

[CYphyllis]

I get what you're trying to accomplish here and I'm all for it, but I'll take a tournament championship against your peers over a first round NCAA tournament win every damn day.

 

[singsing]

too many variables to make it an either or case.

Seed in either tourney
Year expectations (pre,during,post)

take a year we wouldn't have an at-large bid... that conference tourney is more important. then see above changing variables.

One variable I like is the conference tourney championship usually has a win over KU attached to it.

 

[Mr Janny]

Not in the big dance without the conference tourney in your scenario. So, how does the "even then" happen?

Sorry, I was speaking as a hypothetical. What I'm saying is that making the tournament through winning the conference tournament is great, and would be something to be incredibly proud, especially if you had no shot of making it otherwise. But getting to the round of 32 would always diminish that accomplishment.

 

[Urbandale2013]

I’d much rather win in KC and it isn’t even close. Nobody remembers a round of 64 win over a tournament title. Getting a sweet sixteen is close and probably sweet sixteen but I couldn’t tell you who was in the sweet sixteen last year. A lot less people are able to make it to the NCAA tournament too.

The biggest part of what makes a tourney title so great is that we take over KC. I’ve been to one Big 12 tournament game (WV title game) and I’ve been to the sweet sixteen game in Chicago. The sweet sixteen was more impressive but the tournament title was more fun.

 

[ISUTex]

I demand both.