|
|
Post by Bomber on Jun 17, 2008 20:10:48 GMT -5
Last year's records and RPI:Illinois St 23-9, RPI 31 Oral Roberts 23-8, RPI 52 George Mason 23-10, RPI 61 Miami (OH) 17-15,RPI 74 Central Michigan 13-16, RPI 184 South Florida 12-19, RPI 179 Toledo 11-19, RPI 187 Murray State 16-13, RPI 188 Florida Atlantic 15-18, RPI 233 Norfolk State 16-15, RPI 259 So far the schedule is shaping up pretty nice. I hope we can add at least one more "Name School" to our home schedule to help bring in more casual fans. I agree. So far their isn't much name recognition to our home schedule outside of Miami. We might end up lucking out with a good BB game though. |
|
|
|
Post by keithfromxenia on Jun 18, 2008 12:44:30 GMT -5
no disrespect to anyone who disagrees with me, but i do not see that schedule as a particularly good one. 6 teams with rpi last year in the bottom half. not impressive to me at all. i know how difficult scheduling is for a mid major and i am not complaining. but i am sure not singing hallelujah at this point. if it comes down to an at large bid, there is very little on that schedule that will help us. GO RAIDERS!!!!!!!!!
|
|
|
|
Post by Bomber on Jun 18, 2008 17:57:53 GMT -5
no disrespect to anyone who disagrees with me, but i do not see that schedule as a particularly good one. 6 teams with rpi last year in the bottom half. not impressive to me at all. i know how difficult scheduling is for a mid major and i am not complaining. but i am sure not singing hallelujah at this point. if it comes down to an at large bid, there is very little on that schedule that will help us. GO RAIDERS!!!!!!!!!
Oral Roberts 52
George Mason 61
Miami (OH) 74Win or lose, these games help our RPI. Central Michigan 184
South Florida 179
Toledo 187
Murray State 188Win and these games help your RPI, Lose and they hurt you a little. Florida Atlantic 233
Norfolk State 259Win and your RPI will remain unchanged, lose and they hurt you a lot. |
|
|
|
Post by bballraider on Jun 18, 2008 19:59:02 GMT -5
It is hard to judge who we will play in SJ Shootout, but South Florida should be much better than last year, especially towards the end of December if we get to play them in San Juan. Stan Heath is a pretty good coach and this will be his second year there and he has turned the roster over quite a bit since last year, he has recruited well (for the Big East), including picking up a big time highly touted transfer in Augustus Gilchrist from Maryland, and they are petitioning for Gilchrist to be eligible this year because he sat out last year and was released from his scholarship by Maryland. There is some good news, Prebyterian College (rpi killer last year) has released their schedule and we are not on it.  |
|
|
|
Post by Class of '83 on Jun 18, 2008 21:34:04 GMT -5
no disrespect to anyone who disagrees with me, but i do not see that schedule as a particularly good one. 6 teams with rpi last year in the bottom half. not impressive to me at all. i know how difficult scheduling is for a mid major and i am not complaining. but i am sure not singing hallelujah at this point. if it comes down to an at large bid, there is very little on that schedule that will help us. GO RAIDERS!!!!!!!!! I'm still withholding judgement on the schedule. It's a little too early to judge yet. We don't know the last 4-5 games on our schedule. We don't know which teams we will be playing in the San Juan Shootout. We also don't know who we will be playing in BB. We might be playing 2 teams ranked above 200 this year (Florida Atlantic 233, Norfolk State 259). Last year, we played 3 much lower rated non-conference games (St. Bonaventure 264, Coastal Carolina 274, and Presbyterian 333). This year, we already have 4 top 100 teams (Illinois St 31, Oral Roberts 52, George Mason 61, Miami 74) and we have a BB game and 4-5 more games to schedule yet. Last year, we played 4 top 100 teams (Illinois St 31, Miami 74, CSU Fullerton 79, and Belmont 78). The schedule can go either way at this point. If we add a few more quality teams, I'll be really happy with it. If we fill out the schedule with cream puffs, I'll be disappointed. |
|
|
|
Post by Big D on Jun 18, 2008 21:58:37 GMT -5
I never really fret about that stuff. Do we honestly think we are going to be up for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament? And if we are that good, that is a problem I want to have. But I honestly consider our only chance to make the Big Dance is winning the Horizon Tournament (and I love how the HL has it set up where it rewards regular season performance with a double-bye for the top two teams). We just need to take care of business in the regular season of conference play so we get one of the top 2 seeds, then we need to win two games and get in the NCAAs. I just think WSU getting an at-large bid is such a longshot, almost like playing the lottery. And you are talking to someone who thinks we are going to be an excellent team this year, maybe the best in school history. But NCAA at-large? Probably not ready for that quite yet. Of course, I'm sure George Mason didn't think they would be an at-large NCAA team going into the 2005-06 season (or make the Final Four). So, it's possible, but I wouldn't fret too much about the schedule not being tough enough. If we take care of our business like we should, we'll be in the NCAA tourney. We are always going to need the automatic bid IMO. And if we get to the day where we are fighting for at-large NCAA bids, well, that is a problem I want to have. I agree with most of what you said Blitz, but I also think at large bids are really influenced by name recognition. BCS programs obviously get most of the at large bids, but if you take a serious look at the mid-majors that get the remainder of them, they usually go to teams like Gonzaga, Xavier, Butler, etc that have a history of success in the NCAAs. Their selection has just as much to do with their reputation/name value as the season they had. I think WSU is a few successful runs in the NCAA tournament away from getting serious NCAA at large consideration. |
|
|
|
Post by 3rdwiseman on Jun 19, 2008 9:36:37 GMT -5
South Alabama got an at-large, and they don't have that big of a name. Sometimes you need to look at who WOULD have gotten at-larges as well. oftentimes the good mid-major teams don't need them becaues they go on to win their conference tournament. you already pointed out george mason, but they didn't have a long history of success the year they got an at-large. I don't think name recognition really matters. For starters, most of the committee is associated with mid major conferences in the first place. secondly, I don't think most people realize how athletic directors and conference commissioners recognize all the div1 schools. Not only do most committee members know who wright state is, they could probably tell you who the baseball, softball and swim coaches are, and have a general idea of how they did in each sport. The people on the committee do not get their information from espn. Each of the ten members has three conferences that htey are supposed to "follow" and by "follow" it pretty much means watching every game that every team in those conferences play. Their decisions may not always be right, but they are always very informed. It's not completely out of the rhelm of possibility, and even if it is, hell, I'd much rather be seeded #13 than #15. Just ask Siena and San Diego.
I'm not expecting much out of South Florida this year. They have eight new players, six are freshmen and Gransberry (who is now an NBA prospect) is not one of them. They weren't all that good last year, but without Gransberry they would have been much much worse. They don't have him now and I think they'll be worse. I believe as a program South Florida is moving in the right direction, but htey clearly are not there yet and won't be there this year, not with six newcomers.
Murray State and Florida Atlantic should be much better this year. Both had decent finishes to the season and return quite a bit of talent. I believe each team has four starters coming back, including their top three scorers. I'd have to look to be sure, but I expect both teams to be better.
Forget about Dayton. Wright State doesn't play them and other than the zip code they have nothing in common with them. It be nice if they did play, but even if they did it's still just one game on a 29 game schedule, and where teams can really get into trouble is when they begin to forget about the other 28.
The Bracket Buster game is at home. The better WSU plays, the better opponent they're likely to get.
There will hopefully be a big name on the road schedule. Maybe it will even be on national television, who knows?? We will see soon enough.
for what it's worth, I really like Miami's team this year and think they will end up being a quality opponent IF they can stay healthy.
|
|
|
|
Post by keithfromxenia on Jun 19, 2008 12:18:51 GMT -5
gee whiz, blitz, if i did not think this program would ever be good enough to contend for an at large bid i would be pretty bummed out. why shouldn't we contend for an at large? good mvc teams & good a-10 teams do, why shouldn't a good horizon league team contend as well? we should be very good and i think we will win the horizon, but if we do not i fully expect to be sitting there selection sunday to find out where we are dancin. GO RAIDERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111
|
|
|
|
Post by motowntitan on Jun 19, 2008 16:54:14 GMT -5
I never really fret about that stuff. Do we honestly think we are going to be up for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament? And if we are that good, that is a problem I want to have. But I honestly consider our only chance to make the Big Dance is winning the Horizon Tournament (and I love how the HL has it set up where it rewards regular season performance with a double-bye for the top two teams). We just need to take care of business in the regular season of conference play so we get one of the top 2 seeds, then we need to win two games and get in the NCAAs. I just think WSU getting an at-large bid is such a longshot, almost like playing the lottery. And you are talking to someone who thinks we are going to be an excellent team this year, maybe the best in school history. But NCAA at-large? Probably not ready for that quite yet. Of course, I'm sure George Mason didn't think they would be an at-large NCAA team going into the 2005-06 season (or make the Final Four). So, it's possible, but I wouldn't fret too much about the schedule not being tough enough. If we take care of our business like we should, we'll be in the NCAA tourney. We are always going to need the automatic bid IMO. And if we get to the day where we are fighting for at-large NCAA bids, well, that is a problem I want to have. I agree with most of what you said Blitz, but I also think at large bids are really influenced by name recognition. BCS programs obviously get most of the at large bids, but if you take a serious look at the mid-majors that get the remainder of them, they usually go to teams like Gonzaga, Xavier, Butler, etc that have a history of success in the NCAAs. Their selection has just as much to do with their reputation/name value as the season they had. I think WSU is a few successful runs in the NCAA tournament away from getting serious NCAA at large consideration. I know it may be ancient history, but when Detroit got invited in 1998, it was At-Large (1999 was automatic). We hadn't been to NCAA since 79 at that point. Our RPI was 38 and we were 24-5. I know we beat Michigan State. Also, I think UIC got in that year as an At-Large. No reason to think the Horizon can't do it again. |
|
|
|
Post by keithfromxenia on Jun 19, 2008 19:55:47 GMT -5
bomber, i am no rpi guru, but since i expect us to be top 50 team next year, i do not see how playing teams with rpis of 175-190 can help us. obviously some of those teams may be better and have a better rpi but some of the better teams may be worse and have a worse rpi. never know about that. but more than the rpi i think the committee looks for quality wins. looking at that list, there does not seem to be many quality wins waiting for us. 83, you are right that the remaining games to be announced could elevate the quality of the schedule substantially. we will just have to wait and see. GO RAIDERS!@!!!!!!!!!
|
|
|
|
Post by Big D on Jun 19, 2008 20:08:28 GMT -5
bomber, i am no rpi guru, but since i expect us to be top 50 team next year, i do not see how playing teams with rpis of 175-190 can help us. Coach Brownell has talked about scheduling a few times this past year at his coach's show. He layed out a pretty simple formula. Top 100 teams are considered quality teams. They help your RPI if you win or lose. Teams between 100-200 are considered solid teams. They improve your RPI if you win, but don't hurt you much if you lose. Teams between 200-250 do nothing for you if you win and hurt you if you lose. Teams below 250 hurt you if you win or lose. |
|
|
|
Post by Big D on Jun 19, 2008 20:27:18 GMT -5
I know it may be ancient history, but when Detroit got invited in 1998, it was At-Large (1999 was automatic). We hadn't been to NCAA since 79 at that point. Our RPI was 38 and we were 24-5. I know we beat Michigan State. Also, I think UIC got in that year as an At-Large. No reason to think the Horizon can't do it again. As I previously stated.... BCS programs obviously get most of the at large bids, but if you take a serious look at the mid-majors that get the remainder of them, they usually go to teams like Gonzaga, Xavier, Butler, etc that have a history of success in the NCAAs.The majority of the time, at large bids go to mid-major teams with a history in the NCAA tournament. They can also go to a deserving mid-major team like Detroit in 1998, but your post points out what I'm talking about. Detroit got that at large bid ELEVEN years ago. It doesn't happen very often even though we have a solid conference with a pretty good history of NCAA success. In the last decade, the HL has only had 2 at large bids and both were by Butler. Butler got an at large bid in 2003 and 2007. No other HL team has gotten an invite. 1999 - Detroit 2000 - Butler 2001 - Butler 2002 - UIC 2003 - Milwaukee, Butler 2004 - UIC 2005 - Milwaukee 2006 - Milwaukee 2007 - Wright State, Butler 2008 - Butler |
|
|
|
Post by Bomber on Jun 22, 2008 10:02:51 GMT -5
bomber, i am no rpi guru, but since i expect us to be top 50 team next year, i do not see how playing teams with rpis of 175-190 can help us. Coach Brownell has talked about scheduling a few times this past year at his coach's show. He layed out a pretty simple formula. Top 100 teams are considered quality teams. They help your RPI if you win or lose. Teams between 100-200 are considered solid teams. They improve your RPI if you win, but don't hurt you much if you lose. Teams between 200-250 do nothing for you if you win and hurt you if you lose. Teams below 250 hurt you if you win or lose. Big D beat me to the punch but he pretty much summed up what I would have said. |
|
|
|
Post by Tipp City Raider on Jun 23, 2008 19:01:58 GMT -5
There will hopefully be a big name on the road schedule. Maybe it will even be on national television, who knows?? We will see soon enough. Is that wishful thinking or inside info? I really think we need to play a beatable BCS program this year. I like the good mid-majors we have played the last 2 years, but I really think we need to test ourself against a higher level of competition. |
|
|
|
Post by Fastbreak on Jun 26, 2008 17:49:08 GMT -5
Miami (OH) TBA
Illinois St TBA
Central Michigan TBA
Toledo TBA
Norfolk State TBA
Dec. 4 @ Green Bay
Dec. 6 @ Milwaukee
Dec. 18-23 San Juan Shootout
Dec. 30 Cleveland State
Jan. 3 Youngstown State
Jan. 8 @ Butler
Jan. 10 @ Valparaiso
Jan. 17 @ Detroit
Jan. 22 Loyola
Jan. 24 UIC
Jan. 29 @ Youngstown State
Jan. 31 @ Cleveland State
Feb. 5 Valparaiso
Feb. 7 Butler
Feb. 10 @ Loyola
Feb. 14 Detroit
Feb. 18 @ UIC
Feb. 21 Bracket Buster
Feb. 26 Milwaukee
Feb. 28 Green Bay
Mar. 2, 6-7, 9 Horizon League Championship
|
|
