I think LA tech would be stiff competition and a tough out.
If I had to pick one team it would be them...
Thoughts?
If I had to pick one team it would be them...
Thoughts?
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BASKETBALL Who scares you most in C-USA tourney play?
- Thread starter Matt Dossett
- Start date
Thankfully it'll almost assuredly be in the finals should we meet La Tech.
As for who scares me the most: there are half-a-dozen teams who can beat us if we are having an off night when they play out of their mind. Going to be a different experience for this fan going into a tournament as a heavy favorite playing "not to lose" as opposed to trying to win. I'm already nervous and it's three weeks away.
As for who scares me the most: there are half-a-dozen teams who can beat us if we are having an off night when they play out of their mind. Going to be a different experience for this fan going into a tournament as a heavy favorite playing "not to lose" as opposed to trying to win. I'm already nervous and it's three weeks away.
Latech and UTEP are the ones I see being the potential candidates to be cutting down the nets if not MT.
All it takes is one bad game of turnovers, and poor shooting and coupled with a crew of referees we tend to see on a Saturday creating foul troubles for one or more of our key players and an a opposing player or two having career games.
IIRC, MT has never had back to back NCAA appearances, not even under Bruce Stewart. I am prepared for heart break.
All it takes is one bad game of turnovers, and poor shooting and coupled with a crew of referees we tend to see on a Saturday creating foul troubles for one or more of our key players and an a opposing player or two having career games.
IIRC, MT has never had back to back NCAA appearances, not even under Bruce Stewart. I am prepared for heart break.
If MT wins out all the way to the championship game and loses I wonder if they have a case for at large bid...
Sure they do, but I doubt it overcomes the bias on the selection committee.
Honestly no one scares me...our problem is us, we are beatable but it will not be the other team, it will because we played poorly.
Any tournament game is scary because basketball by its nature is unpredictable. I'm sure we didn't "scare" Michigan State last year. MSU played pretty well in that game and still got beat because we caught lightning in a bottle with the most extraordinary display of shooting I've seen in 16 years of following the Blue Raiders (every Blue Raider player that attempted a 3-pointer in that game shot 50% or better from behind the arc).
The teams that scare me the most are Louisiana Tech, Old Dominion (we've won so many close games against them, at some point they are bound to return the favor), and UTEP. Our first game in the quarterfinals might very well be against WKU, who looks likely to be in the 8 vs. 9 first round game. Even though we've waxed them twice this year, beating an arch rival 3 times in one year is never easy. As Space said, any combination of quirky things can spell trouble (opposing shooter goes uncharacteristically insane from 3-point range, injury, foul trouble, etc.).
What I love about this just completed road trip is that it showed a killer instinct on this team to embrace the role of being the hunted and taking the fight right to opponents, rather than sitting back and waiting for upset minded opponents to punch us first and then try to respond. It seemed evident to me that the team had heard and read plenty of people saying that the WKU/Marshall/UAB road trip might derail the season. I hope we can roll with that same spirit into Birmingham, both for this upcoming weekend and in the conference tournament.
The teams that scare me the most are Louisiana Tech, Old Dominion (we've won so many close games against them, at some point they are bound to return the favor), and UTEP. Our first game in the quarterfinals might very well be against WKU, who looks likely to be in the 8 vs. 9 first round game. Even though we've waxed them twice this year, beating an arch rival 3 times in one year is never easy. As Space said, any combination of quirky things can spell trouble (opposing shooter goes uncharacteristically insane from 3-point range, injury, foul trouble, etc.).
What I love about this just completed road trip is that it showed a killer instinct on this team to embrace the role of being the hunted and taking the fight right to opponents, rather than sitting back and waiting for upset minded opponents to punch us first and then try to respond. It seemed evident to me that the team had heard and read plenty of people saying that the WKU/Marshall/UAB road trip might derail the season. I hope we can roll with that same spirit into Birmingham, both for this upcoming weekend and in the conference tournament.
Sure we'll have a case, but the lay of the land seems to be against us right now for an at large bid. In 2013, once we had been upset in the Sun Belt semifinals, the rest of the conference tournaments broke absolutely perfectly for us, and we squeaked in as the final at large bid. It is highly unlikely that scenario would repeat again. Only chance is that we finish the regular season 17-1 in C-USA play and that no at large bids are "stolen" due to underdog teams running the table and winning other conference tournaments unexpectedly (which could easily happen in leagues such as the SEC, AAC, A-10, and Missouri Valley). Even then, we would be 50-50 at best to make the field, and would definitely be sent to Dayton for a play-in game even if we did get a bid.
As painful as it is to admit right now, our overall chances of making the NCAA Tournament where we sit right now are probably no better than 60%. Even assuming win probabilities of 90%, 80%, and 70% in three C-USA Tournament games, our odds of getting the automatic bid are right at 50%. Throw in a 10% chance of an at large and that's where we are.
I agree. It really isn't about the other teams at this point. Nobody is better than us in CUSA when our guys play their best game. As evidenced throughout the season though, we've had several off nights where key players have completely disappeared. Upshaw, Potts, & Williams have all got to be on point during the semi-finals and finals match. If they're not, we WILL lose.
That P5 type bias is terribly aggravating. They are only hurting the overall game. Sure, even the marginal P5 schools that dubiously get in and promptly lose get their fans to attend and boosts regional tv audience. When "cinderella" teams, non-P5, teams get in and some do win, it gets the whole nation's attention. That is one of the beautiful things about March Madness. The underdog proving they belong and are better than a lot of the attention getting P5 programs is a great sports story that people love. Heck, people who aren't even sports fans get caught up in the cinderella stories in March. The NCAA is only hurting itself and the sport to deprive itself of so much attention and fan interest in underdogs in the tourney and some winning.
UTEP.
Realistically, Going through the tournament unscathed seems to be a tall order but when you think about what we have in Williams, Potts, Upshaw, and Dixon, we got the players and the ability to win out.
It really is aggravating that I am hearing about p5 schools that are on the bubble that could get in before MT. Vandy for instance. It would just be a major hose job.
Pitt is on the bubble at ACC 4-10
Of Course Vandy.
Alabama, 9-5 in SEC 16-10 overall.
It would be a travesty if we borked the tourny and didn't get in.
Realistically, Going through the tournament unscathed seems to be a tall order but when you think about what we have in Williams, Potts, Upshaw, and Dixon, we got the players and the ability to win out.
It really is aggravating that I am hearing about p5 schools that are on the bubble that could get in before MT. Vandy for instance. It would just be a major hose job.
Pitt is on the bubble at ACC 4-10
Of Course Vandy.
Alabama, 9-5 in SEC 16-10 overall.
It would be a travesty if we borked the tourny and didn't get in.
At least in BB, we have the tourney option, in FB we could go 12-0 and not get a whiff of the champioinshp. At this point, I really want the CUSA championship. This is critical. I want banners!
If this team wins out with the exception of a single tourney loss, we should be an at large team. However, I am sure the selection committee will find an 18-13 (8-10) ACC or B12 team that beats us on their "eye" test.
I agree with others, any team scares me if we get the wrong combination of off-shooting and foul trouble. But we should roll ever team in this conference. We are the best team with the best player. This is such uncharted territory for MT fans, I am almost afraid to be optimistic.
I think there are less than six who can dethrone MT. La Tech, UTep, Marshall and UAB
Yea, football is frustrating with the blatant bias in the sports media and whatever they call the current playoff system. At least this much can be said for football, it is gradually changing if ever so slowly. That overly contrived system called the BC$ was beyond biased. It was an out and out system of greed and holding power by ridiculous means. With the long awaited change to a playoff system in football, at least there is some hope that it might further move in the right direction. Currently in football, the debate is how many teams in the playoff. At least it's progress from the awful BC$. Admittedly in football, the big problem and trend is of course the general P5 vs G5.
With the awful BC$ system, the NCAA tourney was held out as an example for change. Now it seems both football and basketball have similar problems with championship play. Factors in both are numbers in the tourney. Of course for bball, the numbers are P5 vs everyone else for at-large bids. With recent changes in football and continued wide discussion of a larger playoff system, there is hope that changes may happen in the coming years. While there is some talk of needed changes in basketball, there doesn't seem to be any indication that any actual changes will be happening anytime soon.
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