In a way, it almost works out better for them. Indiana State got to play home games in March to show that if major conference teams like Minnesota and Cincinnati had to come to Terre Haute, they could beat them. And they will be selling out Hinkle Fieldhouse as they get to play tonight for the NIT championship.

Maybe Seton Hall feels differently, but publicity counts. No one talks about the 10 seed that loses in the first round after it happens. The Pirates are one of the last 6 teams in college basketball playing, and because of it we are still talking about them and how they got snubbed.

I have ranted a little about Seton Hall already – I think it is ridiculous that the 4th place team from the Big East was left out, when the two teams just 1 game ahead in the standings were a 2 seed and a 3 seed. I am certainly not saying that there are tiers in conferences, but it seems like a large drop off that the difference between 13-7 and 14-6 is being in the top 12 of the country, and not being in the top 42 teams in the country.

Indiana State is a little tougher of a story, but they have a greater gripe. At 28 in the NET, they are the highest ranked team in the NET to ever be left out of the tournament. They went 27-6 – there were only 10 other teams in college basketball that won that many games (and all of them are in the tournament). The argument is that they didn’t beat anyone in the tournament – their two shots at it were at Alabama (without their leading scorer Avila) and at Michigan State, which they lost. Of course, most teams heading to Alabama or Michigan State lost.

It goes back to the unfair belief that if Indiana State had played in a conference like the SEC or the Big 10, they would have lost a lot more games. But I don’t think that is the case – sure they wouldn’t go 27-6. But they might have still gotten to above 50 percent in the conference (a bar that a few teams in the tournament didn’t meet).

There is also the fair criticism of who are you going to take out of the tournament in order to put Seton Hall and Indiana State in. It is a little unfair for me to say that a team like Mississippi State should not have made it because they were 8-10 in conference and then lost to Michigan State in the tournament. The first part is true and fair – but I now have the information of which of those 50% mid-majors loss. I could have just as easily taken out 9-9 Texas A&M who won their game.

Anyways, I still think it is a shame that these two teams got left out – but it has given us the great story of can Indiana State head to Hinkle Fieldhouse and win the NIT championship against one of the better power conference teams in Seton Hall. We will find out tonight.