Unless it's a conference championship, where you finish in conference means nothing without a tournament run.
That's just my opinion, but you are dumb if you disagree with it.
I get that, but I think mid major coaches need to prove to be excellent at their level for multiple entire seasons. Shaka finished 2nd 3 times, 4th 2 times, and 5th once at VCU. He had one incredible run at VCU his first year in the tournament and even though he got there 4 more times, he never got out of the 1st weekend, even with two 5 seeds.
I agree with michigan that tournament success has a lot to due with match ups (luck of the draw) and luck in games to get on a Sweet 16 (or better) run, especially when you are a lower seed like most mid major coaches. The true way to sustain tournament success on a yearly basis is to be really good in a P5 conference (top 3 in the Big 12) and get a 5th seed or better.