Morgan State and Alabama State: Five Reasons Why They Must Win It All
We’ve previously discussed the perspective that conference tournaments are hurting the MEAC and SWAC more than they are helping, but now it’s time to analyze what is currently in place. The MEAC and SWAC both have tournaments, they both have dominant teams in Morgan State and Alabama State.
And here’s five reasons why they both must win their conference tournaments.
5. They’ve been there and done that with the N.I.T. – Both Morgan and ASU won their regular season conference titles in 2008, and have repeated this year. Making the national tournament would be a story line. Losing and going to the N.I.T. is just an afterthought.
4. The fans of the conference are depending on it. – Should Morgan State and Alabama State lose prior to the championship game, it would be a huge let down to the overall mood of the tournament. While every school has its supporters, the Bears are the Hornets are playing for much more than school pride and a national tournament berth.
3. The respect of the conferences depends on it. - With Morgan State and Alabama State victories, the profile of the MEAC and SWAC instantly increases. No more jokes about automatic berths for 20-loss teams, because the two programs have been among the most successful over the past three college basketball seasons.
2. Any other team would not be as good. - Credit must be given to any team that can play 3-5 games over a week and advance to a championship. But let’s be real; in the MEAC and SWAC there’s no team that has played with the consistency of MSU and ASU throughout the regular season.
Besides, we all deserve better than last year’s efforts from the “surprise” conference champs. Coppin State, who could not advance beyond the play-in game, and Mississippi Valley State, who set the standard for tournament mediocrity against UCLA.
1. Should they lose, other black colleges will not need to follow their examples of program building. – Division I mid-major programs are breaking through all over the country. Black college basketball has as much talent as these other programs, but no solid plan to translate into national recognition. With conferences titles going to Morgan and Alabama State, the MEAC and SWAC can take one more step to joining the elite mid-major programs in college basketball.
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[...] you have to believe that Morgan State’s inevitable run to the MEAC tournament title attracted many dormant fans from the periphery of black college basketball. A nationally recognized [...]
[...] Both ASU and MSU absolutely had to win their conference tournaments, and thankfully, they did. Tregrettably, the Tournament Selection Committee has yet to see in Alabama State what makes it on par with Morgan State; a responsibly built mid-major program that’s more deserving of play-in status. [...]