A good piece on the Rocket Women by Dennis Manolof from the Plain Dealer

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/college/...cart_river

Great article.
The best is yet to come!

Nice to get some attention from national press.

Win or loose(very very unlikely) the MAC Tournament, the Lady Rockets will be a very enticing draw for an at large pick.
The NIT victory and Naama make this team worthy for at large consideration.
Hopefully Toldo wins out and goes to the top 8.

(03-11-2013 12:13 PM)sterling1man Wrote:  Win or loose(very very unlikely) the MAC Tournament, the Lady Rockets will be a very enticing draw for an at large pick.
The NIT victory and Naama make this team worthy for at large consideration.
Hopefully Toldo wins out and goes to the top 8.

I think that an at large pick is very unlikely. Hopefully they will blow through the MAC tourney. Either BGSU or Central Michigan will present a significant hurdle but either one of them will be playing on 2 or 3 consecutive days.

Yep...Lady Rockets gotta win their way into the NCAA, I fear...I think we would have had to have gone undefeated in the regular season to have a shot at an "at large" bid, given issues that the powers that be have with our strength of schedule, which didn't help the general ambivalent feelings selection committees have about the MAC.

As long as we're in the MAC--and that's 99.999% assured unless our esteemed Commissioner boots us out when we hang a "West Division Co-Champs" banner for the men's team in Savage--, then we just have to accept that most seasons 1, maybe 2 MAC women's teams will be getting any kind of national "attention" at best. So, even though the fan base won't like it much, seems to me we'll have to start scheduling some road games against "perennial" top-25 type teams & hopefully winning some of them.

Does anyone know the last time an MAC women's team got an at large bid to the NCAA....in addition to the automatic MAC pick?

(03-11-2013 03:52 PM)temoxley Wrote:  Does anyone know the last time an MAC women's team got an at large bid to the NCAA....in addition to the automatic MAC pick?

'95 & '96

(03-11-2013 03:38 PM)bcunn3128 Wrote:  So, even though the fan base won't like it much, seems to me we'll have to start scheduling some road games against "perennial" top-25 type teams & hopefully winning some of them.

It's never nice (or smart) to fool with your fan base (particularly a good one) especially if you are on a fool's errand. If the BIG teams are smart enough to not want to play here on a home and home basis, why should we be dumb enough to play a one and done on their home court?

It is a lot harder to win on the road against a good team so why concede 2 or 3 extra losses a year without without anything in return (i.e., the possibly of getting to even the score with them on your home court).

The way everyone is talking about how weak the MAC is, why should UT even need an "at large bid" when there should be no insurmountable obstacles to UT winning the MAC tourney most years? You can't successfully argue it both ways. Winning the MAC is what is really important---that and doing something with the opportunity that comes with it.

(03-11-2013 04:41 PM)T-Town Wrote:  see below----and no, I am trying to inflate my post count--but for some reason I have had trouble with double posts for the past several days---sorry about that.

You can click the little red X at the bottom right of your post - that will delete it.

(03-11-2013 07:36 AM)NewMex RocketFan Wrote:  Nice to get some attention from national press.

This may be the first time in history someone has referred to the Plain Dealer as "national" press. Well played.

(03-11-2013 05:03 PM)MidnightBlueGold Wrote:  

(03-11-2013 04:41 PM)T-Town Wrote:  see below----and no, I am trying to inflate my post count--but for some reason I have had trouble with double posts for the past several days---sorry about that.

You can click the little red X at the bottom right of your post - that will delete it.

Thanks----ten years and I am only now finding that out

(03-11-2013 04:43 PM)T-Town Wrote:  

(03-11-2013 03:38 PM)bcunn3128 Wrote:  So, even though the fan base won't like it much, seems to me we'll have to start scheduling some road games against "perennial" top-25 type teams & hopefully winning some of them.

It's never nice (or smart) to fool with your fan base (particularly a good one) especially if you are on a fool's errand. If the BIG teams are smart enough to not want to play here on a home and home basis, why should we be dumb enough to play a one and done on their home court?

It is a lot harder to win on the road against a good team so why concede 2 or 3 extra losses a year without without anything in return (i.e., the possibly of getting to even the score with them on your home court).

The way everyone is talking about how weak the MAC is, why should UT even need an "at large bid" when there should be no insurmountable obstacles to UT winning the MAC tourney most years? You can't successfully argue it both ways. Winning the MAC is what is really important---that and doing something with the opportunity that comes with it.

The MAC is a big league. The top couple of teams will be "competitive" with elite teams most years but the majority of teams are not. So if you don't build strength of schedule with nonleague games then you HAVE TO WIN the MAC tourney to get into the big dance. This year is a good example of where Toledo dominated the league, winning on the home floor of each of its opponents but they are one bad half or maybe even a 10 minute segment of a game from being diverted to the NIT. That seems like a very high risk strategy to me. Look what just happened to Dayton. Undefeated during the league season but can't get past the semifinal in the tourney.

Classic Catch-22. Our RPI will be good enough for an at-large bid only if we win both our tournament games.

(03-11-2013 06:59 PM)Dwight Wrote:  Classic Catch-22. Our RPI will be good enough for an at-large bid only if we win both our tournament games.

Everybody is getting caught up in the Strength of Schedule, RPI business because that happens to be weakest part of the Lady Rockets resume this year. But having watched NCAA selection committees for a while, I have come to the conclusion that if you are a non-major, the committee will usually find an excuse to exclude you in favor of some team from a BIG conference. If your RPI is OK, then maybe you didn't have enough "good wins" or maybe you had too many "bad losses" or maybe you showed weakness at the end of the season by losing your tournament---they will always find a way to slip in an 18-12 BIG Major Conference team over a 25-4 LESSER midmajor-conference team every time.

Here is a synopsis of the field chosen for the 2012 Women's NCAA field last year that illustrates my point:

Automatic bids---1 each to 31 conferences

At Large bids----33 distributed as follows:

BIG WBB Conferences---SEC (8), BIG EAST (7), BIG 12 (6), BIG 10 (5), ACC (3), PAC 10 (1), ATLANTIC 10 (1) TOTAL = 31 out of 33 at-large picks for the top 7 BIG Conferences

REMAINING 24 LESSER conferences ----Sun Belt (1), West Coast (1)
TOTAL = 2 out of 33 at-large for the remaining 24 LESSER Conferences

This is fairly typically of the way it goes. So while some people may be willing to give up a few of homes games to go on the road for a few one-and-done games that are likely to be losses, just to improve the strength of schedule, I say "why bother" because they will just find a different reason to exclude you so why mess with a good fan base and a good record just because some ESPN type or pollster expert says that is what is holding UT back this year??? Believe me, fix that and they will just find something else to criticize.

The real path to success is to do what the UT Lady Rockets did between 1991 and 2001 which was go to the NCAA 7 out of that 11 year period. BUT unlike those teams, make some real noise this time---Cullop is a much better coach than Ehlen so if she sticks around she could make it happen. Do that and you can become the women's equivalent of a Butler or a Gonzaga and then you can get some home and home with the BIGs because they will not worry about the embarrassment of losing to you.

(03-11-2013 05:15 PM)northcoastRocket Wrote:  

(03-11-2013 07:36 AM)NewMex RocketFan Wrote:  Nice to get some attention from national press.

This may be the first time in history someone has referred to the Plain Dealer as "national" press. Well played.

Compared to the Blade and the Santa Fe New Mexican . . . .

(03-11-2013 08:57 PM)NewMex RocketFan Wrote:  

(03-11-2013 05:15 PM)northcoastRocket Wrote:  

(03-11-2013 07:36 AM)NewMex RocketFan Wrote:  Nice to get some attention from national press.

This may be the first time in history someone has referred to the Plain Dealer as "national" press. Well played.

Compared to the Blade and the Santa Fe New Mexican . . . .

You mean the Blah, formerly known as the Blade.

(03-11-2013 08:27 PM)T-Town Wrote:  

(03-11-2013 06:59 PM)Dwight Wrote:  Classic Catch-22. Our RPI will be good enough for an at-large bid only if we win both our tournament games.

Everybody is getting caught up in the Strength of Schedule, RPI business because that happens to be weakest part of the Lady Rockets resume this year. But having watched NCAA selection committees for a while, I have come to the conclusion that if you are a non-major, the committee will usually find an excuse to exclude you in favor of some team from a BIG conference. If your RPI is OK, then maybe you didn't have enough "good wins" or maybe you had too many "bad losses" or maybe you showed weakness at the end of the season by losing your tournament---they will always find a way to slip in an 18-12 BIG Major Conference team over a 25-4 LESSER midmajor-conference team every time.

Here is a synopsis of the field chosen for the 2012 Women's NCAA field last year that illustrates my point:

Automatic bids---1 each to 31 conferences

At Large bids----33 distributed as follows:

BIG WBB Conferences---SEC (8), BIG EAST (7), BIG 12 (6), BIG 10 (5), ACC (3), PAC 10 (1), ATLANTIC 10 (1) TOTAL = 31 out of 33 at-large picks for the top 7 BIG Conferences

REMAINING 24 LESSER conferences ----Sun Belt (1), West Coast (1)
TOTAL = 2 out of 33 at-large for the remaining 24 LESSER Conferences

This is fairly typically of the way it goes. So while some people may be willing to give up a few of homes games to go on the road for a few one-and-done games that are likely to be losses, just to improve the strength of schedule, I say "why bother" because they will just find a different reason to exclude you so why mess with a good fan base and a good record just because some ESPN type or pollster expert says that is what is holding UT back this year??? Believe me, fix that and they will just find something else to criticize.

The real path to success is to do what the UT Lady Rockets did between 1991 and 2001 which was go to the NCAA 7 out of that 11 year period. BUT unlike those teams, make some real noise this time---Cullop is a much better coach than Ehlen so if she sticks around she could make it happen. Do that and you can become the women's equivalent of a Butler or a Gonzaga and then you can get some home and home with the BIGs because they will not worry about the embarrassment of losing to you.

There is really only one way to build national credibility for the team and that is by defeating ranked teams. If Toledo is not willing or able to schedule them during the nonleague season the only other option is to get into the big dance and win games against ranked teams. That is how Butler and Gonzaga validated their talent.

(03-12-2013 05:55 PM)temoxley Wrote:  

(03-11-2013 08:27 PM)T-Town Wrote:  

(03-11-2013 06:59 PM)Dwight Wrote:  Classic Catch-22. Our RPI will be good enough for an at-large bid only if we win both our tournament games.

Everybody is getting caught up in the Strength of Schedule, RPI business because that happens to be weakest part of the Lady Rockets resume this year. But having watched NCAA selection committees for a while, I have come to the conclusion that if you are a non-major, the committee will usually find an excuse to exclude you in favor of some team from a BIG conference. If your RPI is OK, then maybe you didn't have enough "good wins" or maybe you had too many "bad losses" or maybe you showed weakness at the end of the season by losing your tournament---they will always find a way to slip in an 18-12 BIG Major Conference team over a 25-4 LESSER midmajor-conference team every time.

Here is a synopsis of the field chosen for the 2012 Women's NCAA field last year that illustrates my point:

Automatic bids---1 each to 31 conferences

At Large bids----33 distributed as follows:

BIG WBB Conferences---SEC (8), BIG EAST (7), BIG 12 (6), BIG 10 (5), ACC (3), PAC 10 (1), ATLANTIC 10 (1) TOTAL = 31 out of 33 at-large picks for the top 7 BIG Conferences

REMAINING 24 LESSER conferences ----Sun Belt (1), West Coast (1)
TOTAL = 2 out of 33 at-large for the remaining 24 LESSER Conferences

This is fairly typically of the way it goes. So while some people may be willing to give up a few of homes games to go on the road for a few one-and-done games that are likely to be losses, just to improve the strength of schedule, I say "why bother" because they will just find a different reason to exclude you so why mess with a good fan base and a good record just because some ESPN type or pollster expert says that is what is holding UT back this year??? Believe me, fix that and they will just find something else to criticize.

The real path to success is to do what the UT Lady Rockets did between 1991 and 2001 which was go to the NCAA 7 out of that 11 year period. BUT unlike those teams, make some real noise this time---Cullop is a much better coach than Ehlen so if she sticks around she could make it happen. Do that and you can become the women's equivalent of a Butler or a Gonzaga and then you can get some home and home with the BIGs because they will not worry about the embarrassment of losing to you.

There is really only one way to build national credibility for the team and that is by defeating ranked teams. If Toledo is not willing or able to schedule them during the nonleague season the only other option is to get into the big dance and win games against ranked teams. That is how Butler and Gonzaga validated their talent.

+1

(03-12-2013 05:55 PM)temoxley Wrote:  

(03-11-2013 08:27 PM)T-Town Wrote:  

(03-11-2013 06:59 PM)Dwight Wrote:  Classic Catch-22. Our RPI will be good enough for an at-large bid only if we win both our tournament games.

Everybody is getting caught up in the Strength of Schedule, RPI business because that happens to be weakest part of the Lady Rockets resume this year. But having watched NCAA selection committees for a while, I have come to the conclusion that if you are a non-major, the committee will usually find an excuse to exclude you in favor of some team from a BIG conference. If your RPI is OK, then maybe you didn't have enough "good wins" or maybe you had too many "bad losses" or maybe you showed weakness at the end of the season by losing your tournament---they will always find a way to slip in an 18-12 BIG Major Conference team over a 25-4 LESSER midmajor-conference team every time.

Here is a synopsis of the field chosen for the 2012 Women's NCAA field last year that illustrates my point:

Automatic bids---1 each to 31 conferences

At Large bids----33 distributed as follows:

BIG WBB Conferences---SEC (8), BIG EAST (7), BIG 12 (6), BIG 10 (5), ACC (3), PAC 10 (1), ATLANTIC 10 (1) TOTAL = 31 out of 33 at-large picks for the top 7 BIG Conferences

REMAINING 24 LESSER conferences ----Sun Belt (1), West Coast (1)
TOTAL = 2 out of 33 at-large for the remaining 24 LESSER Conferences

This is fairly typically of the way it goes. So while some people may be willing to give up a few of homes games to go on the road for a few one-and-done games that are likely to be losses, just to improve the strength of schedule, I say "why bother" because they will just find a different reason to exclude you so why mess with a good fan base and a good record just because some ESPN type or pollster expert says that is what is holding UT back this year??? Believe me, fix that and they will just find something else to criticize.

The real path to success is to do what the UT Lady Rockets did between 1991 and 2001 which was go to the NCAA 7 out of that 11 year period. BUT unlike those teams, make some real noise this time---Cullop is a much better coach than Ehlen so if she sticks around she could make it happen. Do that and you can become the women's equivalent of a Butler or a Gonzaga and then you can get some home and home with the BIGs because they will not worry about the embarrassment of losing to you.

There is really only one way to build national credibility for the team and that is by defeating ranked teams. If Toledo is not willing or able to schedule them during the nonleague season the only other option is to get into the big dance and win games against ranked teams. That is how Butler and Gonzaga validated their talent.

Agreed and I prefer the post season to a bunch of one-and-dones because: 1) there is a lot of national focus on the NCAAs (of course, more so for the men than women) and 2) most importantly the games are on neutral courts (except for a few of the women's games)---but you do have to get into the tourney on a fairly regular basis to keep your program on the radar screen.