2024 Central Region MENS NCAA Bracket Talk

[NWFanatic]

I’ve had a root canal -it was almost pain free😎

[Purple Mav Man]

I’ve had a root canal -it was almost pain free😎

I’ve had a few. Baseballs and teeth don’t always agree. Haha. Same experience, the Novocain takes care of business.

[GrifFan]

That's okay, you can say Go Mavs now!

I was Tuesday night for sure! The NSIC is much easier to root for, especially with the fans I’ve gotten to interact with here. Even the a-holes.

[MrAugustana]

I get why you have that viewpoint, but it's less about that and more about fostering the general appreciation of Division II sports.

Unfortunately, D2 gets a lot of hate. People don't appreciate it like they should. For some kids, it's Division I or bust in regards to playing college sports....and I've heard this from kids who might only be fringe talents on a D3 team.

Seeing NSIC teams win increases the visibility of the entire conference. I remember watching Winona State's run to national titles and thinking to myself as a fan "that could be my team one day". When Northwest won the national title in 2017, I take that as we came only 3 points short of having a chance to do what they did. Other recruits see that too. They can envision themselves being that missing piece to take your program to that next level.

If your league is full of schools that never have any success at the national level, what is there to look forward to as a fan?

This is a reasonable counterpoint, which I appreciate. It’s why I asked the question. I guess I look at it as if a kid from this region is legitimately a D2 talent (and knows it…and equally important, his parents know it…), there’s a pretty good chance he’s ending up at an NSIC school. If Nova Southeastern wins the next four straight National Championships, I don’t think it changes that a D2-level kid from southwest Minnesota is going to an NSIC school. I don’t know that the next Aeron Stevens is doing everything he can to get on Jim Crutchfield’s radar down in Florida or wherever Nova Southeastern is. But I may be undervaluing the “that could be me” factor you’re referring to. Like a good number of us on here, I wasn’t exactly recruited heavily to play at any school, let alone a high-level D2.

To be clear, I have no disdain for D2 basketball and I’m not making an effort to “not foster the general appreciation of D2 sports” by not supporting an in-conference opponent’s postseason run. In fact, I would have greatly appreciated a D2 team (NWMSU) beating MSU. :)

Anyway, like I said, I do understand the point you’re making and it’s not unreasonable. It doesn’t persuade me to support an in-conference foe over an out-of-Augie’s-footprint opponent, but I appreciate the additional thoughts to consider.

[MrAugustana]

I mean - would the league still be known as "good" if a conference from the west coast started winning everything, all the time? My argument would be no. There is something to be gained on a macro level from the NSIC having it's teams be good consistently.

Not that rooting for one team or another has an influence over the outcome, and not that I care about D2 basketball *that* much to follow some bizarre fan code of conduct about who I root for.

Weird flex on a D2 message board full of fans who, for the most part, have been on here for the past 15-18 years steadily supporting their teams.

On a side note, I don’t fully agree that rooting for one team or another doesn’t influence the outcome. I’d like to think the busload of Augieholics that showed up in full support of Metro State in the ‘09 Regional influenced the Roadrunners’ win over the Warriors of Winona State. For as much as it pissed off the WSU fans (and still seems to have left a bitter taste in their mouths), I’m pretty sure it had some influence. :)

[Augieholic]

Weird flex on a D2 message board full of fans who, for the most part, have been on here for the past 15-18 years steadily supporting their teams.

On a side note, I don’t fully agree that rooting for one team or another doesn’t influence the outcome. I’d like to think the busload of Augieholics that showed up in full support of Metro State in the ‘09 Regional influenced the Roadrunners’ win over the Warriors of Winona State. For as much as it pissed off the WSU fans (and still seems to have left a bitter taste in their mouths), I’m pretty sure it had some influence. :)

Fact check: Winona still beat Metro in the first round despite our best efforts, but then Augie ended the Warriors season the next night.

[LukeMcConnell1]

I paid to watch the women's regional final. First quarter, great. Second quarter- nothing. I rebooted my computer. Late in the second it came back, found out it was at their end. By that time the game had been decided so I was too happy to be upset. Had I missed the end of the men's final I would have gone ballistic.

Yeah the computer we had running the stream crashed on us. Weird deal. Fortunately we weren't off for very long. Crew did a great job switching things out really fast. Only technical issue we had the whole tournament, so that was a bit of a bummer to end on a sour note (in addition to the game!).

[MrAugustana]

Fact check: Winona still beat Metro in the first round despite our best efforts, but then Augie ended the Warriors season the next night.

This is why I trust you with my life. You are 100% correct.

Up until late in the second half of Tuesday night, that was one of my favorite in-person sports weekends of all time. Sad that the details are fading in my old man brain.

[SW_Mustang]

Weird flex on a D2 message board full of fans who, for the most part, have been on here for the past 15-18 years steadily supporting their teams.

On a side note, I don’t fully agree that rooting for one team or another doesn’t influence the outcome. I’d like to think the busload of Augieholics that showed up in full support of Metro State in the ‘09 Regional influenced the Roadrunners’ win over the Warriors of Winona State. For as much as it pissed off the WSU fans (and still seems to have left a bitter taste in their mouths), I’m pretty sure it had some influence. :)

Umm... huh? Where was I flexing? Where did I make any claims on anyone else other than myself?

I follow NSIC basketball to a degree because I attended two of its member institutions. Basketball is not my favorite sport, my roots don't run deep in D2 beyond my associations, and I give it the amount of attention I give it. It's not as much as most people around here, and I get that, and I get people around here feel the need to gatekeep, but holy smokes.

As for your second claim which is one actually worthy of discussion - I was referring to someone isolated at home watching or following the game. It's not going to affect the outcome. Yes, a busload of diehard fans at the arena could have influence over a game. A fan of one program more-or-less wanting to see one team win over another at their house 3 hours away - probably not going to matter so much.

[MrAugustana]

Umm... huh? Where was I flexing? Where did I make any claims on anyone else other than myself?

I follow NSIC basketball to a degree because I attended two of its member institutions. Basketball is not my favorite sport, my roots don't run deep in D2 beyond my associations, and I give it the amount of attention I give it. It's not as much as most people around here, and I get that, and I get people around here feel the need to gatekeep, but holy smokes.

As for your second claim which is one actually worthy of discussion - I was referring to someone isolated at home watching or following the game. It's not going to affect the outcome. Yes, a busload of diehard fans at the arena could have influence over a game. A fan of one program more-or-less wanting to see one team win over another at their house 3 hours away - probably not going to matter so much.

I interpreted your comment—“not that I care about D2 basketball *that* much to follow some bizarre fan code of conduct about who I root for”—to imply that I’m suggesting fans follow “some bizarre fan code of conduct” and/or that my opinion on the matter indicates that I “care about D2 basketball” more than I should if it leads to said “bizarre code of conduct” I expect people to follow.

Based on your response, I misintepreted that comment. Which is fine. Glad we cleared it up.

Regardless, you can chill on the “but holy smokes.” I’m not actually worked up. I haven’t gotten truly worked up on here since John and a handful of the older Upper Iowa fans (specifically Herdman, if I remember correctly) were regulars. And everyone’s old friend from West Liberty, Dee Upman. He was something.

Anyway, I appreciate the input and clarification.

Also, I hate you forever now.

[SW_Mustang]

I interpreted your comment—“not that I care about D2 basketball *that* much to follow some bizarre fan code of conduct about who I root for”—to imply that I’m suggesting fans follow “some bizarre fan code of conduct” and/or that my opinion on the matter indicates that I “care about D2 basketball” more than I should if it leads to said “bizarre code of conduct” I expect people to follow.

Based on your response, I misintepreted that comment. Which is fine. Glad we cleared it up.

Regardless, you can chill on the “but holy smokes.” I’m not actually worked up. I haven’t gotten truly worked up on here since John and a handful of the older Upper Iowa fans (specifically Herdman, if I remember correctly) were regulars. And everyone’s old friend from West Liberty, Dee Upman. He was something.

Anyway, I appreciate the input and clarification.

Also, I hate you forever now.

I gotcha.

A lot of the responses were along the lines of "I'm not rooting for another NSIC program, because they're in the NSIC, and that's a betrayal to my own program." My only point was - while I enjoy watching my two teams play, I'm going to root for who I want to root for. I don't take it seriously enough to believe that hypothetically rooting for Augie or Winona in the playoffs is a slight to my affiliated institutions. Maybe I thought some of the sentiment in your original post was directed at my comment about MSU being on ESPN (maybe it wasn't).

That being said - I don't have a problem with people who do take it that seriously and my comments were not meant as a slight to those folks. I take college hockey pretty seriously myself, so I get it in that regard. I was just adding my $.02 - and admittedly, I do have a pretty dramatized linguistic style. It's an acquired taste. My elementary school teachers all thought I'd pursue writing as a career - not for me, but here we are.

I'm a pretty easy guy to hate - I like Michigan football after all. Family ties kinda thing.

[laker]

Regardless, you can chill on the “but holy smokes.” I’m not actually worked up. I haven’t gotten truly worked up on here since John and a handful of the older Upper Iowa fans (specifically Herdman, if I remember correctly) were regulars. And everyone’s old friend from West Liberty, Dee Upman. He was something.

Dee Upman made me want Winona to beat them by a hundred points. An old time expression describing him is "dink".

[MrAugustana]

I gotcha.

A lot of the responses were along the lines of "I'm not rooting for another NSIC program, because they're in the NSIC, and that's a betrayal to my own program." My only point was - while I enjoy watching my two teams play, I'm going to root for who I want to root for. I don't take it seriously enough to believe that hypothetically rooting for Augie or Winona in the playoffs is a slight to my affiliated institutions. Maybe I thought some of the sentiment in your original post was directed at my comment about MSU being on ESPN (maybe it wasn't).

That being said - I don't have a problem with people who do take it that seriously and my comments were not meant as a slight to those folks. I take college hockey pretty seriously myself, so I get it in that regard. I was just adding my $.02 - and admittedly, I do have a pretty dramatized linguistic style. It's an acquired taste. My elementary school teachers all thought I'd pursue writing as a career - not for me, but here we are.

I'm a pretty easy guy to hate - I like Michigan football after all. Family ties kinda thing.

This is the type of conversation that makes me love the message boards.

Regarding your first paragraph, I don’t see it as a “betrayal of my team” in the general fan sense. I 100% agree that who I’m rooting for doesn’t change anything for either program.

My point is that, if you’re a fan of one team specifically (like I am with Augie, like simple used to be with St. Cloud, like zimmy21 is with Mankato), the success of other in-conference foes is detrimental to the future success of the team I support.

For example, let’s say Mankato wins the National Championship this year, and the next Ryan Bruggeman or Aeron Stevens is being recruited by Brad Bigler. And toward the end of his recruitment, Margenthaler jumps in because one of his transfers doesn’t work out, and fictional future Ryan Bruggeman is a good fit for his Maverick squad. I would contend that it is not beneficial—that it is, in fact, detrimental—for the Mustangs if Margs can say to Newbruggeman, “Why choose SMSU, where you may be competing for a Regional bid (if that), when you can come play for me, where we win National Championships? Oh, did I mention we have a new state-of-the-art locker room because our donors ponied up $X0,000 to renovate since they want to see us win a few more National Championships? Oh, and because of our raised profile, we’ve got some really great NIL options for you here in Mankato because all of the businesses are getting on board thanks to all the buzz in town.”

I personally would have to think that line of thinking will influence a potential recruit. So if I’m an NSIC fan, why would I want that for an opposing program?

To me, it’s less about blind loyalty to my team, and more about the logical conclusion of a rival achieving that level of success and taking advantage of it in a way that is detrimental to the success of the program I support.

[Stanger86]

Up until late in the second half of Tuesday night, that was one of my favorite in-person sports weekends of all time. Sad that the details are fading in my old man brain.

Just remember: It happened in Marshall, Minnesota!

[laker]

I'm guessing that you never played second base for the New York Yankees.