Bye week for men's hoops. Women play I believe Friday.

Hard to believe but 1st semester is almost over. Finals...

Andrew from Eastern Echo indicated that Murphy didn't seem worried about Bond's injury. [If one goes to Twitter, Andrew has some great photos from the game.]

That's good news as obviously this is a 'home game' for Bond and his family and friends. Lot of Mangum family and friends made it to PSU so we should see a lot of EMU fans there. I will also be at the game. It appeared that there were a few rows of EMU fans behind the bench yesterday in L'ville.

I don't believe there will be any TV. Doesn't look like Coppin does anything for their home games...

Starting a week Monday, Dec. 21, things get better: @Coppin State, and home to UDM and No. Florida before going on the road to start MAC conference play.

I assume the UDM game scheduling was for the convenience of both EMU and UDM. The kids can go home for Christmas and then come back for a game right after. For UDM a lot of their players are from the Detroit area so they can stay home for Christmas and then play a few days later. Staying close to home for both UDM and EMU makes it easier on all (including the coaching staffs which are all local people).

The latest Sagarins are out:

Our SOS (Strength of Schedule) is: 4 (F-O-U-R) out of 350+ D-I schools.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaab/sag...onference/

So to be 'fair and balanced' it will take the insights of Super and I to get balance (sadly Super isn't balanced.):

Super says one can't draw any conclusions from the non-D-I schedule. That is basically true, although it is good to judge individual talent.

EMU Steve says one can't draw any conclusions from the D-I schedule. That is also, basically, true, because the D-I schedule TO DATE, is ridiculously difficult. The schedule will 'even out' somewhat once we play Coppin, UDM and N. Florida. Still the schedule will be considered very difficult.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaab/sag...onference/

(12-14-2015 07:54 AM)emu steve Wrote:  The latest Sagarins are out:

Our SOS (Strength of Schedule) is: 4 (F-O-U-R) out of 350+ D-I schools.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaab/sag...onference/

So to be 'fair and balanced' it will take the insights of Super and I to get balance (sadly Super isn't balanced.):

Super says one can't draw any conclusions from the non-D-I schedule. That is basically true, although it is good to judge individual talent.

EMU Steve says one can't draw any conclusions from the D-I schedule. That is also, basically, true, because the D-I schedule TO DATE, is ridiculously difficult. The schedule will 'even out' somewhat once we play Coppin, UDM and N. Florida. Still the schedule will be considered very difficult.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaab/sag...onference/

Everything about Super screams OCD. Let's leave it at that. The schedule is fine, the real test is going to be in MAC play.

Beating U-D is important to the program. The city of Detroit is going to have their first look at James Thompson, that will be cool.

This team needs to play a bad Coppin State team and two 'average' teams, UDM and N. Florida, at HOME.

We need to level the playing field and at least 2 of the 3 games.

The mac as a whole sos is 20th out of 32. EMU rpi is 65. Our predicted ranking is 159 this site uses all games played not just D1 https://www.teamrankings.com/ncb/rpi/

Choppin should be an easy win.

(12-14-2015 09:47 AM)emussuperfan Wrote:  Choppin should be an easy win.

Choppin? As in choppin broccoli? Dude, if you are going to represent EMU, you have to try to be literate. Your posts are an educational abomination.

I'm still at .500 for this season, Thompson has been a huge surprise but as good as he has been the guard play overall has inconsistent despite adding Toney and Mangum and Stone. Alvano has actually gotten worse this season compared to his freshmen year. Mangum is a loose cannon with no shot discipline. Toney and Lee need to get untracked and play to their potential. Bond needs to get involved more in the offense and shot from the outside. The lack of front court depth behind Thompson shows although I agree with those posters who say if Nobles added 10-15 pounds he could be in the rotation more. Unlike MAC football I agree with those who point out the MAC is weak this year. If Lee, Toney and Bond can find a way to mesh and live up to their potential the MAC West and beyond could be in their reach.

(12-15-2015 05:23 AM)emu79 Wrote:  I'm still at .500 for this season, Thompson has been a huge surprise but as good as he has been the guard play overall has inconsistent despite adding Toney and Mangum and Stone. Alvano has actually gotten worse this season compared to his freshmen year. Mangum is a loose cannon with no shot discipline. Toney and Lee need to get untracked and play to their potential. Bond needs to get involved more in the offense and shot from the outside. The lack of front court depth behind Thompson shows although I agree with those posters who say if Nobles added 10-15 pounds he could be in the rotation more. Unlike MAC football I agree with those who point out the MAC is weak this year. If Lee, Toney and Bond can find a way to mesh and live up to their potential the MAC West and beyond could be in their reach.

I agree with The MU79

EMU79

I don't know where to put this comment, but maybe it fits here:

The MAC USED TO BE (BobW can attest) a very good mid-major basketball conference esp. in the late 1980s and 90s.

Then, Marshall joined and the emphasis shifted to football and we had Randy Moss, Big Ben Roethelisberger, Byron Leftwich, etc. and the MAC became better known as a football conference.

With ESPN's help, MACtion became popular and weeknight games in November.

The MAC has SEVEN (7 !!!) bowl games this year and had the Orange Bowl 1/1/2013, yet is struggling to get TWO teams into the NCAAs.

MAC hoops this year appears to be down a notch from last year's strong showing... It isn't a great season and it is wide open. I'm guessing that two teams which could get hot are Toledo with Nathan Boothe and Jonathan Williams and EMU if Lee shoots like Williams is shooting.

An excellent post player and excellent shooter should be enough to make the MAC semis in CLE.

(12-15-2015 12:47 PM)emu steve Wrote:  I don't know where to put this comment, but maybe it fits here:

The MAC USED TO BE (BobW can attest) a very good mid-major basketball conference esp. in the late 1980s and 90s.

Then, Marshall joined and the emphasis shifted to football and we had Randy Moss, Big Ben Roethelisberger, Byron Leftwich, etc. and the MAC became better known as a football conference.

With ESPN's help, MACtion became popular and weeknight games in November.

The MAC has SEVEN (7 !!!) bowl games this year and had the Orange Bowl 1/1/2013, yet is struggling to get TWO teams into the NCAAs.

MAC hoops this year appears to be down a notch from last year's strong showing... It isn't a great season and it is wide open. I'm guessing that two teams which could get hot are Toledo with Nathan Boothe and Jonathan Williams and EMU if Lee shoots like Williams is shooting.

An excellent post player and excellent shooter should be enough to make the MAC semis in CLE.

Chad Pennington, Charlie Frye, Antonio Brown, Dan LeFevre, Kevin Walter, Julian Edelman, Josh Cribbs, Khalil Mack, Eric Fisher, Greg Jennings, TJ Lang, Jason Jones, Thomas Rawls, Mike Mitchell, Barry Church, and CMU tight end JJ Watt.

(12-15-2015 01:40 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  

(12-15-2015 12:47 PM)emu steve Wrote:  I don't know where to put this comment, but maybe it fits here:

The MAC USED TO BE (BobW can attest) a very good mid-major basketball conference esp. in the late 1980s and 90s.

Then, Marshall joined and the emphasis shifted to football and we had Randy Moss, Big Ben Roethelisberger, Byron Leftwich, etc. and the MAC became better known as a football conference.

With ESPN's help, MACtion became popular and weeknight games in November.

The MAC has SEVEN (7 !!!) bowl games this year and had the Orange Bowl 1/1/2013, yet is struggling to get TWO teams into the NCAAs.

MAC hoops this year appears to be down a notch from last year's strong showing... It isn't a great season and it is wide open. I'm guessing that two teams which could get hot are Toledo with Nathan Boothe and Jonathan Williams and EMU if Lee shoots like Williams is shooting.

An excellent post player and excellent shooter should be enough to make the MAC semis in CLE.

Chad Pennington, Charlie Frye, Antonio Brown, Dan LeFevre, Kevin Walter, Julian Edelman, Josh Cribbs, Khalil Mack, Eric Fisher, Greg Jennings, TJ Lang, Jason Jones, Thomas Rawls, Mike Mitchell, Barry Church, and CMU tight end JJ Watt.

And more, e.g., Bruce Gradkowski.

Didn't Pitt once have Big Ben, Bruce Gradkowski and EMU's own Charlie Batch as their three QBs one season, and, of course, Antonio Brown, was catching the balls...

NFL scouts have no trouble finding MAC FB games or campuses for senior day.

And for those into this kind of (whatever), our D-I OOC schedule is now #3 out of 351 schools. It would be the 99th percentile in terms of difficulty... But it won't last, Coppin State is very, very low...

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaab/sag...onference/

BTW, those into this kind of stuff: Look at the Southland Conference. A bunch of team playing very, very difficult schedules and getting their butts kicked (presumably for good $). Three of the top four most difficult schedules belong to that conference and those 3 teams are a combined 0 - 15 in D-I play. Enjoy the road game guarantees, fellas... There is an old saying 'money talks and bulls*it walks'. The converse could be 'those without money, experiences a lot of bulls*it'. Those schools are like rag dolls, just being abused by the more affluent schools.

(12-16-2015 10:56 AM)emu steve Wrote:  And for those into this kind of (whatever), our D-I OOC schedule is now #3 out of 351 schools. It would be the 99th percentile in terms of difficulty... But it won't last, Coppin State is very, very low...

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaab/sag...onference/

BTW, those into this kind of stuff: Look at the Southland Conference. A bunch of team playing very, very difficult schedules and getting their butts kicked (presumably for good $). Three of the top four most difficult schedules belong to that conference and those 3 teams are a combined 0 - 15 in D-I play. Enjoy the road game guarantees, fellas... There is an old saying 'money talks and bulls*it walks'. The converse could be 'those without money, experiences a lot of bulls*it'. Those schools are like rag dolls, just being abused by the more affluent schools.

A Please sir can I have another schedule.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketba...-cardinals

Maybe the worst schedule in D-I, maybe D-I history (although NJIT used to have god awful schedules).

Four home games in Nov/Dec: Texas Lutheran, Shreiner, Dallas Christian and Our Lady of the Lake.

Rest: ALL D-I games on the road...

I think the NCAA needs the equivalent of a humane society to protect the poor, abandoned and abused D-I schools.

Back in the 90s there were less than 28 D1 conferences and the MAC drifted between 10 and 12th place. Today there are 32 conferences and the MAC drifts between 12 and 14th. The mac hasn't had a real NBA player in around 15 years.

(12-16-2015 01:10 PM)emussuperfan Wrote:  Back in the 90s there were less than 28 D1 conferences and the MAC drifted between 10 and 12th place. Today there are 32 conferences and the MAC drifts between 12 and 14th. The mac hasn't had a real NBA player in around 15 years.

Super, you are absolutely correct.

As I've mentioned in some posts the MAC has gone from a basketball conference to a football conference.

As BobW mentioned in a post, there have been a very large number of former MAC players doing very well in the NFL.

I have no explanation why MAC basketball isn't producing NBA players. MAC has good players, but not great players.

(12-17-2015 04:03 PM)emu steve Wrote:  

(12-16-2015 01:10 PM)emussuperfan Wrote:  Back in the 90s there were less than 28 D1 conferences and the MAC drifted between 10 and 12th place. Today there are 32 conferences and the MAC drifts between 12 and 14th. The mac hasn't had a real NBA player in around 15 years.

Super, you are absolutely correct.

As I've mentioned in some posts the MAC has gone from a basketball conference to a football conference.

As BobW mentioned in a post, there have been a very large number of former MAC players doing very well in the NFL.

I have no explanation why MAC basketball isn't producing NBA players. MAC has good players, but not great players.

James Thompson IV should be next.

(12-17-2015 04:03 PM)emu steve Wrote:  I have no explanation why MAC basketball isn't producing NBA players. MAC has good players, but not great players.

1. There are over 100 international players on NBA rosters now. In the 1990s there were far fewer taking roster spots of former NCAA athletes. If you were to substitute 90 International players that were developed on club teams overseas for the next 90 best former NCAA players you'd likely find a few former MAC student-athletes in that group.

2. There is more emphasis on travel basketball and far more exposure for "under the radar" recruits and late bloomers because of travel basketball and the internet/ease of getting film. A lot of guys that MAC schools would have gotten in state end up in the Atlantic Ten or go to high major schools out of the Midwest.

3. The recruiting base of the MAC, the Midwest has had substantial loss of population. Just look at the number of Detroit public schools that are now closed.

4. The conference has placed more emphasis and resources into football. The Missouri Valley and Horizon League, competing conferences of the MAC, have a basketball first mentality.