CONTINUED MIDDLING MEDIOCRITY IN THE MOST MID-MAJORISH MID-AMERICAN.

While the Northern Illinois men's basketball team had the off-the court drama, the women's team went from a good start to conference play and some heady talk early in February of a high seed in the conference tournament to a run of one win, two close losses, two blowout losses, and  19 point lead surrendered to Central Michigan culminating in a seventh seed against Central Michigan, and the end of the season.  Central Michigan, on the other hand, won the conference tournament only to be excused quickly in the basketball tournament not trademarked as March Madness.

You'd think the Mid-American in general, and Northern Illinois in particular, could come up with a value proposition to recruit stronger players.  On one hand, there isn't the same sort of jockeying to become lottery picks in pro basketball that infects the men's game.  On the other, did anybody notice that the Ivy League did not participate in either basketball tournament?  Does anybody really want to argue that Baylor's academics are that much stronger than Miami of Ohio's, or Northern Illinois's compare unfavorably with Connecticut's?

Why, then, do Mid-American fans and followers have to make do with the occasional rising of a Ball State to take the legends out, or to the rare occasions when the conference gets two bids (and a little notice?)