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(08-21-2016 06:19 PM)blazers9911 Wrote:  Monmouth got one of the biggest screw jobs in years. If be shocked if the committee left a team like that out again, by who knows. Our schedule last year didn't do a thing for us. It didn't prepare us to play tough games, and it gave us virtually no opportunities for good wins. I've never been a fan of whoring ourselves out, but we didn't even sniff the bubble last year.

We are in a one bid league now. Unless CUSA improves overall as a league this apparent tough schedule may not mean much and UAB will still need to win the tourney. Meanwhile, I hope next year's home schedule is better than it has been these last three years.

Give up the dream of a good home schedule until we become powerful enough to not have to go begging. Power teams don't want to play at Bartow. The risk has always been too great. Top mid majors don't have to play us when they are seeking what we want, a game agains the elites. Occasionally someone like SF Austin or Butler will give us a home and Home, but those examples are becoming rarer, and they don't bring the crowds out.

The only times in the past 20 years we have gotten a big name power school to come to Bartow is when our coach has been able to call in a favor or had a benefactor, like Haase with Roy Williams or Murry with Bobby Knight. Even Gene had to call in favors and couldn't get teams to play in Birmingham just for the sake of playing UAB. Our conference schedule used to cover this fact, but now our conference sucks.

We have to do what we are doing now. Hit the road and play the big boys. Our wiindo is short with our team having upperclassmen. If we don't do it this year or next, it's back to square one.

I agree with you MB. But if we can't get half decent teams to play us Bartow then lets just get some local teams on the schedule like Alabama St, Samford, Ala A&M, JSU, and maybe Tulane or......whatever. As long as we're in CUSA, UAB Basketball is screwed.

That's the thing, we cannot just accept we are screwed and make a schedule full of cupcakes again. Look, Monmouth was an outlier as far as everybody was concerned last year. Everybody had them in except the selection committee. Weird things happen from time to time, but that doesn't make it a trend. Playing a schedule like last year's guarantees we will never get an at large.

The other thing about playing good competition early is it tends to get you ready for later in the season. We were not tested last year, and that showed when we were bounced early from the tournament. The situation that currently exists sucks, but I'm not for throwing in he towel and playing crappy teams all season.

(08-22-2016 07:55 AM)blazers9911 Wrote:  That's the thing, we cannot just accept we are screwed and make a schedule full of cupcakes again. Look, Monmouth was an outlier as far as everybody was concerned last year. Everybody had them in accept the selection committee. Weird things happen from time to time, but that doesn't make it a trend. Playing a schedule like last year's guarantees we will never get an at large.

The other thing about playing good competition early is it tends to get you ready for later in the season. We were not tested last year, and that showed when we were bounced early from the tournament. The situation that currently exists sucks, but I'm not for throwing in he towel and playing crappy teams all season.

I agree, although I do think we may have gone slightly overboard with the amount of quality away/neutral games. I maybe would trade one of those for another home game. But, this schedule is certainly in the ballpark of what we need in order to have a chance for an at large.

Monmouth definitely got screwed, but I have a hard time seeing something that egregious happening again. I think everyone realizes that was a screw job and will probably still be talked about this year. They were also probably victim of their lack of historical success (typically 300+ RPI) and brand name. While not a blue blood ourselves, I feel like if we had the same resume as them, we would've been in due to having a stronger basketball brand and more historical success even though the committee isn't supposed to take those things into account.

(08-22-2016 07:55 AM)blazers9911 Wrote:  That's the thing, we cannot just accept we are screwed and make a schedule full of cupcakes again. Look, Monmouth was an outlier as far as everybody was concerned last year. Everybody had them in accept the selection committee. Weird things happen from time to time, but that doesn't make it a trend. Playing a schedule like last year's guarantees we will never get an at large.

The other thing about playing good competition early is it tends to get you ready for later in the season. We were not tested last year, and that showed when we were bounced early from the tournament. The situation that currently exists sucks, but I'm not for throwing in he towel and playing crappy teams all season.

I get what you're saying but there still has to be a balance in the schedule. Monmouth did something not many other teams from one bid leagues had done successfully and I commend them for that. Yes we need tough games but I will always be weary of schedules like these because recent history tells us UAB hasn't faired well against tougher competition on the road.

(08-22-2016 12:06 PM)hooverblazer Wrote:  

(08-22-2016 07:55 AM)blazers9911 Wrote:  That's the thing, we cannot just accept we are screwed and make a schedule full of cupcakes again. Look, Monmouth was an outlier as far as everybody was concerned last year. Everybody had them in accept the selection committee. Weird things happen from time to time, but that doesn't make it a trend. Playing a schedule like last year's guarantees we will never get an at large.

The other thing about playing good competition early is it tends to get you ready for later in the season. We were not tested last year, and that showed when we were bounced early from the tournament. The situation that currently exists sucks, but I'm not for throwing in he towel and playing crappy teams all season.

I agree, although I do think we may have gone slightly overboard with the amount of quality away/neutral games. I maybe would trade one of those for another home game. But, this schedule is certainly in the ballpark of what we need in order to have a chance for an at large.

Monmouth definitely got screwed, but I have a hard time seeing something that egregious happening again. I think everyone realizes that was a screw job and will probably still be talked about this year. They were also probably victim of their lack of historical success (typically 300+ RPI) and brand name. While not a blue blood ourselves, I feel like if we had the same resume as them, we would've been in due to having a stronger basketball brand and more historical success even though the committee isn't supposed to take those things into account.

we may have went slightly overboard, but that may have been in an effort to have no meat on the schedule again. Maybe we were working on these games with the assumption 2-3 of them would fall through, and this was the year it all worked out. I have no idea how it happened, but I much prefer a "neutral" site game with st Mary's than a home game with a non d1 team. The record is likely going to be worse this year, but the team should benefit from the tough schedule. No arena in cusa is going to be intimidating compared to what we've already seen this year.

And I agree about Monmouth. A more well known brand probably gets in with an identical resume.

(08-22-2016 12:12 PM)blazers9911 Wrote:  

(08-22-2016 12:06 PM)hooverblazer Wrote:  

(08-22-2016 07:55 AM)blazers9911 Wrote:  That's the thing, we cannot just accept we are screwed and make a schedule full of cupcakes again. Look, Monmouth was an outlier as far as everybody was concerned last year. Everybody had them in accept the selection committee. Weird things happen from time to time, but that doesn't make it a trend. Playing a schedule like last year's guarantees we will never get an at large.

The other thing about playing good competition early is it tends to get you ready for later in the season. We were not tested last year, and that showed when we were bounced early from the tournament. The situation that currently exists sucks, but I'm not for throwing in he towel and playing crappy teams all season.

I agree, although I do think we may have gone slightly overboard with the amount of quality away/neutral games. I maybe would trade one of those for another home game. But, this schedule is certainly in the ballpark of what we need in order to have a chance for an at large.

Monmouth definitely got screwed, but I have a hard time seeing something that egregious happening again. I think everyone realizes that was a screw job and will probably still be talked about this year. They were also probably victim of their lack of historical success (typically 300+ RPI) and brand name. While not a blue blood ourselves, I feel like if we had the same resume as them, we would've been in due to having a stronger basketball brand and more historical success even though the committee isn't supposed to take those things into account.

we may have went slightly overboard, but that may have been in an effort to have no meat on the schedule again. Maybe we were working on these games with the assumption 2-3 of them would fall through, and this was the year it all worked out. I have no idea how it happened, but I much prefer a "neutral" site game with st Mary's than a home game with a non d1 team. The record is likely going to be worse this year, but the team should benefit from the tough schedule. No arena in cusa is going to be intimidating compared to what we've already seen this year.

And I agree about Monmouth. A more well known brand probably gets in with an identical resume.

Can't believe yall even talking monmouth basketball. That happened because they have no history.

And if you want big games in Birmingham take em to legacy arena.

(08-22-2016 03:46 PM)Big Dee Wrote:  Can't believe yall even talking monmouth basketball. That happened because they have no history.

And if you want big games in Birmingham take em to legacy arena.

And there's the main problem with committee selections...bids should be about that season alone, not what you have or have not done for the previous 25 or 50 years, but committee members can never be as neutral as the claim they can be.

Monmouth's circumstances are relevant to this discussion. I would like to say I can't believe you are questioning the validity of their discussion, but that would be an untenable position.

(08-22-2016 04:10 PM)blazerjay Wrote:  

(08-22-2016 03:46 PM)Big Dee Wrote:  Can't believe yall even talking monmouth basketball. That happened because they have no history.

And if you want big games in Birmingham take em to legacy arena.

And there's the main problem with committee selections...bids should be about that season alone, not what you have or have not done for the previous 25 or 50 years, but committee members can never be as neutral as the claim they can be.

Monmouth's circumstances are relevant to this discussion. I would like to say I can't believe you are questioning the validity of their discussion, but that would be an untenable position.

Yeah the committee is supposed to follow a lot of rules that they obviously don't follow. I think some more objective rules need to be implemented because that group does odd things year after year with no real explanation. If Monmouth was simply team with its resume below it, there was no way it was left out last year.

Is college basketball is a business? Then its easy to see why they didnt make it.