Conferences that need a strong NCAA Tournament

Those players walk over the logo the same way the NCAA walks over the conference.

For some leagues, the NCAA Tournament is the only chance it has to build a reputation. That means the pressure is on these mid-major conferences.

5. Missouri Valley
Northern Iowa is a Final Four sleeper and Wichita State is also getting plenty of love in bracket pools. But what if they falter? Wyoming has potential to beat Northern Iowa in a classic 12/5 upset. Wichita State has traditional powers in Indiana and Kansas in the first weekend. Indiana is a top 10 3-point shooting team and can beat anyone because of that. Playing Kansas in the round of 32 is a dream for Shockers fans but with that dream comes pressure. This is a huge week for the Missouri Valley.

4. West Coast Conference
With BYU going out to Ole Miss in the first four it’s down to Gonzaga to carry the league, but the Bulldogs are use to that. The program has been criticized for not having the deep tourney runs to mirror its regular season success. The road is not easy with Davidson and Iowa State lurking, but this might be the best team Mark Few has had. It’s put up or shut up time for Gonzaga and the WCC.

3. Atlantic 10

Next from Atlantic 10 on Vimeo.

Dayton was a lightning rod for criticism for hosting a First Four game against Boise State. The fact that the committee felt the Flyers were the last team in the field screams disrespect. Especially with Davidson and VCU listed as 10 and 7 seeds.
The Atlantic 10’s “Who Wants Next Campaign” is in its second year and hopes to improve the perception of the league. The public relations firm in charge, 160over90, created the video above.

“Telling the story of the grittiness and uncompromising work ethic of the A-10, we’ve taken the ‘Next’ brand narrative to another level,” said Brendan Quinn, Creative Director at 160over90. “Highlighting the conference’s relentless commitment to advancing, this spot puts the spotlight directly on the hard work of the players. The hard work that starts in driveways, playgrounds, and gyms, and pays off in late March. The A-10 teams in the tournament are ready to make some noise. They know Next is now.”

Next may also be next year instead. VCU and Davidson will have a tough time getting to the Sweet 16 with Arizona and Gonzaga in the way. Dayton, the team who carried the A-10 in the tourney last year, may be the league’s best bet for a deep run yet again.

2. Mountain West
The Mountain West was trashed in an article on Grantland as a league to avoid in making picks.

“Until they can prove there’s any substance behind the hype, avoid MWC teams. This year, that means San Diego State (again), Boise State (somehow playing on the road against Dayton in the First Four), and Wyoming (playing a superior version of itself in Northern Iowa).”

That’s harsh, and it’s also all the ammunition the MWC needs to know this is a big tournament for its reputation. With Boise State losing to Dayton, the pressure is even higher on the remaining teams.

1. American Athletic Conference
The AAC had two bubble teams miss the field in Temple and Tulsa with the conference champion listed at a 6 seed. This is after the year UConn won the title. Damage control falls to Cincinnati and SMU in the tournament. Both teams are in tough positions for a round of 32 matchup in Kentucky and Iowa State. While proving the committee wrong is important, I doubt the AAC will be able to make much noise this time around.

Listening to Larry Brown and his disappointment about Temple and Tulsa shows just how real the situation is for the AAC.

How the Atlantic 10 rebranded itself

As a public relations/communications specialist, one of the things that caught my eye the past two weeks was a new marketing effort by the Atlantic 10 conference. Sure, I’ve seen conferences try to reinvent themselves in 30 second spots during a halftime break but this was different. It was not a cheesy promotion on how (insert conference name here) is proud of its (insert achievement here) and why its league is superior to everybody else. This marketing effort had an edge to it I rarely see.

The “Who Wants Next” campaign is a result of the A-10 contracting with a branding firm in Philadelphia called 160over90. While the video and pictures are well made the content is the real story here. The A-10 is doing everything it can to shatter the perception it is a mid-major conference.

That’s because it is not and there are stats to back it up. The A-10 currently has nine schools in the RPI Top-100. The American, a league the A-10 is often compared to, only has five. Many view the ACC and the Big Ten as the best conferences in basketball but they have nine teams in the Top-100 too. If the A-10 is inferior to those conferences it is not by much.

The perception that the A-10 is a mid-major is created by football, not basketball. Casual  fans believe every elite school has a football team competing in a BCS conference. It’s a stereotype ingrained in basketball fans too as undefeated Wichita State is getting hammered by a few experts as being unworthy of a No. 1 seed in the tournament. Smaller schools like this that thrive in basketball are mistakenly given a “Cinderella” label.

That is why I also like the “They’re work boots” poster. When the A-10 has tournament success it is not an “upset” or a “flash in the pan.” It is a win by a quality team like everyone else. Currently, four schools are a lock to be in the tournament with St. Joseph’s, Richmond, and Dayton on the bubble. That means the A-10 should earn roughly the same number of bids as all the other so-called “power conference” schools.

Another slogan used was “The rim offers blind justice.” 160over90 Chief Creative Officer Darryl Cilli explained how they came up with the slogan.

“Up on the scoreboard, skill and hard work count for more than name, legacy, or the number of stars in a recruiting class,” Cilli said.  “And there’s a fairness about the court.  This is the thinking that led to this line of the script, and more pieces that will follow in the coming months.”

As far as contracting with a public relations firm I can see why an athletic conference would do so. There are many bad examples of leagues trying to market themselves. Check out the photo below.

What… the… fudge

That is supposedly a promotion for the Big West Conference and its women’s basketball tournament. Now if you were able to tell that was about basketball then you deserve a gold medal from a figure skating judge.

I’m not suggesting every conference should consult with a PR firm as that is not an option for many mid-majors. For most of the large conferences it is not needed. But the A-10 is stuck in the middle, having large conference success with a mid-major perception. That’s where a PR firm can help.

“I’m not aware of many other instances like this,” Cilli said. “It’s not common to do it in the way the Atlantic 10 and 160over90 have with this project. The conference’s top-to-bottom depth and their consistent success over the years lent to pooling the teams’ collective accomplishments and positioning them together. Their shared values across programs and institutions, and the quality coaches and student-athletes made this effort possible.”

Now it’s up to the A-10 to back up its campaign on the court with another Final Four run by VCU or a Saint Louis. Maybe UMass and George Washington will bust everyone’s bracket.

For the Who Wants Next campaign, that would be a busted bracket worth celebrating.