at Eastern Illinois

[meganeck]

Talking about the drought for the men's team not getting into the NCAA tournament, how many good teams did we have but got eliminated by Valpo in the Mid-Con tourney. One or two of those Kerwin teams probalby woul dhave made the tournament if it wasn't for Valpo.


 

Oh, for sure I think we would have made the tournament at least once in that timeframe if it weren't for Valpo.
1995 - finished regular season #2 in the conference, lost in the championship game in 3 OTs to #1 Valpo
1996 - finished regular season #2 in the conference, lost in the championship game to #1 Valpo
1997 - finished regular season tied for #2 in the conference, lost in the championship game to #1 Valpo
1999 - finished regular season #3 in the conference, lost in the semifinals round to #2 Valpo (Valpo would beat #1 Oral Roberts in the championship game).
In '95, we must not have had an automatic bid, because nobody from the Mid-Con played in the postseason that year, but from '96 to '00, Valpo was the Mid-Con representative in the NCAA tournament every year (and then again in '02 and '04).

So, if Valpo was not in the conference, or if they were replaced with a team not quite as good, I'm sure we would have made the tournament at least once, probably a couple of times. If that had happened...who knows...maybe we would have ended up in the MVC like Valpo is now.

 

thanks for that Scott, I know I was at least one of those, probably more, but they were heartbreakers and I couldn't stand Valpo because of those loses. I think they were one of the first schools to bring European players over,every year they had an European player that was a stud. I know it has been mentioned before but Kerwin is underrated in my opinion in how good of a coach he was and what he did for the men's basketball program. And of course his lead assistant was Brad Underwood.
 

[may know]

Yay! Can't wait to be a 16 seed. So happy to be in the lackluster OVC so we can make the tourney as a 16 seed. Can hardly control my enthusiasm. 



 

Well he has Omaha as the 16 seed in a play In game but will ignore that 


 

Omaha won't get in. The winner of the Summit League will not be a 16 seed. When was the last time the summit league winner was a 16 seed???
 

 

2019, 2017, etc.

The dream for WIU is to play in the NCAA Tournament. That is significantly more likely in the OVC than the Summit. We have decades of evidence. 

[ST_Lawson]

thanks for that Scott, I know I was at least one of those, probably more, but they were heartbreakers and I couldn't stand Valpo because of those loses. I think they were one of the first schools to bring European players over,every year they had an European player that was a stud.
 

Same. I was in the pep band as an undergrad from the 96/97 season through the 00/01 season and we went to all the conference tournaments. I fully remember Valpo being our nemesis during that timeframe…and of course the big Eastern European guys…plus Bryce Drew.


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