Parody in college basketball is about to hit an all-time high.
At his press conference Monday, University of Wisconsin men's basketball head coach Bo Ryan talked about the added exposure mid-major conference teams are receiving, but soon the likes of the Missouri Valley Conference, the Colonial, Horizon League and such will be on more of an equal playing field with the major conferences. And by soon, I mean very soon.
Wisconsin, ranked No. 7 in the country at the time, experienced just how good mid-majors can be first hand this past weekend at the South Padre Island Invitational, losing 66-64 to Missouri State.
Yet Ryan didn't even consider the loss much of an upset.
"Upset?" Ryan joked after the game. "You talking about indigestion?"
And for Missouri State head coach Barry Hinson, the win over a top-ranked team didn't mean much either.
After all, Hinson has plenty more to be worried about once the MVC schedule tips off.
"It doesn't mean anything right now, maybe it will mean something in March," Hinson said. "It means absolutely nothing right now, it's a win, but I will say this: We're picked fourth in the Valley, fourth."
The MVC is a prime example of mid-major teams taking a step up.
Last year, four Valley teams (Bradley, Northern Iowa, Wichita State and Southern Illinois) made the NCAA tournament, with Bradley and Wichita State making some noise by reaching the Sweet 16.
This year, the Valley looks primed to get itself on the national scene once again.
Wisconsin wasn't the only one to suffer a loss to the mid-major conference over the weekend as then-No. 6 LSU received a shocker from the Wichita State Shockers. With the win, Wichita State jumped up to No. 17 in the AP polls.
Another mid-major team cracked the polls this weekend as the Horizon League's Butler Bulldogs earned a No. 19 ranking after winning the NIT Season Tip-Off.
Butler had already defeated teams from the Big East (Notre Dame), Big Ten (Indiana) and Southeastern Conference (Tennessee), and was then pitted against then-No. 23 Gonzaga in the championship game of the preseason NIT.
Quite fitting considering the 'Zags were the ones who started the whole mid-major craze.
Back when Minnesota head coach Dan Monson was at the helm in Spokane, Wash., from 1997 to 1999, Gonzaga became the true definition of a mid-major team.
After six years as an assistant for the Bulldogs, Monson quickly put Gonzaga on the map. He became the first coach to win the West Coast Conference regular-season title in his rookie season. Two years later, he cracked the Elite Eight, nearly reaching the Final Four before losing to the eventual champion in Connecticut.
Monson's run in the tournament earned him a job at a bigger school, landing the head coaching spot at Minnesota, a school fresh off of a cheating scandal. At the time, the general assumption was that if Monson could turn around Gonzaga, he could quickly turn around a team in a major conference such as Minnesota.
Think again.
The Gophers haven't been too golden since Monson's arrival, whereas Gonzaga has been constantly ranked in the national polls over the years.
Looking back on it now, the smart choice for Monson would've been to stay at Gonzaga. It may not sound right saying a coach should stay at a mid-major school, but the way things are shaping out in college basketball lately, it's definitely the case. Don't expect Monson's protégé Mark Few to leave Spokane anytime soon.
Top-ranked teams are dropping like flies just a month into the 2006-07 season and mid-major teams are already on the national radar. It's as if March Madness is here already.
Michael is a senior double majoring in journalism and communication arts. One day back in Madison and he's already thinking he should've stayed on South Padre Island for good. You can reach him at [email protected].
