Todd Golden
The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE — Whatever men’s basketball postseason possibility comes Indiana State’s way, the Sycamores will take it.
The postseason will is there on the part of ISU … the Sycamores just aren’t sure what their fate is going to be.
ISU has been in week-long discussions with both the College Basketball Invitational and the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Both ISU Director of Athletics Ron Prettyman and ISU coach Kevin McKenna have been encouraged by what’s been discussed and both felt that ISU will be playing postseason basketball in one tournament or the other. However, ISU has not committed to either tournament as of Saturday night.
Postseason bids for the CBI and CIT are to be finalized late tonight or early Monday. Both the CBI and CIT must wait on what teams are drawn into the NCAA Tournament and National Invitational Tournament before it knows which teams will be available for its tournaments.
The criteria for ISU, if it has a choice, will be simple.
“We’ll probably go with whoever makes the commitment to us first,” ISU Director of Athletics Ron Prettyman said on Saturday night. “We’re anxious to participate in postseason play. I think it’s important for the [basketball] program, the university and the town. We’re in a position right now where we feel confident we’re going to get the chance.”
If it’s the CBI — a 16-team tournament in its third year which has a best-of-3 championship round — the Sycamores will travel for their opening game, but could theoretically host games later.
If it’s the CIT — a 16-team tournament in its second year — the Sycamores could host an opening round game ... if the timing is right.
The primary difference between the two tournaments is the cost to guarantee a home game. According to Prettyman, the CBI rate to host in the opening round was $60,000, a price ISU is unwilling to pay, though Prettyman eluded to the possibility it might cost less to host a game in a later round.
The guarantee to host the CIT is around $40,000, according to Prettyman, a more amenable price for ISU it feels it can recoup in ticket sales.
However, though the CIT has shown interest in having the Sycamores in its field, the CIT has not yet committed to an ISU home game.
“The CIT was about $40,000, we feel we can sell the tickets for that, but [as of Saturday night] the CIT isn’t willing to make a commitment to us until they know the fallout from the NIT,” Prettyman said.
That puts ISU in a potential fix from a marketing and monetary standpoint. It’s a challenge to sell tickets for a postseason game on short notice and make sure that it not only recoups its guarantee money, but is also able to draw a good crowd. Many ISU fans and non-fans alike have not heard of the CBI or the CIT, ISU will have to reach out and educate its fanbase. Additionally, postseason games are not part of the season-ticket package. All fans would have to pay their way in.
One of Prettyman’s biggest concerns is that ISU won’t have the time to do those things and not hurt itself financially.
“I’m pretty confident that our community and our fans that our fans will support [either tournament], but I need to be a realist. It’s going to take a marketing effort to do this right and I need more than a one or two-day turnaround to get that done,” Prettyman said.
Hulman Center is not available to host any basketball game until Wednesday because the arena has a non-athletic event on Tuesday.
ISU’s fate is not solely its own. The postseason fates of other teams both in the Missouri Valley Conference and in the Midwest will affect the Sycamores.
To wit, Illinois State’s postseason fate could be a linchpin in the process for ISU. If the Redbirds get a NIT bid, the chance for ISU to host a CIT game is increased because Illinois State would be removed from the pool of host candidates.
If Illinois State doesn’t get a NIT bid, it could conceivably take a home game, or even a bid itself, away from the Sycamores because it is more likely to draw a larger crowd.
That’s a big reason why ISU will likely latch on to the first commitment it gets ... it doesn’t want to wait for another commitment that might not come. McKenna said ISU could commit to one tournament or the other before today’s selection shows for the NCAA and NIT if an invitation comes ISU’s way.
Meanwhile, away from the phone calls and negotiations, the Sycamores returned to practice on Thursday.
ISU guard Harry Marshall, injured in ISU’s loss to Illinois State in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on March 5, has not practiced and his broken right foot is in a boot. Marshall’s only chance to play is if ISU makes a long postseason run, but even that’s a long shot.
“His foot’s been in a boot for the last week. It’s sore, he definitely re-injured it. At this point, he’s definitely out, unless we were in for a long run,” McKenna said.
McKenna said ISU’s players are excited about the chance to play in the postseason, whatever form it takes. ISU, which is 17-14, has not been in the postseason since it won a NCAA Tournament game in 2001.
“Our guys are excited about playing in one of these tournaments. I think its the natural progression of our program right now. Is it where we want to be? No, but it’s a sign of progress. It’s been a long time since we’ve been considered for a postseason tournament, so we’re going to take it. If nothing else, it gets us some more practice time,” McKenna said.
