COLUMBIA, S.C. - When one looks at this year's men's basketball season there are really only two things that could have gone better.
1. If more conference road games were won. Ball State dropped five of its nine Mid-American Conference road games.
2. If the Cards would have won the MAC Tournament.
For the sake of Ball State basketball, and the Mid-American Conference, it's probably better the Cardinals did not accomplish either of them.
If the team would have better accomplished either, then the Cardinals would have more than likely gone dancing in March rather than traveling all over the nation in pursuit of a National Invitation Tournament title.
Quite frankly, aside from beating Kansas and UCLA, I'm not convinced Ball State had enough credible wins to make it into the NCAA Tournament.
Who knows what would have happened in the first round had the team made it in? A first-round loss would have been probable.
Instead, the team's outlook on the postseason switched. Instead of an intense, pressured feeling the team would have encountered in the NCAA Tournament, the team took a much lighter "go out and have fun" attitude for the NIT. This attitude has marked one of the most successful postseasons in school history.
Head coach Tim Buckley has said over and over again that all he really wants for his team is to "get better." He has said each milestone the team surpasses is another step in getting better, such as the conquer of the Maui Invitational, winning the MAC West outright, finishing with 19 wins overall and a conference record better than 11-6 for the first time since 1998.
Had the team advanced to the NCAA tournament instead of the NIT, the Cardinals would have missed a step. If you accomplish everything in one season, it leaves little to strive for next season. Instead, they were invited to the NIT, and they have seized the moment. After playing Louisiana State Tuesday night, Petie Jackson said, "This is our NCAA Tournament to us. This is a building block for the program."
They have advanced farther than Bowling Green, who lost in the first round. They have won more games and advanced farther than Butler, who lost just Monday night.
Essentially, Ball State is to the NIT what Kent State has become to the NCAA Tournament. And on that note, it's time the term "mid-major" be thrown out the door, or at least thrown out the door when concerning MAC schools.
Kent State, seeded No. 10 in the "big dance" has advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history. Ball State has only won three postseason games in school history prior to this season. They were shafted into having to play an opening round in the NIT and they have already won three this season alone.
If the NCAA selection committee, the ESPN analysts, Sports Illustrated reporters or any other "mid-major haters" want to continue to believe these "mid-major" schools are sub-par, then someone needs to explain why these "mid-major" schools are making such a major impact.
Kent State defeated No. 2 Alabama (a Southeastern Conference opponent) in the NCAA Tournament while Ball State takes care of SEC opponent Louisiana State in the NIT.
I am not saying that all schools in the supposed "mid-major" category deserve more respect. Yes, some of the schools are sub-par. I do think, however, that the MAC, a conference the big boys are afraid to play, deserves more respect and attention than it is getting. Ball State and Kent State are proving that this postseason.
My hope is that both Ball State and Kent State will each advance to at least another round. It's time for the nation to see what the MAC is really all about, and who better to prove it than the MAC West and MAC East regular-season champions?
Write to Greg at gmfallon@bsu.edu
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