Monday, March 13, 2006
NCAA snub stuns Kennedy...and the Rest of Us
The Enquirer - NCAA snub stuns Kennedy: "The Bearcats were ranked No. 40 in collegeRPI.com, with a schedule ranked as the fifth-most difficult in the country. Their non-conference schedule was ranked No. 22.
They were 11-11 against teams in the RPI top 100 and won four games against RPI top 50 teams. They were 8-8 in the Big East.
'The whole thought process, not only from Mr. Littlepage, but from years past was that we understand sometimes in league play you don't have control over your league schedule,' Kennedy said. 'They really want you to control the part you can, which is your nonleague, which is what we did very aggressively.'
Littlepage said RPI is not as powerful a tool as some believe.
'It's one of the tools we have at our disposal,' he said. 'It gets far too much (credit) as a determinant. What gets a team into the Tournament is a team that plays well in its conference schedule.'
Tranghese was as perplexed as Kennedy.
'I just don't know what their thinking was,' he said.
'I thought they had done enough, both in the league and outside the league, to warrant a bid. You don't know what goes on inside the room.'
What went on inside UC's locker room as the players, coaches and staff watched the selection show was severe disappointment mixed with disbelief.
'I'm just terribly disappointed for these kids,' Kennedy said, 'especially for these seniors. It's not a fitting way for it to end.'"
Everyone seems to agree that the selection committee was not thinking at all. The University of Cincinnati deserved the bid, really deserved it. I am disappointed. My stomach just turned when I realized they were not recognized for the season they played. Kennedy and those players did far more than anyone could have expected them to do. They did not only more than anyone could have expected, but were competitive in one of the most difficult conferences in the country. They played with heart and played expertly under very challenging circumstances. To ignore that and allow much lesser teams into the tournament was an extremely bad move and should initiate a push to change the way these teams are chosen.
They were 11-11 against teams in the RPI top 100 and won four games against RPI top 50 teams. They were 8-8 in the Big East.
'The whole thought process, not only from Mr. Littlepage, but from years past was that we understand sometimes in league play you don't have control over your league schedule,' Kennedy said. 'They really want you to control the part you can, which is your nonleague, which is what we did very aggressively.'
Littlepage said RPI is not as powerful a tool as some believe.
'It's one of the tools we have at our disposal,' he said. 'It gets far too much (credit) as a determinant. What gets a team into the Tournament is a team that plays well in its conference schedule.'
Tranghese was as perplexed as Kennedy.
'I just don't know what their thinking was,' he said.
'I thought they had done enough, both in the league and outside the league, to warrant a bid. You don't know what goes on inside the room.'
What went on inside UC's locker room as the players, coaches and staff watched the selection show was severe disappointment mixed with disbelief.
'I'm just terribly disappointed for these kids,' Kennedy said, 'especially for these seniors. It's not a fitting way for it to end.'"
Everyone seems to agree that the selection committee was not thinking at all. The University of Cincinnati deserved the bid, really deserved it. I am disappointed. My stomach just turned when I realized they were not recognized for the season they played. Kennedy and those players did far more than anyone could have expected them to do. They did not only more than anyone could have expected, but were competitive in one of the most difficult conferences in the country. They played with heart and played expertly under very challenging circumstances. To ignore that and allow much lesser teams into the tournament was an extremely bad move and should initiate a push to change the way these teams are chosen.
