(01-10-2018 08:26 PM)_C2_ Wrote: They basically have one Final Four appearance with Bob Lanier in their history, which admittedly was very important for the time frame that you speak of. But they have pretty much nothing else, not even an NIT title when that meant anything and no that's not bitterness because of 1977. Just 6 NCAA Tournament appearances.
I wouldn't call that a "long basketball tradition."
I will go back to the very first NCAA season 1938-39. This was a season when there was only 161 schools in D1 that year. Of those 161 only 146 play D1 to this day.
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/seasons/1939.html
Of those original NCAA schools that are not P5/G5 today this is who you had..
Team (2017-18 conference)
Georgetown (Big East)
Loyola-Chi (MVC)
Army (Patriot)
Bradley (MVC)
Brown (Ivy)
Sienna (MAAC)
Villanova (Big East)
Duquesne (A10)
Detroit Mercy (Horizon)
Boston University (AEast)
Marquette (Big East)
Butler (Big East)
LaSalle (A10)
DePaul (Big East)
Seton Hall (Big East)
Lehigh (Patriot)
Xavier (Big East)
Montana State (Big Sky)
St. Bonaventure (A10)
Niagara (MAAC)
Montana (Big Sky)
Indiana St (MVC)
Bucknell (Patriot)
Loyola (MD) (Patriot)
Valparaiso (MVC)
New Mexico St (WAC)
Colgate (Patriot)
Dayton (A10)
Canisius (MAAC)
LIU Brooklyn (NEC)
St. John's (Big East)
Manhattan (NEC)
Columbia (Ivy)
Dartmouth (Ivy)
Cornell (Ivy)
Penn (Ivy)
Harvard (Ivy)
Yale (Ivy)
Princeton (Ivy)
St. Francis (NEC)
Fordham (A10)
Sacred Heart (NEC)
Citadel (Southern)
Davidson (A10)
VMI (Southern)
Richmond (A10)
Furman (Southern)
Rhode Island (A10)
Maine (AEast)
Northeastern (CAA)
New Hampshire (AEast)
Santa Clara (WCC)
San Francisco (WCC)
Pacific (WCC)
St. Mary's (WCC)
Out of those there are only 23 that are not playing in a high mid major conference (eg.e A10, MVC) or Ivy today. The other 123 are either P5, G5 or in higher level basketball conference (BE, A10, MVC, WCC, Ivy).
Team (2017-18 conference)
Boston University (AEast)
Maine (AEast)
New Hampshire (AEast)
Montana (Big Sky)
Montana State (Big Sky)
Northeastern (CAA)
Detroit Mercy (Horizon)
Canisius (MAAC)
Niagara (MAAC)
Sienna (MAAC)
Army (Patriot)
Bucknell (Patriot)
Colgate (Patriot)
Lehigh (Patriot)
Loyola (MD) (Patriot)
LIU Brooklyn (NEC)
Manhattan (NEC)
Sacred Heart (NEC)
St. Francis PA (NEC)
Citadel (Southern)
Furman (Southern)
VMI (Southern)
New Mexico St. (WAC)
As you can see this list includes some of the geographically challenged like NMSU, Montana, Montana St and Maine that haven't moved on to a higher level basketball conference for that reason.
Then you have a few like Detroit and Sienna that beg for A10 admission every time they go to expand. BU and Northeastern are in that category too.
St. Bonaventure has been around forever (1858). They've been playing east coast basketball schools with long traditions and by association are though of in that same context.
If St. Bonnie was founded in 1958 and moved up to D1 in 2005 it would be in NJIT's position or at best Bryant College's situation slipping into the NEC.
Long Tradition=Been around for a long time. It doesn't mean they've always been great.