I'd consider Toledo because of their potential on offense.

(03-01-2012 11:13 AM)EA3 Wrote:  Two things:

1. It's gonna be hard for voters to respect the job Murphy has done at EMU because of the East is better bias. Murphy may deserve more than anyone else, but whether or not he gets the votes remains to be seen. If EMU steals the 4 seed, that's still in play correct?, then he is much more likely.

2. Anyone picking Buffalo 5th this year was completely off their rocker. This was a veteran squad with a stud sophomore that didn't need to carry the load. I had Kent, Buffalo, Akron, Ohio, BGSU, and Miami as the order in the East. My reasoning was the Akron and Ohio were both employing more youth than Kent and Buffalo. The Bulls got the shaft in the preseason ranking IMO. Not sure Witherspoon deserves Coach of the Year because his squad did make a postseason tourney last year, won 20 games, and returned everyone but Rodney Pierce.

Murphy has done more with less, but the East bias is strong.

The East is better isn’t a bias. It’s a fact. EMU would be battling BG for 5th in the East.

My first choice is Witherspoon; second is Murphy.

I want to say thank you to everyone for their input. It will definitely be interesting to see how this all plays out.

(03-01-2012 08:51 PM)FlashFan Wrote:  

(03-01-2012 11:13 AM)EA3 Wrote:  Two things:

1. It's gonna be hard for voters to respect the job Murphy has done at EMU because of the East is better bias. Murphy may deserve more than anyone else, but whether or not he gets the votes remains to be seen. If EMU steals the 4 seed, that's still in play correct?, then he is much more likely.

2. Anyone picking Buffalo 5th this year was completely off their rocker. This was a veteran squad with a stud sophomore that didn't need to carry the load. I had Kent, Buffalo, Akron, Ohio, BGSU, and Miami as the order in the East. My reasoning was the Akron and Ohio were both employing more youth than Kent and Buffalo. The Bulls got the shaft in the preseason ranking IMO. Not sure Witherspoon deserves Coach of the Year because his squad did make a postseason tourney last year, won 20 games, and returned everyone but Rodney Pierce.

Murphy has done more with less, but the East bias is strong.

The East is better isn’t a bias. It’s a fact. EMU would be battling BG for 5th in the East.

My first choice is Witherspoon; second is Murphy.

No, the East dominates is the fact. The voters favor the better teams is the bias. EMU would be battling for 6th in the east. BGSU would beat them head to head four out of every five times.

That speaks nothing of whether or not a coach did well with his squad. Witherspoon, while a fine second choice, made a postseason tourney last year, returned everyone but 2 from their rotation, and the MAC freshman of the year. It can be argued that Witherspoon met expectations while Murphy far exceeded those for EMU.

I learned everything I need to know about East bias when Kool was left off first team all MAC his junior year. He lit up every single East team and he got snubbed. Yeah the East dominated that year, but they didn't have the 5 best players in the league.

If it were reversed and Kent got hosed in football postseason awards because the East is so weak, you'd be squealing.

The votes are split evenly between the divisions. If there is a bias, then West coaches and writers have it, too.

I don't think there is a bias towards a division. I think there are many ways to look at what awards mean because what they mean is not defined and the voters don't have to explain their reasoning. One person's all-conference player is not another's. Player and coach of the year are defined differently by different people. And on top of that, people vote their emotions sometimes and base their votes on whom they like and don't like, regardless of performance. It's the nature of the beast.

In sports, once you get away from the simple beauty of who wins and loses in the game and put outcomes of things in the hands of voters/judges, the nonsense begins. It's hard to take the post-season awards very seriously, though for some reason, some people get really worked up about them.

No matter who wins, someone will swear their guy obviously got snubbed.

No doubt. I agree. In all honesty, winning should be given extreme consideration when giving out the awards 80% of the time.

Looks like the answer ended up being yes!!!!
http://emueagles.com/news/2012/3/5/mbb_0305120051.aspx

How does Kowalczyk not get a vote?

(03-05-2012 03:02 PM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  How does Kowalczyk not get a vote?

Congrats to Murphy, I believe he deserves the award, but I am also shocked that Kowalczyk didn't get a single vote!!!

(03-05-2012 03:02 PM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  How does Kowalczyk not get a vote?

Put up to a vote, Kowalczyk might be the most disliked MAC coach from KSU fans. And he’s got some competition.

Shouldn't the coach of the year be able to beat NIU at home in a tournament situation?

(03-05-2012 08:56 PM)uakronkid Wrote:  Shouldn't the coach of the year be able to beat NIU at home in a tournament situation?

Good thing they already voted!

Rob Murphy COTY.

In a pig's eye. This is all crap. Collusion on the part
of the media that covers the West division teams.

Early out in the first round put on EMU by lowly NIU
is further proof. And an overall losing record to boot.
Who did EMU beat? Nobody. So they cleaned up in the
West. Three East division teams went through the West
like a hot knife through butter. Where's solid ground?

EMU just lost at home to the worst team in the MAC in
a tournament game. A first round tournament game.
Last season Akron started as the sixth seed and won
the tournament. And, EMU is where after round one?
Lost in their own house. What a joke. Shame writers.

It was collusion pure and simple. Akron started the season
as the sixteenth youngest team in the nation and wins
the MAC out right with just three losses (all against East
squads).

But, no, cannot vote for Keith Dambrot even though he
earned this award. Shame on the MAC media for foul play.
This conference is enough of a joke nationally that it does
not need its own sports media making a travesty of the
Coach of the Year award.

Maybe Murphy will pull a disappearing act like that other
carpetbagger Geno Ford did after getting the COTY he
did not deserve last year. Shame on the MAC.

(03-06-2012 05:01 PM)ratfink Wrote:  Rob Murphy COTY.

In a pig's eye. This is all crap. Collusion on the part
of the media that covers the West division teams.

Early out in the first round put on EMU by lowly NIU
is further proof. And an overall losing record to boot.
Who did EMU beat? Nobody. So they cleaned up in the
West. Three East division teams went through the West
like a hot knife through butter. Where's solid ground?

EMU just lost at home to the worst team in the MAC in
a tournament game. A first round tournament game.
Last season Akron started as the sixth seed and won
the tournament. And, EMU is where after round one?
Lost in their own house. What a joke. Shame writers.

It was collusion pure and simple. Akron started the season
as the sixteenth youngest team in the nation and wins
the MAC out right with just three losses (all against East
squads).

But, no, cannot vote for Keith Dambrot even though he
earned this award. Shame on the MAC media for foul play.
This conference is enough of a joke nationally that it does
not need its own sports media making a travesty of the
Coach of the Year award.

Maybe Murphy will pull a disappearing act like that other
carpetbagger Geno Ford did after getting the COTY he
did not deserve last year. Shame on the MAC.

Voting doesn't take the postseason into consideration. Yes it was a bad loss. This is why he won, preseason predictions:

East Division Predicted Order of Finish
1. Kent State - 132 points (16)
2. Akron - 104 points (8)
3. Ohio - 94 points
4. Miami - 80 points
5. Buffalo - 62 points
6. Bowling Green - 32 points

West Division Predicted Order of Finish
1. Western Michigan - 128 points (14)
2. Ball State - 111 points (9)
3. Central Michigan - 92 points (1)
4. Toledo - 76 points
5. Northern Illinois - 59 points
6. Eastern Michigan - 38 points

(03-06-2012 05:44 PM)CMUprof Wrote:  Voting doesn't take the postseason into consideration. Yes it was a bad loss. This is why he won, preseason predictions:

East Division Predicted Order of Finish
1. Kent State - 132 points (16)
2. Akron - 104 points (8)
3. Ohio - 94 points
4. Miami - 80 points
5. Buffalo - 62 points
6. Bowling Green - 32 points

West Division Predicted Order of Finish
1. Western Michigan - 128 points (14)
2. Ball State - 111 points (9)
3. Central Michigan - 92 points (1)
4. Toledo - 76 points
5. Northern Illinois - 59 points
6. Eastern Michigan - 38 points

To play devil's advocate: The pre-season predictions are made by the same voters as the post-season awards. Their own ignorance last fall played into how much EMU "overacheived".

(03-06-2012 06:14 PM)uakronkid Wrote:  

(03-06-2012 05:44 PM)CMUprof Wrote:  Voting doesn't take the postseason into consideration. Yes it was a bad loss. This is why he won, preseason predictions:

East Division Predicted Order of Finish
1. Kent State - 132 points (16)
2. Akron - 104 points (8)
3. Ohio - 94 points
4. Miami - 80 points
5. Buffalo - 62 points
6. Bowling Green - 32 points

West Division Predicted Order of Finish
1. Western Michigan - 128 points (14)
2. Ball State - 111 points (9)
3. Central Michigan - 92 points (1)
4. Toledo - 76 points
5. Northern Illinois - 59 points
6. Eastern Michigan - 38 points

To play devil's advocate: The pre-season predictions are made by the same voters as the post-season awards. Their own ignorance last fall played into how much EMU "overacheived".

Exactly. This is how they saw things shaping up and then voted accordingly. I wouldn't call it ignorance, did anyone else see EMU even challenging for the West?

As bad as the West has been, I kind of thought any of the schools had a chance this year. I knew NIU wouldn't be very good and I didn't think Toledo would win 17 games, but I did think any West team could have won the division.

(03-06-2012 05:01 PM)ratfink Wrote:  Rob Murphy COTY.
Who did EMU beat?

Ohio, Bowling Green....

Quote:Three East division teams went through the West
like a hot knife through butter.

But only 3-2 against EMU..

Quote:It was collusion pure and simple. Akron started the season
as the sixteenth youngest team in the nation and wins
the MAC out right with just three losses (all against East
squads).

No it was EMU doing more with less. They were a dumpster fire of a team last season *and* they lost an all conference player.

Akron, young as they were, got picked to Finish 2nd in the conference. Everyone knew they were going to be good, they had all the tools to be good. And being .5 years younger than Kent...

Quote:But, no, cannot vote for Keith Dambrot even though he
earned this award. Shame on the MAC media for foul play.

Yea they are all out to get Akron... Thats why they won two today...

(03-05-2012 08:00 PM)FlashFan Wrote:  

(03-05-2012 03:02 PM)H2Oville Rocket Wrote:  How does Kowalczyk not get a vote?

Put up to a vote, Kowalczyk might be the most disliked MAC coach from KSU fans. And he’s got some competition.

Well he must be doing something right then!!!

(03-06-2012 08:42 PM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  [quote='ratfink' pid='7645062' dateline='1331071296']

Quote:But, no, cannot vote for Keith Dambrot even though he
earned this award. Shame on the MAC media for foul play.

Yea they are all out to get Akron... Thats why they won two today...

You missed it. The MAC coaches picked the two awards
Akron players received. The MAC media had no say in those
choices. Get your facts right.