Detroit Mercy should say no to postseason
Records are made to be broken, but they’re not made to be pursued to the point of disrespect and farcicality.
There are more important things to worry about than Pete Maravich remaining men’s college basketball’s alltime scoring leader or whether Antoine Davis of Detroit Mercy passes him to become one of the great niche sports trivia answers in history.
But statistical records, for all of their flaws and lack of context, can help tell the story of the sport. And Maravich’s 3,667 points scored in three years at LSU tell a very specific story about a uniquely gifted player who did things nobody else before or since has done on a college basketball court. It doesn’t mean Maravich’s record must stand forever, but it should be treated with reverence.
And with Davis coming up three points shy of tying Maravich last week as his Detroit Mercy team lost in the Horizon League quarterfinals, any further pursuit of Pistol Pete would fall squarely into the category of crass record-chasing for no other purpose than to take down one of the most memorable marks in sports.
When Davis missed his last 3-point attempt in the final seconds against Youngstown State, leaving Detroit Mercy at 14-19 and nowhere near deserving of a postseason bid, that should have been that. The basketball gods had spoken.
The question is whether Davis and Detroit Mercy will listen.
When the dust settles at the end of this week, there’s a possibility the College Basketball Invitational – a pay-for-play tournament that generally caters to mid-majors – will invite Detroit Mercy. And there’s a possibility that they will accept, writing a $27,500 check for the chance to put Davis on top of the scoring list.
Mike Davis, the head coach and father of Antoine Davis, said after the loss to Youngstown State he would “definitely” be inclined to accept an invitation but would leave it up to the players. Let’s hope it doesn’t get that far.
Nothing against Davis, who seems like a terrific young man and has been fun to follow throughout his college career, but enough’s enough. With ample opportunity to chase down Pistol Pete, he came up just short. That feels right. That feels like it should be the end. Just don’t do it, Detroit.
Some of the criticism this season directed at Davis, a dynamic 6-foot-1 guard who makes shots from all over the court, was completely irrational. It wasn’t his fault that Maravich played in an era without a shot clock or a 3-point line, or that Maravich had to sit out as a freshman due to NCAA rules at the time while Davis got to play five seasons because everyone’s eligibility was extended due to COVID-19 shutting down the 2020 season.
Those were all important pieces of context to understand how Davis came close to chasing down a 53-year old record, but nobody would have disputed that Maravich’s achievements as a scorer were far more impressive. Records fall all the time simply due to evolution of the sport, and Davis taking over as the NCAA Division 1 scoring king would have fallen squarely in that category.
But for Detroit Mercy to take this any further would be artificial. Extending a season solely for the glorification of one player would make a previously hallowed record seem like a mockery of the sport. It would feel wrong.
And let’s not let the CBI off the hook here, either.
Postseason tournaments outside of the one that matters are generally worthy of little more than an eye roll, but they don’t hurt anyone. Sometimes there are legitimate reasons why teams want to extend their seasons, even if it’s not on the big stage.
Last year, UNC Wilmington tied for the Colonial Athletic Association regular-season title but lost a tiebreaker to Towson for the No. 1 seed. When UNC Wilmington lost the NCAA automatic bid to Delaware in the conference championship game, Towson got the league’s NIT bid, which squeezed Wilmington out of the traditional tournaments. Going to the CBI was a reward for players who deserved a postseason opportunity, and they took advantage by winning the thing.
Though the CBI has invited teams with losing records before, there is no competitive reason to include a Detroit Mercy team that finished tied for eighth in the 11-team Horizon League. It would strictly be because Davis setting the record would earn the tournament some notoriety and, frankly, because Detroit would be willing to pay the entry fee. Had Davis set the record because his team advanced in its conference tournament and earned more opportunities for him to play, that’s one thing. But being gifted a spot in a second-rate tournament just so he can break it looks cheap and unworthy of the career Davis has had.
Even now, three points shy of Pistol Pete, that career should be able to stand on its own as something great. But if the CBI and Detroit Mercy take it any further, they’ll turn one of the unique records in sports into a sham.