Sure, it didn't ...

[cto]

... have anything to do with their placement decision.

Thank you, NIT! This Jim Boeheim-UNC Greensboro matchup is exactly what we need.

 

[AZOrange]

Lol come on! Just coincidence!!!

The fact that the author describes JBs Greensboro comments as "scathing" is funny

 

[OrangeDW]

This is the stupidest storyline ever.

 

[bballbeadle]

This is the stupidest storyline ever.

I think it's ironic and cynical.

 

[rrlbees]

only an ignorant person wouldn't understand what his point was.

 

[llandz]

Yes. I called BS as he was being interviewed. But the funny thing is that the snow storm will overshadow all of this to some extend. It will be difficult to travel to the game for their fans, so they will have none, and a lot of talk will be about the storm during the game. Since the storm will be huge up and down the eastern coast they won't even be able to turn the snow into a Syracuse story line. I am sure the announcers will try everything in their power to make the Greensboro comment a story, but I think it will fall flat on their faces. Only way this story blows up is if we lose. So we really have to win this one. And I think in the end it is more about the game to everyone and not about some petty thing that everyone has dreamed up having to do with Greensboro. This is a non story to most.

 

[HoustonCuse]

I don't think anyone really cares. It is just more ammunition to batter Syracuse with. Looking around the Washington Post - holy cow, they aren't exactly SU supporters. Some significant vitriol coming out there. Not surprising from the DC area with Georgetown and all. But if it wasn't this, it would be something else. If Syracuse got in, a whole cottage industry would sprout up to rage about it. Just like last year. I was surprised when sitting in the crowd for introductions at the Final Four, that SU was not announced as "And from the Atlantic Coast Conference, winner of the Midwest Region, a team most people said shouldn't even be here, Syracuse University!"

 

[jncuse]

It's possible this was just coincidence.

1. The NIT closely follows geography:

The #1 seeds were Syracuse, Cal, Iowa, Illinois St.
The #8 seeds were Greensboro, UC Irvine, South Dakota, Cal St Bakersfield

So if those are the true #1 and #8 seeds the matchup has to be Syracuse-Greensboro. Nothing else makes sense

2. Could they have played around with the seeding? Inconclusive.

Could Greesnboro have been a #7 seed? The 7 seeds were Belmont, Valparaiso, Oakland, Akron. Belmont, Valpo, and Akron are all clearly better in the metrics. So it comes down to Oakland. UNCG has the better RPI, Oakland had the better metrics and more top 100 wins. So it's possible they switched the two, but just as likely that Oakland was the better team.

Could someone else in the south have been a #1 seed? Could Clemson or Georgia have been the #1 seed over Cal or Iowa. Once again possible, but not sure.

 

[Halfmooncuse]

SU "America's Team"! Not.

 

[jncuse]

The comments were hardly scathing. It's not like he said "Let's bring the tournament to Syracuse" or "Let's Bring it to Charlottesville". He didn't pick on Greensboro, he picked on small markets. If he was not the coach of Syracuse, and someone said "Let's bring the ACC tourney to Syracuse" he would probably find it equally idiotic.