Matt

...looking like it is keeping the nickle.

If the name goes, I say the nickle goes with it. It stays right where it is. Start a new traveling trophy. NDSU is used to that.

1999 5th place national tournament 2000 national champions 2002 7th place national tournament 2003 3rd place national tournament 2006 Division 1 independent tournament champions They've gotten a fair amount of press in Fargo (for a softball team).

You really have no idea what makes the UND athletic department work.

I agree. If the football arm of the Valley were invited into the MVC, that is a much more attractive option. Inclusion in that football conference is a real asset.

How long would it take for the Summit to get a FB autobid?

Since the vast majority of the posters here want the Fighting Sioux nickname to continue at UND, here's something to ponder: shouldn't someone at the actual university that bears the name take a public, active, vocal, point position to persuade people that the name should be kept? I understand fully that the SBoHE's role here, but that certainly doesn't mean someone at UND can't speak on behalf of the name. They know how to do a sell job when they are raising money, but to keep the name we are hearing crickets. Are Kelly and Faison telling the board they don't want the name? Are we advocating on behalf of a name the university doesn't even want anymore?

?

The football program's conference troubles aren't related to the nickname or the Summit.

Persuade and vote my friend, persuade and vote.

Do you see another former NCC member without an autobid conference? UNC-Big Sky; NDSU/SDSU/USD-Summit. Just because you don't see the dust doesn't mean it isn't there. UND fans are now in the position of hoping the Summit doesn't add someone else. It sucks. And don't think the coaches aren't hearing it on the recruiting trail either. Things are difficult enough in the transition without having all your competition with autobid conference homes.

Dual venue system? That's a creative euphemism to describe counting attendees at an event who aren't actually at the event. As long as we are counting people watching on TV we might as well count all the booster club sites around the country watching. The 15,000 benchmark of support would be met, just not in a single venue. Of course, didn't NDSU actually do that for several years?

I think it should be noted by the folks who have opined about dropping the Sioux nickname exactly what happens when the people are actually allowed to be heard on this issue at the ballot box. Further, does the result of this vote make the nickname any more or less hostile or abusive? The answer is no. It wasn't prior to the vote, and it isn't now. Kind of an "if a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it..." sort of thing.

He walks on water here (pun intended), so he's given a pass no matter how many dumb comments he makes.

Jeeeeeez, touchy touchy. I don't have a problem, just thought seeing as though no one on the Kansas roster could guard him, you may have reevaluated your opinion.

Still think Rico could gard him?

I don't think even having Andre Smith back would have made the difference today since there really wasn't much of a rebounding edge to KU. SU just had no answer to Aldrich. I think I heard on the post game that he had 6 dunks. That's just free points that SU just had no answer for. What impressed me is that SU forced KU to play a good game to beat them. They needed a deficiency from KU to give them an opportunity to win, but there was nothing. SU even hit some shots late, but when they fouled, KU nailed their free throws as well. Vegas was dead on, KU was 10 points better in what amounted to an SU home game.

Not having a home game until Oct doesn't do the marketing dept any favors.

They don't have a habit of getting blown out vs high majors either. That's why the ten point spread is enticing.

very sharp but for the spider web lines on the sides, IMHO.

So, to pull this thread a little closer to topic, who's taking the 1990 Fighting Sioux over Kansas in their bracket?

Now I understand what's shaping your perception here.

I wasn't making a value judgement on them as accomplishments. That's all in the eye of the beholder. Winning a national championship in any sport at any level is a significant achievement. What is very difficult, what is more significant, is being able win at something that the entire nation cares about because there are very limited opportunities to do so. To do something significant enough that tens of millions of people will be looking at your team and trying to decide who will win because they have a wager riding on the outcome and those millions of people will be watching a tv at work or constantly checking their computers to see if their prediction came true. Sure there's hype. But that only goes so far. The billion dollars arrived because there's a market for it in MBB. Not so for women's soccer or volleyball or hockey, as you put it the nation yawns. That's why getting the opportunity in an autobid conf is so important for the basketball program, and watching NDSU do it in their first year (considering there are schools that have never been to the tournament) makes me feel much better about UND's future. Consider this too: there's been some discussion about the Vonesh teams from years ago in this thread. Who would trade an elite 8 appearance in division 2 with a first round matchup with the division 1 defending national champion? Maybe the elite 8 is a bigger accomplishment than playing on national tv for the summit title and the national tournament, but I'd trade it for the hype every time.

I wish my fellow Sioux hockey fans would stop espousing their preference for hockey by denigrating the Summit and/or the BB tournament. Do you realize this is the outcome we are hoping for when the Sioux men are eligible? You clearly enjoy college hockey and that's great. So do I. I will be attending the final five and watching BB on TV. However, if most folks thought college hockey is "way more exciting that college basketball" the WCHA Final Five would be a national TV game like The Summit title game, instead of a regional game. The day the Sioux men's BB team makes the tourney they will be getting more national exposure than the frozen four. NDSU's point guard did more national interviews for hitting the game winner in a conf title game than the hobey baker winner. Don't come come into the BB thread and denigrate a league and tournament we HOPE the Sioux BB program will become a part of because you want to prop up hockey. Besides, you wanna talk parity? By my count 19 different teams have won the title in MBB since 1980 (that's as far back as i'm willing to research). How many different hockey teams have won the hockey title in that time? 14. And you are calling out ridiculousness?

oh dear God, here we go...