Mike DeCourcy of TSN

[BradleyBrave]

Supposed college basketball expert Mike DeCourcy was on Mike North's morning show today talking about the NCAA Tournament. A caller called in and said he thought the MVC was a joke, and that there was no way they deserved 6 teams in. DeCourcy said "It's a nice league, but 6 teams is a joke". He then said that the MVC didn't play anyone out of conference, and had this as his evidence - DeCourcy cites Western Kentucy, who beat Virginia and UAB as a team that has to win to get in. And said that it's not fair that a team like BRADLEY, who didn't play anyone, is probably going. Obviously Mike DeCourcy didn't know that BRADLEY BEAT WESTERN KENTUCKY! I believe this should be a leading candidate for Thursday's "Who you crappin'" segment on B and B. Yet another uninformed national guy going out of his way to rip the MVC.

[Biff]

Sometimes these"experts" change their tune depending on who their audience is. I have heard RickMajerus say the MVC should get 2 teams, then on another broadcast say they were a styrong league and 4 or 5 is realistic. Same with some of the other TV talking heads.

I think DeCourcey didn't think any MVC people would be listening.

[mike radigan]

I just e-mailed the following to decourcy@sportingnews.com:

It just so happens Bradley played and beat Western Kentucky. Do your homework. Duh!

Mike Radigan

[BradleyBrave]

Sometimes these"experts" change their tune depending on who their audience is. I have heard RickMajerus say the MVC should get 2 teams, then on another broadcast say they were a styrong league and 4 or 5 is realistic. Same with some of the other TV talking heads.

I think DeCourcey didn't think any MVC people would be listening.

Well, then that makes him even more of an *****, because the last time he was on Mike North's show a guy called in and asked about the MVC, and specifically Bradley. I further the contention that he doesn't know what he's talking about because Mike North wholeheartedly agreed with him.

[mplona]

Sometimes these"experts" change their tune depending on who their audience is. I have heard RickMajerus say the MVC should get 2 teams, then on another broadcast say they were a styrong league and 4 or 5 is realistic. Same with some of the other TV talking heads.

I think DeCourcey didn't think any MVC people would be listening.

did anyone see Jay Bilas's "apology" or "explanation" about his views on the MVC:

"Comments about Valley are opinion, not disrespect"
By Jay "DUUUUUKEEEE" Bilas

Editor's note: Each weekend, ESPN analyst Jay Bilas helps set the table by providing his take on the college hoops landscape.

Not madness, just mad
Apparently, I have been labeled Public Enemy No. 1 in the Missouri Valley Conference because I have questioned the RPI numbers of the league. I have been told that some MVC folks are kind of mad about it. That's OK, as long as my opinions are clearly understood. Along with opinions come disagreement, and reasonable minds can disagree.

To be clear, I think (and have said many times) the MVC is a terrific basketball league, and it has some truly outstanding teams that will win games in the NCAA Tournament. The MVC has some great coaches and some up-and-coming coaches who will be household names in a few years. I have said and written that the MVC will get as many as five teams into the NCAA Tournament this year, and there is a possibility that the league will field six NCAA Tournament teams, which is more than I have said about the Pac-10, the Big 12 or the ACC. If that is disrespect, I would be pleased if someone would disrespect me in the same fashion!

What I have said that has gotten the collective undies of MVC supporters in a bunch is that the RPI numbers for the league and some of its teams seem a bit too high. Understand, I have been a vocal critic of the RPI for years. I think it can be a useful tool, but it is flawed. For example, when Tennessee was ranked third in the RPI, I said that I did not believe that the Vols were the third best team in America, even though the numbers said they were.

Similarly, when I see the résumés of MVC teams with a pile of RPI Top 25 and Top 50 wins, it is notable that the vast majority of those wins are home wins in conference play. (I have said the same thing about the Big Ten.) It's also notable that there is a flaw in the RPI formula that means a home win and a road loss in a two-game series against a good team helps more than a road win and a home loss against that same good team.

The MVC has done a marvelous job of scheduling, playing only teams that have solid records and schedules. Since 50 percent of the RPI formula is based upon your opponents' records, teams that play teams with good slates get a bump. That, coupled with the fact that the MVC (and Big Ten) have yielded few road wins, has brought a perfect storm in RPI points for the league and its teams.

But you know what? That is the system we have, and the MVC has navigated that system very well and should be rewarded for it. MVC teams play good schedules and win against those schedules. The league has five or six teams that can beat most anybody in the country on a given night.

That said, it is not a slam on the league, in my opinion, to say that the MVC is a mid-major league, or that it is not annually as powerful as the Big East, the Big Ten or the ACC. I believe that if you took the top five teams from the MVC and put them in the Big East, their numbers and records would not be as good. But they still would be the same good teams, and it wouldn't change the fact that the top teams in the MVC can beat most every team in the Big East on a given night.

Is it disrespectful to suggest that UConn and Villanova would rip through the MVC with one or no losses? Is it disrespectful to suggest that Notre Dame might very well be an NCAA Tournament team if it played in the MVC? Clearly, the top teams in the MVC can beat Notre Dame, but I think that the Irish would be viewed differently if they played in the MVC. If you are looking at quality wins, though, Northern Iowa is the team that beat Iowa, LSU and Bucknell while Syracuse has not had as many big-time wins and lost to Bucknell.

This year, Northern Iowa has the better résumé, and should get in before teams like Syracuse, Florida State, Colorado, Cal and some others. But is it wrong to suggest that, for the most part, Syracuse fields a better team year in and year out? Heck, the Orange have greater resources, a more powerful league with greater TV coverage, and they recruit better athletes and more of them. Northern Iowa has been better against its schedule this season than Syracuse has been against its. Does that mean that Syracuse cannot beat UNI? Of course not.

If feeling disrespected motivates the teams and players, have at it. And if you want to be mad to fuel yourselves, don't read this part: I think the MVC is really good, and I think the league will do some damage in the NCAA Tournament.

[mike radigan]

Got the following reply:

Bradley was at home, won by a bucket.
Not sure that'd be the tiebreaker.

[tornado]

But as you know, Mike, the game was actually a 15 pt game and a late flurry of 3's narrowed it to a margin that was uncomfortably close....and if DeCourcy were knowledgable as he should since he does this for a living he should have known this. He would also know that a terrible call on the technical on Zach Andrews when he hung on the rim to avoid landing on two WKU players helped them stay close, but as late as the final 5 minutes of so, BU was up by double digits and never trailed in the final 5-6 minutes holding a 7 pt. lead even with 12 seconds, but giving up a couple uncontested 3's at the end to avoid giving WKU a 4 point play.
If DeCourcy is going to give positive credit to a losing team because of the final score then he should give BU extra credit for close losses in several other games, while blowing out SIU and UNI down the stretch.

[BradleyBrave]

Got the following reply:

Bradley was at home, won by a bucket.
Not sure that'd be the tiebreaker.

Now margin of victory matters? Wow! Unbelievable.

Perhaps you should reply that the game was played without Patrick O'Bryant.

I stand by my contention that Mike DeCourcy is an *****.

[TRIMAN]

But as you know, Mike, the game was actually a 15 pt game and a late flurry of 3's narrowed it to a margin that was uncomfortably close....and if DeCourcy were knowledgable as he should since he does this for a living he should have known this. He would also know that a terrible call on the technical on Zach Andrews when he hung on the rim to avoid landing on two WKU players helped them stay close, but as late as the final 5 minutes of so, BU was up by double digits and never trailed in the final 5-6 minutes holding a 7 pt. lead even with 12 seconds, but giving up a couple uncontested 3's at the end to avoid giving WKU a 4 point play.
If DeCourcy is going to give positive credit to a losing team because of the final score then he should give BU extra credit for close losses in several other games, while blowing out SIU and UNI down the stretch.

They are not supposed to look at margin of victory, just where the game was and who won. Bradley will still get in, but some big schools that don't deserve to go will too. SSDY

[Looking Up]

This man doesn't have a clue! I sent him an email to help
enlighten him!

AS FOLLOWS:
Bradley played Western Kentucky without Patrick O'Bryant. I was there and Bradley licked them
from start to finish. The game was a 12-15 point game most of the way. WK never had a chance to
win this game regardless of the final score. Bradley finished the season strong and proved that they
should be in the NCAA tournament this year.
It is easy to jump on the bandwagon and predict the tourney teams along with all the rest of the
so-called experts! Do your homework and ride with the Braves to a 9-10 seed in the tourney!

[BradleyBrave]

I have emailed Mr. DeCourcy as well. I would suggest others do the same. Way to get the ball rolling on this Mike Radigan!

[Looking Up]

Mid-major Mike's response to my email.
As follows:
I think my words are being misinterpreted.
What I said was that some teams are being presented aggressively as tournament candidates without big wins, and that some are not being presented that have some impressive records.
I did not say that WKU should make it and Bradley should not, regardless of the outcome of their game.
I know that O'Bryant was not with Bradley early, but I also know that while he made Bradley better, he did not completely change the season. Against the Valley, Bradley still was 13-8.

Can I ask a favor: Can you tell me the address of the message board where my words are being reinvented?

[Bravesfan]

Supposed college basketball expert Mike DeCourcy was on Mike North's morning show today talking about the NCAA Tournament. A caller called in and said he thought the MVC was a joke, and that there was no way they deserved 6 teams in. DeCourcy said "It's a nice league, but 6 teams is a joke". He then said that the MVC didn't play anyone out of conference, and had this as his evidence - DeCourcy cites Western Kentucy, who beat Virginia and UAB as a team that has to win to get in. And said that it's not fair that a team like BRADLEY, who didn't play anyone, is probably going. Obviously Mike DeCourcy didn't know that BRADLEY BEAT WESTERN KENTUCKY! I believe this should be a leading candidate for Thursday's "Who you crappin'" segment on B and B. Yet another uninformed national guy going out of his way to rip the MVC.

I heard that too, and North agreed with him!

I also saw on the other Bradley board that DeCourcy responded to the e-mailer who reminded him that Bradley beat WKU that Bradley beat them "only" by two points at home! Since when does margin of victory count in the RPI formula???

I am about to e-mail DeCourcy about his gripe that the Valley teams don't have enough out of conference victories to qualify for the tournament. Considering that the BCS teams use the same system, and that most won't play us to begin with, I think his comments are patently unfair and out of touch with the reality of the selection process!

[crpacey20]

I'm glad Jay Bilas came out with something like this, which in my opinion sounds true and steady with what he has been saying.

But I'll be floored if Digger comes out with this next!!! (and I wont belive him if he does)

and the fact of the matter is BU did not have the greatest year this year (although very good and VERY good to end the year)......and they havent been good in recent years.....

what im saying is its going to take time for them to gain a decent national respect......face it, its easier to gain fans when people are watching you throughout the year, instead of just starting to care at tournament time.

chad

[Bravesfan]

I got this reply from DeCoursy when I asked about the Valley teams not being able to play the BCS teams:

My words are being twisted in different directions every time I read another e-mail.
The caller said the Valley was a joke. I said it was a bit extreme to say the league was a joke, but a bit extreme to say it's worthy of six bids.
I was not lobbying for Western's inclusion at the expense of Bradley or anyone else, just pointing out the dichotomy of WKU getting totally ignored while teams that don't have that many big-time wins being presented as locks.

MD

I just e-mailed him back telling him something to the sort that it does not help our teams when the BCS teams won't play them. I'll see if he responses to that one.

[McFly]

I emailed him in a very similar fashion to you guys..havent heard back yet. I say next we start emailing Digger.......ANybody care if I put this discussion on the PJStar board...Im sure there a bunch of guys that would jump on the email bandwagon.....I think that everybody on both boards wants the same thing.......I'll wait to hear from an administrator....

[BU fan]

Feel free to post there and start the same discussion. But if you post a link to here it will be deleted.

[McFly]

Just checked and there has been a discussion all day....my bad

[Tsnmike]

I can assure you I am not an *****. I also can assure you that I do not change my message to suit the audience, other than to address specifics that the audience would care more about (i.e., talking the Illini with Mike North as opposed to talking about Texas).
I also can assure you that if I did change my message to suit my audience, I wouldn't be dumb enough to think there wouldn't be Valley fans listening to me on The Score, whether it's SIU or Bradley fans.
All that out of the way, I do not remember my exact words, but I know for certain I never suggested the Valley was a joke (those were the caller's words), nor that WKU deserved a bid over Bradley. The WKU example was used to illustrate that some teams beat high-majors out of conference and are getting little buzz, and that the high-RPI teams -- some of which haven't a ton of non-league accomplishment -- are getting a lot.
I'm aware there aren't many majors that will schedule the MVC, and that is a handicap. By cracking the RPI code in the manner that it has, the Valley has put the committee in a genuine predicament. I'll be an interested observer to the outcome.

[squeaky]

Hey Mike,
Thanks for taking time and giving us your side of things.

I hope you understand that fans in the MVC are just passionate. These MVC teams just want a chance to prove themselves, and they usually don't get that.

[Fetz86]

lol, he joined the board, think he maybe got tired of emails?

[McFly]

I can assure you I am not an ******. I also can assure you that I do not change my message to suit the audience, other than to address specifics that the audience would care more about (i.e., talking the Illini with Mike North as opposed to talking about Texas).
I also can assure you that if I did change my message to suit my audience, I wouldn't be dumb enough to think there wouldn't be Valley fans listening to me on The Score, whether it's SIU or Bradley fans.
All that out of the way, I do not remember my exact words, but I know for certain I never suggested the Valley was a joke (those were the caller's words), nor that WKU deserved a bid over Bradley. The WKU example was used to illustrate that some teams beat high-majors out of conference and are getting little buzz, and that the high-RPI teams -- some of which haven't a ton of non-league accomplishment -- are getting a lot.
I'm aware there aren't many majors that will schedule the MVC, and that is a handicap. By cracking the RPI code in the manner that it has, the Valley has put the committee in a genuine predicament. I'll be an interested observer to the outcome.


Instant respect from me... If more people would jsut confront controversy head on...man wouldnt it be nice....

However Mike, Juat becasue you assure us you are not an arse...well that doesnt mean its true... My wife tells me every day

[tornado]

I can assure you I am not an ******. I also can assure you that I do not change my message to suit the audience, other than to address specifics that the audience would care more about (i.e., talking the Illini with Mike North as opposed to talking about Texas).
I also can assure you that if I did change my message to suit my audience, I wouldn't be dumb enough to think there wouldn't be Valley fans listening to me on The Score, whether it's SIU or Bradley fans.
All that out of the way, I do not remember my exact words, but I know for certain I never suggested the Valley was a joke (those were the caller's words), nor that WKU deserved a bid over Bradley. The WKU example was used to illustrate that some teams beat high-majors out of conference and are getting little buzz, and that the high-RPI teams -- some of which haven't a ton of non-league accomplishment -- are getting a lot.
I'm aware there aren't many majors that will schedule the MVC, and that is a handicap. By cracking the RPI code in the manner that it has, the Valley has put the committee in a genuine predicament. I'll be an interested observer to the outcome.


Instant respect from me... If more people would jsut confront controversy head on...man wouldnt it be nice....

However Mike, Juat becasue you assure us you are not an arse...well that doesnt mean its true... My wife tells me every day



Thanks TsnMike for coming on here and commenting.
For those who may not know, this really is Mike DeCourcy responding.

We here in the midwest, think the Valley is pretty good this year.
6 of the 10 teams are in the RPI Top 50.
Recall--we didn't invent the RPI----it's more your system than ours.
We didn't "crack the code" so much as scheduled tougher and beat some of those guys.
One or two points and Valley teams could well have even had wins over Illinois, Boston College, Arkansas, and Iowa State.
Tell me what conference has its 6th team beating Iowa and LSU?

Let's compare to the Pac 10--only 6 of their teams have overall winning records.
The Mountain West---(8th rated conference)--their top team has nonconference wins over Alaska-Fairbanks, Southern Miss., Albany, Point Loma Nazarene, UC Santa Barbara, MD-Baltimore.
Say what??? Who the hey have they beaten???
Their 2nd best team is even worse with wins over N. Az, Colo Spgs, Western St. Navy, Ark-Pine Bluff, IUPU-Ft. Wayne, etc. NOBODY!!

Check the CAA--we got a chance to watch them last nite. They have 3 very high RPI teams, NC-Wilmington, GM, Hofstra.
BUT--name one decent non-conference win that any of the three have??
Northwestern?? Coastal Carolina?
Not one of those 3 top CAA teams has beaten even one non-con opponent whose RPI is under 77!

Nope--the Valley stands alone as a mid-major conference that threatens the big boys, that's why you hear the spin and the attacks.

[DUBulldog]

Mike DeCourcy had an article in the Sporting News about a month ago, where he also talked about how the MVC had "cracked the RPI code", or words similar to that.

That is nothing but garbage. There is no code to be cracked. The MVC played decent teams in the non-conference portion of the season, and won a very high percentage of those game, plus several wins against BCS schools. The whole key to the MVC's high RPI was that our schools won such a high percentage of those games....which wouldn't have happened unless there were a lot of good teams in the MVC

Most of the BCS schools obtain their high RPI's the same way, with very few non-conference top-50 opponents. Why is it that when the MVC is successful, it's because they "cracked the code" or "beat the system".

If it was that simple, why is the MVC the only "mid-major" conference that has risen this high in the RPI.

9th seed Indiana State beat Indiana
8th seed Drake very nearly beat Boston College

UNI beats LSU (at LSU) and beats Iowa, yet can finish no higher than a 5th-place tie in the MVC....that says something about the difficulty of the league right there.

[Tsnmike]

If you read the whole of that column, I pointed out that the SEC and Big East have been playing it that way for years. I congratulated the Valley for being smart enough to figure it out and committed enough to invest in playing at home. I mentioned how foolish the A-10 was in comparison.

[DUBulldog]

Thanks for the additional info, Mike. I read the whole article, but still feel that it came off somewhat demeaning of the MVC's accomplishments this season.

I'm realistsic enough to know that there is a large difference between the MVC and the Big East, Big 10, ACC. Everything fell into place perfectly for the top 6 MVC teams this season. I know that none of them have a chance to be in the Final 4 or the Elite 8, but I honestly believe that all 6 of them are among the 64 best teams in the NCAA. I'll certainly put them up against the mid-level teams from any of the so-called power conferences.

I know that the NCAA tournament will be put up or shut up time for the MVC teams, however many make it.

And, I honestly believe that the Valley will be even better next season.

[it's boogie time]

I know that O'Bryant was not with Bradley early, but I also know that while he made Bradley better, he did not completely change the season. Against the Valley, Bradley still was 13-8.

This cracks me up. PO'B changed every Bradley game he was in. The non-conference teams got to drive to the hoop against BU while the conference teams didn't. It was night and day with PO'B in the game. Danny Granger in his short time here is the only other guy I've seen had that effect at BU, but I've only been watching games since '92.

Bradley goes undeafeated in the non-conference if PO'B is there and is a Thursday night team if he would have missed the conference season.

The DePaul coach even talked about how his whole game plan was to try and stop PO'B, so they had nothing planned when he wasn't there.

[Bravesfan]

I can assure you I am not an ******. I also can assure you that I do not change my message to suit the audience, other than to address specifics that the audience would care more about (i.e., talking the Illini with Mike North as opposed to talking about Texas).
I also can assure you that if I did change my message to suit my audience, I wouldn't be dumb enough to think there wouldn't be Valley fans listening to me on The Score, whether it's SIU or Bradley fans.
All that out of the way, I do not remember my exact words, but I know for certain I never suggested the Valley was a joke (those were the caller's words), nor that WKU deserved a bid over Bradley. The WKU example was used to illustrate that some teams beat high-majors out of conference and are getting little buzz, and that the high-RPI teams -- some of which haven't a ton of non-league accomplishment -- are getting a lot.
I'm aware there aren't many majors that will schedule the MVC, and that is a handicap. By cracking the RPI code in the manner that it has, the Valley has put the committee in a genuine predicament. I'll be an interested observer to the outcome.

Thanks Mike for coming on and giving us your side of the story. (I had e-mailed you a couple of e-mails under the name Bradleyfan Pete). I understand where you are coming from in regards to the WKU example, although it did come across as that since WKU played (and beat) BCS teams, they deserve more exposure than the teams who tried to schedule BCS teams, but for whatever reason could not get any to play them. I was incorrect in interpreting your point, and of course the committee should take a long, hard look at WKU for the tournament.

I guess my disgust with the system is that the Valley teams are trying to do what is right, and schedule good teams outside of the conference, but most just won't give them the time of day. I think the Valley did the next best thing, and scheduled other likeminded "mid-majors" who are more than willing to play us. Most Valley teams as you stated did win the vast majority of their games against these teams, which is a great accomplishment, since many of these teams are good, despite not being from BCS conferences.

I think basically where we still disagree is what constitutes a quality win. We both agreed that the top six teams in the Valley are good teams. So why wouldn't wins against other top 50 Valley teams be considered as good as a top 50 win over a BCS team? As you stated, other BCS conferences play the same RPI game, but no one blinks an eye because of the quality of wins within their respective conferences. I think a win over a Valley top 50 opponent should count the same.

Anyway, feel free to visit whenever you would like Mike. Hopefully we can have more good hearted debates over this issue.

[Tsnmike]

Congrats to the Braves on their bid. I'm sure you're all going to enjoy this. Have fun v. KU!

[BU fan]

Thanks Mike! You are welcome here, anytime. You are a class act.