Conference Champ vs Tournament Champ

[EnhancedFujita]

I've seen several comments on here, facebook, and twitter, about how the tournament championship is pointless, just a money grab, regular season conference is what really matters.

So is this just bitter KU fans or what? FWIW I've heard it from none KU fans as well. For every other sport, the post season winner is considered the real champs for the year. No one cares who won the AL or NL, they care about who won the World Series. And its the same with the NFL/Superbowl, NBA/NBA Finals, and NHL/Stanley Cup.

I get the Big 12 Tournament is just one post season, but if you were to pick the champs of the league, shouldn't it default to the tournament champ like in every other sport. If anything the conference winner should have the asterisk IMO.

 

[IowaStateClones]

who cares

 

[dirtyninety]

Whatever we won last.....that is the real champion.
Larry Eustachy stressed regular season championships....and that is quite an accomplishment. As much as I loathe the Jayhawk minor-league McDonalds machine....you gotta tip your hat to thier ability to win.
It is an odd peculiarity of college basketball.

 

[bigdaddykane]

I've seen several comments on here, facebook, and twitter, about how the tournament championship is pointless, just a money grab, regular season conference is what really matters.

So is this just bitter KU fans or what? FWIW I've heard it from none KU fans as well. For every other sport, the post season winner is considered the real champs for the year. No one cares who won the AL or NL, they care about who won the World Series. And its the same with the NFL/Superbowl, NBA/NBA Finals, and NHL/Stanley Cup.

I get the Big 12 Tournament is just one post season, but if you were to pick the champs of the league, shouldn't it default to the tournament champ like in every other sport. If anything the conference winner should have the asterisk IMO.

tournaments are all about whos hot and whos not

 

[BigJCy]

Winning the conference tournament is terrific but if I had the choice give me the regular season title. 18 game grind playing round robin over a 3-4 day span of games.

 

[Spam]

Of course winning the regular season is a bigger achievement.

 

[WastedTalent]

regular season >>> tournament

Unless you're in a non major conference.

It just means so much more, and is a better measure of just how good a team is.

 

[KnappShack]

Winning the conference tournament is terrific but if I had the choice give me the regular season title. 18 game grind playing round robin over a 3-4 day span of games.

I agree with this

The conference tournaments actually are nothing more than a money grab. A fun money grab, but you have to call it like it is.

 

[Pseudonym]

The winner of the regular season has always been considered the conference champion as long as I can remember. Remember everybody making fun of Alfraud because he talked about winning the Big Ten when he meant they won the Big Ten tournament.

I was surprised all of the banners and signs in the sprint center said "big 12 champions" last night

 

[Nihawk]

Winning the conference tournament is terrific but if I had the choice give me the regular season title. 18 game grind playing round robin over a 3-4 day span of games.

Good post! I would take either, but the hot teams win the tourney and the best team the regular season. I hate when a team like Vermont win reg. title and get knocked out. Not that BIG OF DEAL IN POWER CONFRENCES. Don't really like a team like Cal-Poly getting in.

 

[hexodat64]

I'd say the regular season is a bit more impressive, but the whole point is to be hot and playing well at the end. Give me good play at the end of the season and going into the big dance (+ of course auto bid) every year

 

[Gunnerclone]

I know which one is more fun.

 

[CYKOFAN]

When looking back I'd probably prefer the regular season title that's earned after the long grinding schedule, but there's also nothing like the sudden high of that final win in the tournament after surviving the sudden death play-off. Both are great.

 

[hexodat64]

Also, lots of stuff in our league seems to be "diminished" by kU fans since they seem to win it every year or very frequently. Winning is a big deal and it's fun.

 

[Cyclonin]

Regular season champ tells you more about a team for the season, the tournament can give you a better idea of how a team could perform in the NCAA's.

Obviously, a regular season can too, but given the dynamic of quick turnarounds, and neutral courts, it gives you a precursor to what really matters, the NCAA tourney. So in my opinion, they both mean something and one could mean more depending on how you look at it.

 

[oldwiseman]

who cares

Why would you even write this? Just to be an a-hole? Does the OP not have the right to post something others might find interesting? "Who cares" if you don't care about his post. Idiot

 

[SplitIdentity]

Glad to see rationality here. I was worried that Steve Alford had signed up for this site and was a Cyclone fan now.

 

[EnhancedFujita]

regular season >>> tournament

Unless you're in a non major conference.

It just means so much more, and is a better measure of just how good a team is.

I would tend to agree, but why is NCAA Basketball the only sport where people would think that. I mean think about baseball. The season is 162 games, its a huge accomplishment to had the best regular season record, but nobody cares about that, its all about the World Series. The regular season just sets you up for the post season.

Maybe it's just the duration of the conference tournament then, I dunno, just thought it was an interesting distinction.

 

[Tre4ISU]

Tournament champ is hot right now, the regular season champ had the better season. Then, in some conferences you have to look at their schedule. Everyone weighs that stuff different. I'd probably rather have the regular season but the tournament championship is more exciting.

 

[andymhallman]

I've seen several comments on here, facebook, and twitter, about how the tournament championship is pointless, just a money grab, regular season conference is what really matters.

So is this just bitter KU fans or what? FWIW I've heard it from none KU fans as well. For every other sport, the post season winner is considered the real champs for the year. No one cares who won the AL or NL, they care about who won the World Series. And its the same with the NFL/Superbowl, NBA/NBA Finals, and NHL/Stanley Cup.

I get the Big 12 Tournament is just one post season, but if you were to pick the champs of the league, shouldn't it default to the tournament champ like in every other sport. If anything the conference winner should have the asterisk IMO.

This might be a problem with those leagues, not with college basketball. I know English Premiere League soccer awards its championship to the regular season winner. In fact, it doesn't even have such a thing as a postseason. It's certainly less climactic than American sports but it's a better representation of the truly best team in the league.

That said, winning the conference tournament is still a big deal in college basketball, although it is mostly a measure of who is hot at a particular moment in time, which in our league is Iowa State and Baylor. I don't see how you can argue Iowa State is actually better than first-place Kansas. Likewise, Baylor is definitely not the second best team in the league, although they're certainly playing like it right now.