How Important is Winning the Big 12 Tourney to You?

CycloneJim

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Oct 21, 2016
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I've had a lot of great memories over the years when the Cyclones have won the Big 12 Tournament. But I wonder if their success in the conference tournament is at the detriment of their performance in the NCAAs. They expend a lot of energy winning three games in three days against very high quality conference competition, then have to turn around and travel to the opening round of the NCAA tourney.

If you had a choice - which would your prefer? A Big 12 Tourney title, or a final four appearance?

Past Big 12 Tournament Championships vs NCAA results

2000 - lost to Michigan State Elite 8 as a 2 seed vs 1 seed
2014 - lost to UConn Sweet 16 as a 3 seed vs 7 seed
2015 - lost to UAB 1st round as a 3 seed vs 15 seed
2017 - lost to Purdue 2nd round as a 5 seed vs 4 seed
2019 - lost to Ohio St. 1st round as a 6 seed vs 11 seed
2024 - lost to Illinois Sweet 16 as a 2 seed vs 3 seed

Thoughts?
 
1000% Final Four.

In terms of the impact of winning the conference tournament, I think we (including myself here) overemphasize that. Yes a couple of those teams were then upset in the tournament, but some of those had other things going on behind the scenes that played a major part (the UAB team for example).
 
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I've had a lot of great memories over the years when the Cyclones have won the Big 12 Tournament. But I wonder if their success in the conference tournament is at the detriment of their performance in the NCAAs. They expend a lot of energy winning three games in three days against very high quality conference competition, then have to turn around and travel to the opening round of the NCAA tourney.

If you had a choice - which would your prefer? A Big 12 Tourney title, or a final four appearance?

Past Big 12 Tournament Championships vs NCAA results

2000 - lost to Michigan State Elite 8 as a 2 seed vs 1 seed
2014 - lost to UConn Sweet 16 as a 3 seed vs 7 seed
2015 - lost to UAB 1st round as a 3 seed vs 15 seed
2017 - lost to Purdue 2nd round as a 5 seed vs 4 seed
2019 - lost to Ohio St. 1st round as a 6 seed vs 11 seed
2024 - lost to Illinois Sweet 16 as a 2 seed vs 3 seed

Thoughts?

Bad analysis is bad. Assuming the two are mutually exclusive and the players get too tired to perform in the NCAA is silly. Maybe check how many Big 8/12 tournaments that KU has won v FF appearances in the same year, or UNC or Duke.
 
Us winning a regular season title and or a conference tournament title will not at all impact our ability or chances to get to make a run. History is proven that lots of really good teams win regular season titles, conference titles, and then go on to get to Final Fours and win national titles. Good teams win.

Winning the regular season title means we are likely a #1 seed, which makes our path to the Final Four much, much easier. The team very much should be setting its goals as winning a regular season title. It has always mattered and will continue to matter.

The conference tournament... I freaking love it, but yeah, it doesn't matter at all anymore unfortunately
 
I've had a lot of great memories over the years when the Cyclones have won the Big 12 Tournament. But I wonder if their success in the conference tournament is at the detriment of their performance in the NCAAs. They expend a lot of energy winning three games in three days against very high quality conference competition, then have to turn around and travel to the opening round of the NCAA tourney.

If you had a choice - which would your prefer? A Big 12 Tourney title, or a final four appearance?

Past Big 12 Tournament Championships vs NCAA results

2000 - lost to Michigan State Elite 8 as a 2 seed vs 1 seed
2014 - lost to UConn Sweet 16 as a 3 seed vs 7 seed
2015 - lost to UAB 1st round as a 3 seed vs 15 seed
2017 - lost to Purdue 2nd round as a 5 seed vs 4 seed
2019 - lost to Ohio St. 1st round as a 6 seed vs 11 seed
2024 - lost to Illinois Sweet 16 as a 2 seed vs 3 seed

Thoughts?
This might be the dumbest question I've seen asked on here. Wow!
 
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I've had a lot of great memories over the years when the Cyclones have won the Big 12 Tournament. But I wonder if their success in the conference tournament is at the detriment of their performance in the NCAAs. They expend a lot of energy winning three games in three days against very high quality conference competition, then have to turn around and travel to the opening round of the NCAA tourney.

If you had a choice - which would your prefer? A Big 12 Tourney title, or a final four appearance?

Past Big 12 Tournament Championships vs NCAA results

2000 - lost to Michigan State Elite 8 as a 2 seed vs 1 seed
2014 - lost to UConn Sweet 16 as a 3 seed vs 7 seed
2015 - lost to UAB 1st round as a 3 seed vs 15 seed
2017 - lost to Purdue 2nd round as a 5 seed vs 4 seed
2019 - lost to Ohio St. 1st round as a 6 seed vs 11 seed
2024 - lost to Illinois Sweet 16 as a 2 seed vs 3 seed

Thoughts?
If we had a poll for this, there better not be a single vote for Big 12 Tourney title.

That said, I would never cheer against a Big 12 tourney title. There are a TON of examples of Iowa State not winning a Conference Tourney title and also not making it to the Final 4.
 
You could have asked regular conference title or final four and it would close the gap but it would still be final four for me.

Conference tourney title is equivalent to maybe a second weekend appearance. And that's heavy on the maybe.
 

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