Palm now has us as number 1 in first 4 out

[jrebel87]

We are destined to be heartbroken today, rebel fans. Both major tournament analysts, lunardi (number 3 of first 4 out) and Palm (1st team left out in first four) have us just missing the tournament. So its another Not Interested Tournament bid to see if were the 69th best team in the country should we win it. Should AK be fired for not getting us to the tournament yet again?

[Rebchuck18]

If we are heartbroken it will be 99% self inflicted.

[jrebel87]

Yeah I know but seriously I would rather have not gone on this mini-run to get ourselves on the bubble and then lose AGAIN when we are so close AGAIN. That is the story of AK's career and the story of Ole Miss basketball. We just cannot get it done. Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. I don't think a coach should be kept for almost getting it done. Would we keep a football coach for "almost" making it to a bowl game every year? No.

[bbolden]

I'm cool with AK...The dude can coach... I think once AK gets it going
He'll have the basketball program on a roll...Just imagine if Virginia Tech
Would have fired Frank Beamer after years of mediocrity...I believe he's building
a program...

[jrebel87]

He's a good recruiter but he hasn't produced on the court. Think about this for a minute: he failed to take us to the big dance when we had a team that featured Terrico white, Parnell, Chris Warren, and trevor gaskins on it. He is great at getting us to 20 wins but he has failed to win the game that we had to win to make the big boy tournament EVERY SINGLE TIME. I mean think about it. In 6 seasons as headcoach, there have been five times that we were in a position where all we had to do was win one or two more games and HE has choked every single time. I mean he hasn't won the game that matters even one time. Considering the talent we have had in the past, I think that is inexcusable.

[rebeljim]

I'm cool with AK...The dude can coach... I think once AK gets it going
He'll have the basketball program on a roll...Just imagine if Virginia Tech
Would have fired Frank Beamer after years of mediocrity...I believe he's building
a program...

U seem to be the only one in this thread that has any sense of what's happening at Ole Miss. Most on here don't seem to understand what AK is up against. All they like to do is whine instead of thinking this out.

[bleuwolfe]

Yeah I know but seriously I would rather have not gone on this mini-run to get ourselves on the bubble and then lose AGAIN when we are so close AGAIN. That is the story of AK's career and the story of Ole Miss basketball. We just cannot get it done. Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. I don't think a coach should be kept for almost getting it done. Would we keep a football coach for "almost" making it to a bowl game every year? No.

sounds a little selfish to me..
I'm proud of them for not lying down when every1 and their 3rd cuz said they would and instead they gutted up and went on a great run. cry if you want but this team played with a lot of courage and grim determination the last of the season when AGAIN every1 said they had NOTHING to play for - not a shot. Salute to MBB who came to play regardless of the odds against them. You hurt? How do think they feel.

[jrebel87]

Look I acknowledge that its a great thing that Ak has won 20 games in 5 of his 6 seasons. The fact of the matter is it's extremely difficult to look past the fact that Ak has NEVER led our team to win the game that matters. In all 5 of those 6 seasons that we have won 20 games it came down to us only needing to win one or two games to make it to the big dance. What happened? Well, either we got bounced in the 1st round of the sec tournament or had a inexcusable loss or two against mtsu or a bad Auburn team. It seriously seems like Aks goal is for us to go to the NIT every year. You would think that AK would have led us to the ncaa tournament by default in at least one of those seasons where all we had to do is win one or two more games. In fact, I have a challenge for you. If you were to count how many major conference teams have won at least 20 games in 5 of the last 6 seasons and haven't been to the ncaa tournament at least once, i would wager that you could count those teams on one hand.

[Titles 'R Us]

We are destined to be heartbroken today, rebel fans. Both major tournament analysts, lunardi (number 3 of first 4 out) and Palm (1st team left out in first four) have us just missing the tournament. So its another Not Interested Tournament bid to see if were the 69th best team in the country should we win it. Should AK be fired for not getting us to the tournament yet again?

The NIT Champion is not the 69th best team in the country. The NCAA Tournament gives automatic bids to champions of conferences that couldn't win a game in the power leagues. Year in and year out, the NCAA Tournament has about 35 to 40 of the best teams in the country. The NIT frequently has any number of teams that are better than two dozen of the Big Dancers. The solution is to put the winners of leagues with composite RPI's worse than a certain cutoff number in the NIT and open up their spots to more deserving teams at-large.

The 68 best teams in the country DO NOT play in the politically-correct NCAA Tournament.

[Rebchuck18]

I'm cool with AK...The dude can coach... I think once AK gets it going
He'll have the basketball program on a roll...Just imagine if Virginia Tech
Would have fired Frank Beamer after years of mediocrity...I believe he's building
a program...

There is precious little that AK does that should be considered as "program building " and he has had plenty of time. But we can't afford to buy him out. AK is NIT and NIT is Not In Tournament!
JUST DO NOT EXTEND HIS CONTRACT!

[jrebel87]

Oh I whole heartedly agree that the ncaa tournament is all politics....but the fact of the matter is the NIT is a piece of crap consolation tournament that no one cares about. If we measure our success by how many times we make it to the NIT then we have a whole world of problems. I mean seriously has everyone forgotten that we have been to the d@mn NIT 3 out of the past 4 years? The NIT is supposed to help you build up to an NCAA tournament appearance but that's not the way its worked for us. For us its a destination that were proud of. If we want to have a successful program then we have to have high expectations. I mean we wouldn't dare say "well our football teams winning 5 games a season and that will probably lead to a bowl game eventually" would we? Hell no! We would fire the coach and get someone who wants to MATTER.

[cacreb2000]

IMO the NIT is not equal to a 5 win football season but to a Independence bowl. So now ask would we keep a football coach who was going to the indy bowl every year. Yep we would. WAOM!

[mascott]

I agree, this is nothing to hang our heads about. Playing in the NIT (as someone has stated) IS NOT AS IF YOU ARE THE 69TH BEST TEAM IN THE NCAA. sorry caplock.
scott

[lewindha]

But playing in the NIT DOES mean you are not in the big tourney with absolutely NO shot at a Championship. And, no, Chucky, I'm not demanding we win the championship like you keep saying I do. But, for once, just once, wouldn't it be nice to at least look at the field of 68(or however many they let in) and dream.

Speaking of expanded tourney bids. The SEC is down this year, they expand the tourney by what? 4 more teams, and we still can't get it.

I'm proud of the way they played those last 5,6,7 games. But where was that effort earlier in the season. That kind of effort early on, along with some dang free throw shooting, and we're probably in.

[jrebel87]

So that means your satisfied with a NIT bid every year then? Thats acceptable to you? Dude there is absolutely no argument in even mentioning the NIT in the same sentence as the big boy tournament because it doesn't belong there. The NIT is a consolation tournament meant to appease the people who are upset about not mattering in the postseason.