The basketball coaches who toil in the world of the mid-major conferences ask for your patience and understanding as the 2001-2002 season approaches.

Although those coaches from conferences such as the Mid-American and Missouri Valley appreciate their place in the NCAA food chain, their frustration and bewilderment have grown in recent seasons, peaking each March when the tournament field is selected.

As they huddle with their players to watch the tournament field unveiled, they generally see the power conferences -- SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Pacific 10, Big 12 and Big East -- send five, six and as many as seven teams into the tournament. Their reaction: We could play with those teams if you'd give us the chance.

	A mid-major school like Kent State celebrating its first-round win over Indiana is a common sight come March Madness.

Central Michigan coach Jay Smith, whose team won the MAC regular-season title last season, was asked if the top MAC team could compete with the fourth-best team in the Big Ten.

"I think you can maybe go the second and third even," said Smith, a former assistant coach in the Big Ten at Michigan. "I think that the top teams in our conference can compete, especially on a neutral floor."

Teams from the mid-majors throughout the Midwest seem to offer ammunition for Smith's contention each March.

In 1999, the MVC (Southwest Missouri State) and MAC (Miami) sent teams to the Sweet 16. In addition, Detroit of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now the Horizon League) and Creighton of the MVC scored first-round upsets.

In 2000, the Midwest mid-majors were shutout of the second round. But that didn't mean they didn't make noise. Florida's run to the national title game started with a last-second shot in OT by Mike Miller to beat Butler (Midwestern Collegiate) 69-68 OT, while Creighton, Ball State (MAC) and SE Missouri State (Ohio Valley Conference) lost by a combined 14 points to Auburn, UCLA and LSU, respectively.

Last season, Kent State (MAC), Indiana State (MVC) and Butler ousted higher-seeded teams from the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC, respectively, in the opening round.

And these recent results don't even take into consideration the bracket damage Gonzaga has done from its tiny little corner of the world out West; the recent uprising down South at Georgia State (Atlantic Sun); Richmond's refusal to go quietly in March, or Hofstra's determination to play with the Beasts of the East. Still, nowhere in the country are there more mid-majors looking for respect than throughout America's heartland.

You may have noticed that Central Michigan was missing from the list of teams that scored upsets last season. That is because eighth-seeded Miami (Ohio) upset the top-seeded Chippewas in the first round of the MAC tournament. Central Michigan, which had a 20-7 regular-season record, didn't even receive a bid to the National Invitation Tournament.

"In our league, we know you've got to play well in the non-league," said Ball State coach Tim Buckley, whose Cardinals split their two MAC games with Central Michigan. "Then you've got to try to win the league if you can. And then you've got to win the conference tournament to assure yourself of anything in the postseason.

"That is a way of life. I think what happens, though, is that when you get to those fifth- or sixth-seeded teams in what you'd call the high-major conferences, when we get a chance to play them on a neutral floor you can roll the dice."

However, there is a growing debate regarding the most effective means for mid-major teams to secure an NCAA tournament bid.

	“	In our league, we know you've got to play well in the non-league. Then you've got to try to win the league if you can. And then you've got to win the conference tournament to assure yourself of anything in the postseason. ... That is a way of life. ”
		— Tim Buckley, Ball State head coach

Bowling Green coach Dan Dakich, who played at Indiana, last season said mid-major teams should forget about working to improve their RPI and concentrate on getting victories.

Other coaches, including Creighton's Dana Altman, disagree.

Creighton won the MVC regular-season title last season but was upset in the MVC tournament. Nonetheless, Creighton received an at-large berth because of a strong RPI.

"You've got to try to play good people," Altman said. "We got in last year because we had a high RPI. We try to play people. That will prepare you for the conference season and then you try to do the best you can there.

"If you take the avenue of trying to get as many wins as you can, then your only chance is to win the conference tournament."

Yet beefing up your team's RPI, mid-major coaches say, is inherently difficult. Their biggest complaint is that they can't get games against teams from the power conferences. Unless, of course, the big boys get the game at home.

"The problem is that if you want to play a good schedule, you've got to go on the road," said Illinois State coach Tom Richardson, whose team is favored to win the MVC this season. "And college basketball is all about home court. It is tough to get a schedule that would warrant an at-large bid and who you can play.

"Your fans think you should play Duke and North Carolina at home every year. That's unrealistic. We're playing at Illinois this year and it took us a lot just to get that game."

Central Michigan's Smith, whose team plays at Dayton this season, would like to play more big-named schools.

"I know teams that don't want to come and play us," he said. "Three or four years ago when we started here and we were 5-22, we had everybody knocking on our door to schedule us.

"Hell, they wanted to schedule us twice -- at the beginning and the end of the season."

Several mid-major teams scored impressive victories last season, most away from home.

Butler, which won the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (Horizon) and is favored to repeat this season, won at Wisconsin. Central Michigan won at Purdue; Indiana State won at home against Indiana; Miami beat visiting Temple and won at Notre Dame; and Toledo beat Auburn and Cincinnati on neutral courts.

Examples of coaches from the power conferences willingly taking their teams on the road to places such as Ball State, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Horizon), Indiana State (MVC) are rare. What is needed is either a coach who started out at a mid-major school, as did former Wisconsin coach Dick Bennett, or a coach willing to risk the negative PR that comes with a loss to a smaller school, such as Indiana's Mike Davis.

Beginning this season, Ball State benefits from a home-and-home series with Indiana. The Hoosiers play the Cardinals at home this season and travel to Muncie next season. Former Indiana coach Bobby Knight arranged the games and Davis followed through after being named head coach.

"They tried to help us out and thankfully coach Davis and the staff honored the contract," Ball State's Buckley said. "It is very honorable and it gives us an opportunity to bring a quality program to our place to get our fans excited about our program."

What would get mid-major coaches excited about the NCAA tournament? An expansion. Anything from one additional round to opening the tournament up to every team. Valparaiso coach Homer Drew, who guided his team to the Sweet 16 in 1998, thinks one additional round is sufficient.

	As Oklahoma learned in its upset loss to Indiana State last season, mid-major teams can play with the big boys come NCAA Tournament time.

"To me the best sporting event in the world is March Madness," said Drew, whose team is favored to win the Mid-Continent Conference this season. "More people watch March Madness than the Super Bowl and the World Series because it goes for a whole month.

"You get to follow your team. You get to follow the Cinderella teams. It is just a great sporting venue. Why not make one more round? You're only talking about one more game. So you're not talking about a week of kids missing class.

"I think it would help solve problems because you'd get more teams of quality in there. You always have bubble teams no matter where your number is, but you may not have quite as many, as far as teams who really deserve to be in."

Central Michigan's Smith would like to see a full-blown expansion to include every team.

"That way everybody is on even ground," he said. "Higher-seeded teams could get a bye. Let's try to involve everybody, so it's not such a politicking game. I think there are some options."

At least one coach thinks expansion would kill the NIT, though.

"I kind of like it where it is," said Creighton's Altman, who is 1-4 in NCAA tournament games. "I've always been a big fan of the NIT. I think it is a worthwhile tournament. I know a lot of people don't look at it like that but I do.

"For a team that has a nice year, in my opinion it is like some of the minor bowl games. You've had a good season, maybe not a great season. But you don't want it to end. And the NIT is a very good tournament. I think it really serves a purpose."

Central Michigan senior guard David Webber, the MAC player of the year as a junior, has a single purpose this season. He hopes to lead the Chippewas to an NCAA tournament berth. When asked about the odds mid-major teams face to reach the NCAA tournament, Webber spoke for many of his colleagues who would like a shot at the big boys, even if it meant opening up the tournament field to all teams.

"I think you'd get some upsets," he said. "There are a lot of good teams. I think our conference is very underrated. Look at the teams we have beat in the preseason. It happens every single year.

"But we don't see them as upsets. We see them as we are supposed to win those games."

Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.