I also think the CBI/CIT tournaments require teams to guarantee a certain amount of revenue/ticket sales to enter. So it you're a big ten team hovering around 0.500 you probably don't think you can sell enough tickets to break even.
But this year Iowa should absolutely pay to play, simply to get extra experience for the younger players, and to let Gatens get a taste of post-season basketball one time in his career.
That being said, I'm still hoping for at least an NIT bid.
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Originally Posted by olivecourt
I would guess it has less to do with the CBI/CIT not wanting Big Ten schools in general and more that any halfway mediocre Big Ten team is already going to be playing in the NCAAs or the NIT. If you look at last year, for instance, 7 Big Ten teams got into the dance and Northwestern was in the NIT. That left only Iowa and Indiana, with 11 and 12 wins apiece, and Minnesota, who was 17-14 but had lost 10 of their last 11 games. The stink of that season was so bad that I doubt Minnesota would have accepted a CBI/CIT bid even if it was offered-- they just wanted the season to end.
You don't even technically need a .500 record to qualify for the NIT anymore (although every team they've accepted has been at least .500). The NIT is going to want a couple of Big Ten teams, and with 7-8 teams looking likely for the Big Dance, if Iowa can just win 3 of their last 7, they should be a lock along with whichever Big Ten team gets their bubble burst (probably Northwestern or Minnesota).
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