The unofficial online home for fans of the Old Dominion University Monarchs. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

MT made the big dance as an at large in 2013 because they had a ton of road/neutral wins, simply too many to ignore. I had them in while most experts had them out.

(12-28-2014 09:14 AM)monarchoptimist Wrote:  

(12-28-2014 12:19 AM)Cyniclone Wrote:  That said, I don't think CUSA is as bad as you make it out to be. No, they're not likely to be a major basketball conference in the short or mid-term future. Yes, they're disturbingly poor as a whole this season. And God Almighty knows some of their programs really need to reevaluate how they function, or at least schedule. But between ODU, Charlotte, UTEP, Louisiana Tech, Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee -- and even UAB and Southern Mississippi, as bad as they are now -- there's a core of programs from which success is a reasonable expectation. They're not all going to be good all the time, but there's no reason not to think that from this, eventually CUSA has two or three at-large contenders every season. And if other programs get their houses in order, in particular Marshall and Rice, so much the better.

I'm not sure success for most of these schools is a reasonable expectation any more. A couple of these schools have a great basketball history but that really doesn't mean much to ODU and present day CUSA. The last 10 years have been a struggle for most of the programs you listed. Charlotte's last tournament appearance was 2005. UTEP has made the tournament twice (05 & 10). Middle Tennessee caught a basically random at-large in 2013 because they hadn't made the tourney since the 80s otherwise. Louisiana Tech is in the same boat (last tourney appearance is 1991). A lot of our new conference mates talk a nice game about basketball but don't have much to show for it the past decade. I agree about Rice and Marshall's potential to turn it around and have much more faith in them than USM or UAB at the moment.

I'm not here to diagnose why many of these programs (outside of WKU) have been adrift for so long, I'm honestly not familiar enough with anyone besides ODU to make an assessment. This year is slightly better than last because there is a school with an actual at-large resume.

A lot of CUSA schools have not been to the tournament in the past decadede due to the dominance of Memphis basketball. Memphis has been a national power that domeinated CUSA basketball for more than a decade. They dominated CUSA baskeball like the Lady Monarchs dominated CUSA women's basketball.

While it has been 10 years since our last tournament appearance I do feel pretty good going forward. We have arguably the two best freshmen in the conference this season and a ridiculously athletic and talented freshman forward joining us next year. 247's head of recruiting has him at 68th in the 2015 class. 247 lists him at 70 though.a

Pair him and the new freshmen with Braxton Ogbueze who has been a very solid sophomore for us and we have a very solid young core of players.

I'm not even ready to write this yesr.off. I think we get a win over Georgia Tech on tuesday, giving us wins against the sec, b1g, and acc in ooc this year with no bad losses.

(12-28-2014 09:33 AM)ODU FrontRunner Wrote:  

(12-28-2014 09:14 AM)monarchoptimist Wrote:  

(12-28-2014 12:19 AM)Cyniclone Wrote:  That said, I don't think CUSA is as bad as you make it out to be. No, they're not likely to be a major basketball conference in the short or mid-term future. Yes, they're disturbingly poor as a whole this season. And God Almighty knows some of their programs really need to reevaluate how they function, or at least schedule. But between ODU, Charlotte, UTEP, Louisiana Tech, Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee -- and even UAB and Southern Mississippi, as bad as they are now -- there's a core of programs from which success is a reasonable expectation. They're not all going to be good all the time, but there's no reason not to think that from this, eventually CUSA has two or three at-large contenders every season. And if other programs get their houses in order, in particular Marshall and Rice, so much the better.

I'm not sure success for most of these schools is a reasonable expectation any more. A couple of these schools have a great basketball history but that really doesn't mean much to ODU and present day CUSA. The last 10 years have been a struggle for most of the programs you listed. Charlotte's last tournament appearance was 2005. UTEP has made the tournament twice (05 & 10). Middle Tennessee caught a basically random at-large in 2013 because they hadn't made the tourney since the 80s otherwise. Louisiana Tech is in the same boat (last tourney appearance is 1991). A lot of our new conference mates talk a nice game about basketball but don't have much to show for it the past decade. I agree about Rice and Marshall's potential to turn it around and have much more faith in them than USM or UAB at the moment.

I'm not here to diagnose why many of these programs (outside of WKU) have been adrift for so long, I'm honestly not familiar enough with anyone besides ODU to make an assessment. This year is slightly better than last because there is a school with an actual at-large resume.

A lot of CUSA schools have not been to the tournament in the past decadede due to the dominance of Memphis basketball. Memphis has been a national power that domeinated CUSA basketball for more than a decade. They dominated CUSA baskeball like the Lady Monarchs dominated CUSA women's basketball.

First, half these schools weren't in CUSA with Memphis so that doesn't apply. Second, Memphis is a great basketball school but that doesn't stop any of the programs who were in CUSA for the past decade from earning an at-large. In fact, Memphis being such a stellar program should help those teams earn an at-large. Especially since so many claim to have an inability to schedule quality teams.

(12-28-2014 09:33 AM)ODU FrontRunner Wrote:  A lot of CUSA schools have not been to the tournament in the past decadede due to the dominance of Memphis basketball. Memphis has been a national power that domeinated CUSA basketball for more than a decade. They dominated CUSA baskeball like the Lady Monarchs dominated CUSA women's basketball.

um,...did you mean CAA?

To quote Lloyd Christmas...

"Pick em' up!"

(12-10-2014 01:22 PM)ODUalum78 Wrote:  

(12-10-2014 01:21 PM)Stanger Wrote:  Why would they try for C-USA? They are clearly ACC material

Some rumors have them going to the BigXII.......

OMG. If JMU goes to the Big XII, then we should go to the B1G, because JMU has never beat us!

Not sure how close the local paper is to JMU Sports, but this was a blurb from today's Harrisonburg Daily News Record:

With respect to conference membership, we know that the usual face saving process is such that no official offer is made until and unless it is known that there will be a guaranteed acceptance. Therefore these issues are often discussed casually or semi-casually in the background, and thus the feelings of both entities are known before official activity, if any, takes place.

When Sun Belt Commissioner Karl Benson, made this statement of JMU in April of this year,
"It appears they made a decision to stay FCS,"
there is no doubt that the SBC was open to discussions with JMU , but JMU was not inclined to reciprocate.

So, while technically correct, the DNR article is misleading with respect to
the total progression of events.

Sunbelt is not a good fit for JMU. They'd lose theit shirts financially. Theyd be a better fit in the MAC.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

(12-31-2014 11:56 AM)ODUalum78 Wrote:  With respect to conference membership, we know that the usual face saving process is such that no official offer is made until and unless it is known that there will be a guaranteed acceptance. Therefore these issues are often discussed casually or semi-casually in the background, and thus the feelings of both entities are known before official activity, if any, takes place.

When Sun Belt Commissioner Karl Benson, made this statement of JMU in April of this year,
"It appears they made a decision to stay FCS,"
there is no doubt that the SBC was open to discussions with JMU , but JMU was not inclined to reciprocate.

So, while technically correct, the DNR article is misleading with respect to
the total progression of events.

All the while the JMU President tells the fans we did not have an invite.

(12-31-2014 12:14 PM)benny_t Wrote:  

(12-31-2014 11:56 AM)ODUalum78 Wrote:  With respect to conference membership, we know that the usual face saving process is such that no official offer is made until and unless it is known that there will be a guaranteed acceptance. Therefore these issues are often discussed casually or semi-casually in the background, and thus the feelings of both entities are known before official activity, if any, takes place.

When Sun Belt Commissioner Karl Benson, made this statement of JMU in April of this year,
"It appears they made a decision to stay FCS,"
there is no doubt that the SBC was open to discussions with JMU , but JMU was not inclined to reciprocate.

So, while technically correct, the DNR article is misleading with respect to
the total progression of events.

All the while the JMU President tells the fans we did not have an invite.

He is technically not lying but at the same time he is technically wrong.

EverRespect is absolutely correct in that the SBC would be a bottomless pit for JMU financially. JMU rhetoric aside, this has never been predominantly about the warm and fuzzy "peer institutions" and "academics" excuses.
It has been about money.

Ii is my opinion that JMU believed that a MAC opening was imminent. When UMass called the MAC's bluff, that door slammed shut.

Unless the Big XII reverses it's most recent stance of not expanding, JMU may not have another FBS opportunity until the end of the GoRs, ten to fifteen years from now.

JMU should become a JUCO for ODU making it seamless for their players to move up to Division I football.

:)

(12-31-2014 12:28 PM)ODUalum78 Wrote:  

(12-31-2014 12:14 PM)benny_t Wrote:  

(12-31-2014 11:56 AM)ODUalum78 Wrote:  With respect to conference membership, we know that the usual face saving process is such that no official offer is made until and unless it is known that there will be a guaranteed acceptance. Therefore these issues are often discussed casually or semi-casually in the background, and thus the feelings of both entities are known before official activity, if any, takes place.

When Sun Belt Commissioner Karl Benson, made this statement of JMU in April of this year,
"It appears they made a decision to stay FCS,"
there is no doubt that the SBC was open to discussions with JMU , but JMU was not inclined to reciprocate.

So, while technically correct, the DNR article is misleading with respect to
the total progression of events.

All the while the JMU President tells the fans we did not have an invite.

He is technically not lying but at the same time he is technically wrong.

EverRespect is absolutely correct in that the SBC would be a bottomless pit for JMU financially. JMU rhetoric aside, this has never been predominantly about the warm and fuzzy "peer institutions" and "academics" excuses.
It has been about money.

Ii is my opinion that JMU believed that a MAC opening was imminent. When UMass called the MAC's bluff, that door slammed shut.

Unless the Big XII reverses it's most recent stance of not expanding, JMU may not have another FBS opportunity until the end of the GoRs, ten to fifteen years from now.

Not only did JMU decline the SBC overtures, but Benson, by saying "stay FCS" implied a foreknowledge that JMU would neither have nor seek any other options.

Indeed the CUSA presidents had voted not to further expand the previous January (2014), and it was reported that the MAC/UMASS situation came to fruition no later than Feb/March.

Certainly it was obvious that Benson knew, and it is overwhelmingly likely that JMU knew the outcome of the MAC/UMass negotiations as well; prior to it's dismissal of the SBC.