Small Conference Russian Roulette

So Vermont and Louisiana are out. Louisiana had a 27-5 record and hammered most Sun Belt teams. Vermont lost to a team they had beaten 23 times in a row or something like that. New Mexico State, who I have to win the NCAA at a gazillion to one, is also in trouble.

One would think the non-cash-rich conferences would eventually figure out that sending inferior teams to the NCAA tournament may cost them more than they make holding these stupid three games in three days greedfests designed to put a few bucks in the conference coffers. It's asinine and plays right into the wheelhouse of the blue bloods. The non-cash-rich conferences are in the classic Catch 22 -- they hold the conference tournaments to make some money, but by sending someone other than the best team into the NCAA tourney, they risk more money than the conference tournament makes.